This post is based on current values and circumstances dated in January 2020, and may not be true nor applicable at the time you read it or prepare for your trip. Please read the information on official sites for updated values and conditions. I have linked these as much as possible to help you on your planning :)

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Fernando de Noronha is a luxury travel destination for many. But, what is it that makes it so expensive? Is it the flight tickets? Or the accommodation? Or even the activities that you do? I will explain everything with detail in this blog post, so that you can organise your budget and plan your dream trip.
Noronha it's an island, which obviously, leads to more expensive products, as they need to be imported. Most products will cost 4x more than anywhere else in Brazil, and meals will be about 3 to 4x more expensive than a regular meal in Rio de Janeiro.
Due to the prices in the island, accommodation can be very expensive too. Although it varies according to the season, it generally ranges between £55 to £750 a night.
But the true reason why Noronha becomes extremely expensive, is because of it's fees. You heard it well, fees - and you will have to pay them no matter what you eat, or where you sleep.



Fees to pay in Fernando de Noronha
There are two different fees that you have to pay when visiting the island. One is mandatory to all visitors (TPA), while other is only applicable if you visit certain areas of the island (PARNAMAR). I will explain both of them properly below.

1) Environmental Preservation Fee (Taxa de Preservação Ambiental - TPA)
When you arrive at the airport, just like I explained on my blog post "All you need to know about Fernando de Noronha", you will have to fill out a migration control form and pay for this fee. The fee is independent of what types of activities you do in the island, and the amount you will pay will depend on the amount of days you spend there: the longer you stay, the more you pay. Values might vary over the years, but they currently start at R$75,93 (£14) for one day and can go up to R$5355,45 (£988) for a whole month spent at the island. WOW! - that was my reaction the first time I saw the price table.
But well, no matter who you are and what brings you to paradise, this fee will be waiting for you even before you get your luggage in the hotel. Exceptions are only for residents, and visitors pay the same fee regarding of their nationality.
To speed up things at the airport, you can pay for this fee online. That being said, I couldn't do this since I do not have a CPF number (Brazilian national number), and the form would not work without it. So, in summary, if you are not Brazilian, you will have to pay this at the airport instead of online, and there isn't a way to escape this payment.

Migration control form that you have to fill in at the airport

2) Marine National Park (Parque Nacional Marinho - PARNAMAR) Card
To have access to certain beaches and hikes in the island (the ones in the Marine National Park area), you will have to purchase a PARNAMAR card. This includes Dolphin's Bay, Pig's Bay, Sancho, Sueste, Leão and Atalaia beaches and Morro São José (swimming), Abreus, Atalaia and Capim-açu hikes. While you can't book your hikes online, you can certainly purchase the PARNAMAR card in advance (and unlike the environmental fee, I did not have any problem with this form). This card will cost you R$111 (£20.50) if you're Brazilian (half price) and R$222 (£41) if you're not, and will be valid for 10 days. Anyone who wishes to visit this area and has between 12 and 60 years old will have to pay for it. Those who do not have to pay for it, will still have to register their details and take the access card.
You can pay for the card or collect it if paid online (you will receive a voucher that you must bring with you for collection) at one of the following points:

• ICMBio Visitors Centre (Boldró): 8am-10pm
• PIC do Golfinho Sancho: 8am-6:30pm
• PIC do Sueste: 9am-4pm

See the payment/collection points on the map below (brown info sign) and all beaches/hikes available in the island.




Please note that, even though this is not a fee that you have to pay to enter the island, you will not be able to visit one of the, if not THE best beaches in the whole island, and you won't be able to do the Ilha Tour without this card.

Board with locations to get the PARNAMAR tickets

Rough calculations of daily expenses in the island
If we don't consider accommodation, flight tickets and activities done in the island, since this will vary a lot according to your budget, interest and season you visit, we can get a rough calculation of how much you will possibly spend per day in the island. In general, you might spend about R$20 to R$60 a day in transports (again, it will really depend if you use a bus, or taxi for example), and the average for meals will be R$90-120 if you eat at an average restaurant.
Here are my rough calculations for one person per day in the island:

1 Day: I do not recommend visiting the island for only one day, since it's so expensive to go, and you won't see much in 24h. You should definitely spend more than two days in there, but I will start the daily expenses at two days, in case you are short in time like I was when I visited (I only had 2 days and a half as I had to be in another location afterwards).
2 Days: R$151,86 TPA (£28) + R$222 (£41) PARNAMAR + R$540 (£99.70) 🍽️ + R$80 (£14.70) 🚕 = R$993.86 (£183.40)
3 Days: R$227,79 TPA (£42) + R$222 (£41) PARNAMAR + R$810 (£149.50) 🍽️ + R$120 (£22.12) 🚕  = R$1379.79 (£254.70)
4 Days: R$303,72 TPA (£56) + R$222 (£41) PARNAMAR + R$1080 (£199.40) 🍽️ + R$160  (£29.50) 🚕 = R$1765.72 (£325.95)
5 Days: R$373,59 TPA (£69) + R$222 (£41) PARNAMAR + R$1350 (£249.20) 🍽️ + R$200 (£36.90) 🚕 = R$2145.59 (£396.10)
6 Days: R$428,26 TPA (£79) + R$222 (£41) PARNAMAR + R$1620 (£299) 🍽️ + R$240 (£44.30) 🚕 = R$2510.26 (£463.40)
7 Days: R$482,93 TPA (£89) + R$222 (£41) PARNAMAR + R$1890 (£348.90) 🍽️ + R$280 (£51.70) 🚕 = R$2874.93 (£530.70)

You can easily decrease the amount of money you spend on food by eating at self-service or low-cost restaurants (such as Restaurante Do Valdenio, Restaurante Da Maezinha, Tapiocaria da Babalu and Restaurante do Jacare), or even cook your meals if you have the chance. Avoid expensive restaurants such as Restaurante Varanda and Xica da Silva if you're on a budget.
You can also save on commuting by walking more and using the public bus.

Super tasty meal at Restaurante da Maezinha

What I spent in two and a half days

• £267.84 Flight Tickets (£133.85 + £133.99) 
• £36 Accommodation (hostel)
• £69 Fees (£28 TPA + £41 PARNAMAR)
• £60.92 Ilha Tour + Boat Tour (discounted package)
• £5.54 Commuting (0.92 bus ticket + £4.62 taxi to airport)
• £35 Food (1 lunch at self-service restaurant + 1 lunch at an average restaurant + snacks at small shop)
• £30 Shopping (rain coat + sunscreen and mosquito repellent + hat)
• TOTAL: £504.3

That was, no doubt, the most expensive trip I have ever done. That being said, I managed to save a lot of money by staying at a hostel, walking a lot in the island, buying snacks and fruit to have for breakfast and saving leftovers from my lunch for dinner.

And I truly hope this post was helpful! I wrote it with lots of love and tears as I lost all content when I was about to publish it, and had to write it all again! 😭 So... hopefully all of those double hours working on this helped you when travelling to this amazing island 😊. Have fun and see you around ❤





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