Guide to Fernando de Noronha Beaches

Reading about Fernando de Noronha beaches can be truly overwhelming - there are so many and all with different things to do and visitation rules! I made this comprehensive guide to it's beaches to help you plan which ones you want to explore during your stay, from the popular Praia do Sancho that requires a specific card to enter, to Atalaia that requires previous booking

Walking along Praia do Sancho in Fernando de Noronha

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Last updated: March 2021

What comes to your mind when you think about Fernando de Noronha? Dolphins, turtles, rays, sharks (the type of sharks you can actually be close to), underwater selfies with fish, and dreamy, green beaches. It's like being in Philippines, except you're in South America.
The island has plenty of different beaches, and all of them are worth visiting. All are beautiful and if I would be asked to choose my favourite, I don't think I could possibly pick one. Getting to know all of these beaches can be overwhelming, not only because of their fancy names, but also because of their wide range and specific restrictions: free/paid access, booking required/not required, tide and weather conditions, time to access, mandatory and forbidden equipment etc.
I put up together a guide on all 14 beaches from north to south, to help you plan your visit to this amazing island.

NORTH
• Praia do Porto Santo Antonio
• Praia do Cachorro (Dog Beach)
• Praia do Meio
• Praia da Conceição
WEST
• Praia do Boldró
• Praia do Americano
• Praia do Bode
• Praia do Quixabinha
• Praia da Cacimba do Padre
• Praia da Baía dos Porcos
• Praia do Sancho
SOUTHEAST
• Praia do Leão
• Praia do Sueste
• Praia da Atalaia

Tips to use the map above

You will find different layers on this map, showing you all beaches and points of interest by area. To see these, click on the tab icon (top left). All layers will be enabled by default. By clicking on the check marks, you can disable/hide a specific label to better understand the info you're looking for.
To view more detailed information on any point of interest, click on it's icon over the map.
You can save this by clicking on the star on the top of the map (right next to the title). This will be added to your Google Maps, and you will be able to access it from any device (Google Maps - Your Places - Maps)

NORTH

1) Praia do Porto Santo Antonio

Beach located at the harbour of the island, from where the boat tours start. The water is generally quite calm in here, and this is one of the, if not the best place to do snorkeling and diving. You will find parts of a ship wreck in here, as well as sharks, rays, turtles, and many fish! I cannot swim, but I got the chance to see some small sharks from the surface, close to the shore.

Porto Santo Antonio Beach in Fernando de Noronha

The next beaches are generally not included in the Ilha Tour, but are easily accessible by foot from Vila dos Remédios.

2) Dog Beach (Praia do Cachorro)

Great beach with bar service and famous for its natural pool Galego Hole (Buraco do Galego), where you can get an amazing "vacation in paradise" shot with Morro do Pico in the background. To get to the beach, pass the Nossa Senhora dos Remedios church and walk down the steps.
During high tide, the beach disappears, and the access to Galego Hole is only possible in very low tide, so you will have to plan it accordingly. Expect to wait on a queue to take the picture at Galego Hole unless you start to walk towards it while the tide is slowly lowering. Not far from Galego Hole, there is a hidden gem named Lasca da Velha. I had no idea such place existed in the island, until a local invited me to visit it with some of his friends. You will need to be careful as you walk through steep rocks, but its totally worth it. I pinned this location on the map above, but you will basically have to keep walking over the rocks from Galego Hole.

TIP: wide lenses will be very handy when trying to shoot Buraco do Galego. It's hard to catch everything otherwise :D And be aware that, even if the waters seem calm, a wave can still crash against the rocks and catch you if you're standing on the edge.

Descriptions from left to right:
1) Access from Vila dos Remédios to Praia do Cachorro
2) Praia do Cachorro behind the palm trees. Photo taken from the trail towards Praia do Meio
3) Picture I took of a lady at Buraco do Galego. As you can see, regular camera lenses do not catch the whole area
4) Picture I took of a lady at Lasca da Velha, the hidden gem I went to thanks to a native I met

3) Praia do Meio

Just like the name indicates (if you can read Portuguese), Praia do Meio is located in between two other beaches: Cachorro and Conceição. Way less popular than the other two, this beach was a very good and beautiful surprise to me. I visited it twice and I only saw a couple there on my second visit. Maybe because of that, this turned out to be one of my favourite beaches in the island. To get to Praia do Meio from Praia do Cachorro, you will have to walk back up the stairs, and turn right. Following a quite narrow trail, turn right (again) when you have a chance, and you will be walking down towards the rocky part of the beach.
Just like Praia do Cachorro, you won't be able to access it during low tide.

Beautiful view towards Praia do Meio from the trail (Praia do Cachorro to Praia do Meio)

4) Praia da Conceição

Many people love this beach for obvious reasons: clear waters, green landscape, and Morro do Pico standing majestically at the end of the beach.
Walking from Praia do Meio you will pass by a lovely bar, named by the beach - Bar do Meio. This bar offers incredible views to Praia da Conceição, and has a wonderful atmosphere at night.

