Fernando de Noronha: how to save on your trip – 08/03/2023 – Tourism

In the middle of the path there were not one, but so many stones that a slip could end the trip. There were sharks, and a blunder in the sea could cause a tragedy.

But it also had imposing rocky walls, crystalline waters, jumping dolphins, fish of all colors and everything that nature has to offer.

Traveling to Fernando de Noronha is like that — one setback after another that, if carried out, offers experiences capable of leaving anyone stunned. Even those who collect passports full of stamps.

Proof of this is that Sancho beach, the main one on the archipelago, has just been voted the best in the world by users of TripAdvisor, the largest travel site on the internet. The problem is that Noronha is not the most suitable destination for children, the elderly or people with disabilities.

To reach any beach, there is a penance – and the greater it is, the greater the reward.

To bathe in Sancho, for example, you have to walk half a kilometer and go down a cliff with 208 steps, part of them embedded in the middle of a wall of rocks —which can prevent the passage of an obese or claustrophobic person.

Once the ordeal is over, however, the landscape, already stunning seen from above, takes on even more surprising contours, with a sea of ​​incomparable diversity of fish, turtles and stingrays.

The experience is similar on the other beaches, especially those in the National Marine Park, which comprises most of those bathed by the Mar de Dentro, as the part of the ocean facing the South American continent is known, which is less influenced by winds and It has calmer and clearer waters than the Outer Sea, facing Africa.

To gain access to the Marine National Park, by the way, it is necessary to disburse R$ 179. This allows entry to the beaches of Atalaia, Caieira and Leão, in addition to the bay of Sueste, Porcos and Dolphins —that is, the regions most famous and most beautiful, where access is still conditioned to some rules, such as the prohibition of alcoholic beverages and the use of drones.

The ticket has nothing to do with the island’s environmental preservation fee, the TPA, of R$92 a day. Both can be paid both via the internet and on the island, which is not recommended for those who don’t want to waste time in queues.

Time, after all, is money. In Noronha, even more so. But it is possible to save.

The good inns on the island have daily rates from R$ 1,000 to R$ 3,000 for a couple. A good alternative for those traveling with family or friends is to rent a house. The rates are similar, but more people can fit.

You can also cook at home. The price of groceries is twice as high as a supermarket on the mainland, but the bill is still much cheaper than eating in restaurants or bakeries.
In order not to miss out on discovering the local gastronomy, it is possible to mix a simpler and quicker lunch made at home with a more elaborate dinner out and vice versa.

In addition to the most renowned restaurants, such as Xica da Silva, a good option for eating seafood is Cacimba Bistrô, which baptizes its dishes with a bit of cafonice in homage to the global ones.

It is also possible to prepare snacks to take on the tours. Not only to save money, but because most beaches are not commercialized.

The ones that do are good for having lunch with a view of the sea or watching the sunset with a drink in hand.
Prices can scare. One of the most traditional, Bar do Meio, is known as the euro bar. A long neck there costs R$20, while an à la carte dish for two goes from R$150 to R$200. The tip is to take cash, because the internet signal is very poor.

It is not much more expensive, truth be told, than what you pay in São Paulo or in more desirable beaches in the Northeast, such as Porto de Galinhas (PE). The difference is that the products only get there by boat.

Tours are also not much more expensive than on other beaches in the Northeast. Essential for getting to know the whole island more quickly before choosing which spots to explore calmly, the Ilha Tour costs R$250 per person.

It’s the same price as the boat tour of the Inside Sea, which offers a panoramic view of the beaches among the dolphins.

Tours, by the way, need to be booked in advance. While the Ilha Tour must be done on the first day of the trip, preferably in sunny weather, for the photos to be beautiful, the boat tour needs to be scheduled for a day when the sea is calmer.

Those who don’t like rough seas, by the way, need to go to Noronha in the high season, between August and October. Everything can be more expensive, but in the other months the island is hit by strong winds, in a
phenomenon called “swell”.

The waves can get so high that some beaches become unsuitable for swimming, which also makes it impossible to carry out tours such as scuba diving.

If the reader cannot travel at another time or has booked the trip without knowing about the “swell”, as this reporter did, there is no reason to panic. The island will remain as beautiful as ever. If you can’t take a swim in the sea one day or the next, be patient.

After all, not only the tide can be an impediment there. Sharks, constant in the archipelago, scare away tourists. They are more frequent in some regions —as in the case of the bay of Sueste, banned for swimming due to an incident a year ago—, but it is possible to see them on any beach.

Even if the attacks are rare, no tourist wants to risk, with the water in his shins, sighting
a shark nursery.

Noronha is thus proof that, compared to nature in its raw state, we are not and do not have control over anything. As cliché as it may sound, there, just the possibility of contemplating a
of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet is already rewarding.