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

What comes to your mind when you think of 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 the Philippines, except you’re in South America.

The island has plenty of different beaches, all beautiful and worth visiting. I honestly couldn’t pick just one as my favourite. 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 together a guide on all 14 Fernando de Noronha beaches from north to south, to help you plan your visit to this amazing island.

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.

The beach disappears during high tide and since accessing Galego Hole is only possible in very low tide, you will have to plan your visit accordingly. Expect to queue to take pictures at Galego Hole unless you start walking towards it while the tide is slowly lowering.

Not far from Galego Hole, there is a hidden gem named Lasca da Velha, which I had to include in this guide to Fernando de Noronha beaches. I had no idea such place existed on the island, until a local invited me to visit it with some of his friends. You will need to be careful as you’re walking through steep rocks, but it’s definitely worth it. I pinned this location on the map above, but if in doubt, just keep walking over the rocks from Galego Hole.

Just like the name indicates (if you can read Portuguese), Praia do Meio is located in between two other beaches: Cachorro and Conceição. Definitely less popular than the other two, this place was a beautiful surprise to me and it turned out to be one of my favourite beaches on the island. I visited it twice and only saw a couple on my second visit.

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 the 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.

Many people love this beach for obvious reasons: clear waters, green landscape and Morro do Pico standing majestically in the background.

Walking from Praia do Meio you will pass by a lovely bar, named after the beach – Bar do Meio. The bar offers incredible views to Praia da Conceição and a wonderful atmosphere at night.

Walking further you will find the American Beach or “Praia do Americano”. This is another less popular beach and so, you will often 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.

Probably one of the lesser known beaches on the island, mainly due to its size (quite small) and location (hard to get to during high tide) as well as the fact that it is 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.

Very often ignored in most guides to Fernando de Noronha beaches, this one is hardly noticeable since it seems to be part of Praia do Bode. If you walk across it, you will arrive at the next beach, the famous Praia da Cacimba do Padre.

Loved by surfers due to its strong waves and by everyone else due to its proximity to Morro Dois Irmãos, this 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 its crystal clear blue waters, where everyone wants to take the perfect shot.

Together with Praia do Sancho, these two are considered by many to be the most beautiful beaches in Fernando de Noronha and so, they had to be on this guide. Baía dos Porcos is situated between Praia da Cacimba do Padre and Praia do Sancho and you can reach it by walking through a small and rocky trail after Mirante dos Dois Irmãos – safe during low tide, but quite dangerous otherwise.

It’s a perfect place for snorkeling when the ocean is still: you might find rays, turtles, lots of fish, and even see dolphins from the beach. When I visited, around sunset time, there were many crabs on the sand and over the rocks.

The beach itself has lots of rocks, so extra care is necessary when waves are stronger. During low tide, you will find many natural pools around the beach and rocks.

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 and exit the beach, since the path is very narrow. I have added an image below with times for reference).

If you arrive at the spot when it’s time to access the beach, I would recommend visiting it straight away (keep in mind that you might have to queue). If, however, it’s time to exit the beach, continue straight to get to the 2 viewpoints nearby: 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 in 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 green trees as you enjoy the beautiful views and warm waters.

There will be fewer people visiting the beach during the afternoon, so if you’re looking to be there at a more quiet time, organise your visit to come here by then!

Famous for turtle nesting, Praia do Leão has a very different vibe and landscape compared to other beaches in Noronha. You will rarely see someone in the area, which allows you to truly appreciate this untouched side of the island.

ICMBio card is needed to access the area, 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 Ilha Tour, you will often be taken to the viewpoint only, and not to the beach.

Praia do Leão is known for having quite wild waves, so people are encouraged to stay out of the water (unfortunately, there have been a few cases of drowning).

On some occasions, the access to the beach itself (not the viewpoint) might be closed due to turtle nesting.

Another popular beach on the island, with restricted access (ICMBio card necessary), and a beautiful green background. I was quite impressed with its views while I visited, as I wasn’t expecting much from what I saw online.

Popular for snorkeling and turtle feeding, 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).

The left side of the beach is restricted – you can get in the water on the right side, but snorkeling is only allowed with a vest, to prevent any damage to the ecosystem.

Due to its popularity, it can get a bit crowded.

Last but not least on this guide to Fernando de Noronha beaches is Atalaia, a beach with a natural pool and incredible sea life (corals, moray eels, octopus, lots of fish and sharks), only accessible by booking and with an 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 want to visit Atalaia, make sure to book straight when you get to the island. You can do this when paying for or collecting your card, at one of the designed places. I talked in depth about getting the card in this post: All you need to know about Fernando de Noronha.

As for visiting it, you will meet at Vila do Trinta, and you can do one of the following:

• Short hike (free): a two-hour 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, where 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. Please make sure you arrive on time or you might lose your spot.

• Long hike (paid): a half-day tour with a guide involving 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 the same as the short one until Atalaia Beach. After that, 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. There are plenty of 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!

And there you have it, a complete guide to the 14 beaches on the beautiful island of Fernando de Noronha! Hope this guide was useful to you, and that it helped you decide what to do during your trip.

Leave a comment if you have any comments, suggestions, updates or questions! 🙂 Have a great time! ❤

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