Praia da Conceição and it's fabulous view to Morro do Pico

WEST

Because I was short on time during my visit to the island, I didn't get a chance to visit the first four beaches on this list, nor their viewpoints.

5) Praia do Boldró

From Tamar Project, you can easily walk down to the beach in about 7min. Overlooking Morro Dois Irmãos on one side and Morro do Pico on the other, this beach is generally quiet and offers a peaceful environment. While seeing the green area at day light is a beautiful sight, the viewpoint (Mirante Forte Boldró) is quite famous for sunset watching too. There is also a bar by the beach in case you need refreshments. During low tide, you will be able to walk along the shore, visiting all of the beaches below until "Bay of Pigs", since they are all connected from Praia do Boldró (Praia do Sancho being the only beach with a completely different and unique access, and Bay of Pigs through a rocky trail).

Sunset at Mirante Forte Boldró*

6) Americano Beach (Praia do Americano)

Walking further you will find the American Beach or "Praia do Americano". This is another less popular beach, and so, often you will either find few or no people at all. It offers beautiful views just like the ones in Boldró, and on the way to Praia do Bode, you will find a huge rock that serves as a viewpoint, offering fantastic views of the beach and Morro Dois Irmãos in the background.

Americano Beach with Morro Dois Irmãos in the background*

7) Praia do Bode

Probably one of the less-well known beaches in the island, mainly due to it's size (quite small beach) and location (hard to get to during high tide, and surrounded by other well known beaches that receive a lot more attention). Expect to find very few people in here, or even none. You can access Praia do Bode by foot from nearby beaches (Beach Quixabinha or American Beach) during low tide, or through a trail on high tide (there's a bus stop not far from the beginning of the trail). Waves can be quite strong here, so please be careful.

Praia do Bode viewpoint to Morro Dois Irmaos

Praia do Bode viewpoint to Morro Dois Irmãos (mentioned on the point above)*

8) Praia do Quixabinha

Very often ignored on most guides, this beach is hardly noticeable since it seems part of Praia do Bode. Continue on your walk and you will arrive at the next beach, the famous Praia da Cacimba do Padre.

9) Praia da Cacimba do Padre

Loved by surfers due to its strong waves, and by everyone due to it's proximity to Morro Dois Irmãos, the beach offers great views and stunning sunsets. Low tide it's the best season to visit if you want to swim, relax and walk around. Walking towards the next beach, Praia da Baía dos Porcos, you will find the popular "Mirante Dois Irmãos", a viewpoint overlooking the Morro Dois Irmãos and it's crystal clear blue waters, where everyone wants to take the perfect shot.

Descriptions from left to right:
1) End of the day at Praia da Cacimba do Padre, with Morro Dois Irmãos in the background
2) View to Praia da Cacimba do Padre and further beaches (Praia do Quixabinha and Praia do Bode) from trail to Mirante Dois Irmãos
3) Mirante Dois Irmãos view. Unfortunately this was taken with someone else's phone and lost quality when sent. Click on the image for panoramic view

10) Bay of Pigs (Praia da Baía dos Porcos)

Together with Praia do Sancho, this two are considered the most beautiful beaches in the Island by many. Baía dos Porcos is situated between Praia da Cacimba do Padre and Praia do Sancho, and you will be able to reach it by walking through a small and rocky trail after Mirante dos Dois Irmãos, safe during low tide, but quite dangerous otherwise. Perfect place for snorkeling with flat ocean: you might find rays, turtles, lots of fish, and even see dolphins away from the beach. When I visited, around sunset time, there were many crabs in the sand. The beach itself has a lot of rocks, so extra care is necessary when the waves are stronger. During low tide, you will find many natural pools around the beach and rocks.

Praia da Baía dos Porcos at sunset, with Morro Dois Irmãos in the background

11) Praia do Sancho

White sand beach and crystal clear waters, Praia do Sancho was once elected the most beautiful beach in the world and its one of the best places to swim or do snorkeling due to its wonderful sea life. To access Praia do Sancho, you will have to pass by the "PIC Golfinho Sancho", where you either purchase/collect your ICMBio card, or you show it if you already have it on you.
From there, you can turn left to the Golfinhos viewpoint or go straight towards Praia do Sancho. Before you go down to the beach, check the access times (there are specific times to access the beach and to exit the beach, since the path is so narrow. I have added an image below with the times for reference). If it's the time to go down to the beach, maybe it's better to visit it first (have in mind that you might have to queue). Otherwise, continue straight to get to the 2 viewpoints: Praia do Sancho Viewpoint (overlooking Praia do Sancho) and the panoramic views over Morro Dois Irmãos and the blue waters of Praia da Baía dos Porcos at Forte São João Batista dos Dois Irmãos. After that, walk back on time to go down, move carefully through VERY narrow steps and corners, and when you finally get to Praia do Sancho, enjoy your time there. Look around and you will see many birds flying over the green trees as you enjoy the beautiful views and warm water. During the afternoon there will be less people visiting the beach, so if you're looking for a more quiet time of the day, organise it to come here by then!

Views over Praia do Sancho from the viewpoint

1) Views over Praia do Sancho from the viewpoint

Click on each image to see it full size. Descriptions from left to right:
2) Wood infrastructures of the park at the end of the day
3) Breathtaking view over Morro Dois Irmãos from Forte São João Batista dos Dois Irmãos
4) Times to go up and down the beach, as per June 2019
5) Paradise found at Praia do Sancho

SOUTHEAST

12) Praia do Leão

Famous for turtle nesting, it has a very different landscape comparing to others beaches in Noronha, and a completely different vibe too: you will rarely see someone in the area, and you can truly appreciate this untouched side of the island. ICMBio card is needed to access, and there is a trail that takes you down to a viewpoint (Mirante da Praia do Leão), from where you can see two hills: Morro do Leão and Morro da Viúva. From there, you can walk down to the beach if you want. During your Ilha Tour, you will be often taken to the viewpoint only, and not to the beach.
Praia do Leão has generally quite wild waves, so people are encouraged to stay out of the water (unfortunately, there has been few cases of drowning).
In some occasions, the access to the beach itself (not the viewpoint) might be closed due to turtle nesting.

Mirante da Praia do Leão

13) Praia do Sueste

Another popular beach in the island, with restricted access (ICMBio card necessary), and with a beautiful green background. I have to confess that I was quite impressed with the views while I visited, as I wasn't expecting much from what I saw online.
Praia do Sueste is popular for snorkeling and turtle feeding. The left side of the beach is restricted, You can get in the water on the right side of the beach, but snorkeling is only allowed with a vest, to prevent any damage to the ecosystem. In general, you will be able to spot turtles and sharks.
The water here is so clear that you can see the baby sharks from the surface, and if you stand still, you might feel these little creatures swimming around your legs (and do not worry, they won't pose a danger to you, as long as you leave them alone).
Due to its popularity, it can get a bit crowded.

View towards Praia do Sueste

14) Praia da Atalaia

And last but not least, a beach with a natural pool and an incredible sea life (corals, moray eels, octopus, lots of fish and sharks), only accessible by booking, and requires ICMBio card.
To preserve the beach, the use of sun protector is forbidden (make sure you wear a long sleeve shirt to protect your skin from the sun), a vest is mandatory (no stepping allowed to protect the reefs) and visitation numbers are limited (16 people per group, 96 people per day only), so you have to book in advance with ICMBio, and sometimes, it can be pretty hard to find a spot. If you really want to visit Atalaia, make sure you book straight when you get to the island. You can do this when you pay for or collect your card, at one of the designed places. (I talked in depth about getting the card on this post: All you need to know about Fernando de Noronha)
As for the visit, you will meet at Vila do Trinta, and you can do one of the following:

Short hike (free): a two hours activity, where you walk for 30min to the beach (and later back) with no guide. There will be one person monitoring the start of the hike (gathering people, giving them instructions), and another at the beach, were you can snorkel during low tide for a maximum of 30min, and with a vest only. Even though the hike is done without a guide, you still have to book this with ICMBio. Also, make sure you arrive on time or you might lose your spot.
Long hike (paid): a half day tour with a guide, with a long hike and various stops along the way to admire the sea life at the tide pools of Pontinha and Caieira. The beginning of the hike is exactly the same as the short one until Atalaia Beach. After the pool, people from the short hike go back the same way, while the long hike group continues towards Pontinha, and then Caieira, finishing at the gas station close to the harbour, with many beautiful views and viewpoints along the way. This is the wild side of the island, and there are no infrastructures along the trail, so you will have to rely on your guide and on your joints to get you by the untouched pathway, where rocks, soil and tide pools are part of it. Maybe not the best hike for the elderly or families with kids. Good walking shoes and water shoes are highly recommended!

Atalaia beach in Fernando de Noronha*

RESOURCES

TOP PLACES TO STAY IN FERNANDO DE NORONHA

Luxurious hotels and guest houses: Pousada Maravilha, Colina Pousada SPA and Teju-Açu Ecopousada

Budget travel hotels/apartments/guest houses: Noronha 350, Casa da Albertina, Martinelli Residence and Fulô de Mandacaru

Budget travel hostels: Boldro Surf House (where I stayed at. You can read about it HERE), Sueste Hostel, Hostel Estrela de Noronha, Estação Noronha Hostel and Doce Lar Hostel Noronha

Booking.com