Fernando de Noronha
Twenty-one islands far out in the Atlantic, most of them a marine park, with one inhabited island, a short runway and a daily fee for every visitor.
- Arrival
- Fernando de Noronha · FEN
- To the village
- About 4 km to Vila dos Remédios
- Private jets
- Daylight only, prior permission, no fuel
- Best time
- August to January
The city
An archipelago kept on a short lead.
The archipelago lies 354 km off the Brazilian mainland. Of its twenty-one islands and islets only the largest is lived on, and since 1988 about seventy per cent of the territory has been a national marine park; UNESCO added it to the World Heritage list in 2001. Before the visitors came, the island was a penal colony and, until 1957, a prison.
Every visitor pays a preservation fee, R$ 105.79 a day in 2026, which climbs the longer the stay. From August to January the rain almost stops, and the sea sits at 26 to 27 °C.
- Baía do Sancho One of the most visited beaches in the archipelago, and a favourite place to dive.
- Baía dos Golfinhos The bay where the islands' large resident pod of spinner dolphins gathers.
- Morro Dois Irmãos Two rocks standing together offshore, the view that appears on most pictures of the island.
Arriving
One runway, strict rules.
The island airport has a single runway of 1,845 metres, four kilometres from Vila dos Remédios. Jets returned in March 2025, after the regulator lifted a ban imposed in 2022 over the state of the runway and the Pernambuco government paid for repairs.
- Rio de Janeiro 3 h 25
- Dakar 3 h 45
- São Paulo 3 h 50
- Accra 5 h 10
- Miami 8 h 15 long-range jet
When to go
August to January.
Afternoons barely move from 28 to 30 °C in any month. The rains arrive in March and stay until July, with April and May each bringing close to 290 mm. From August to January the island turns dry, with as little as 15 mm a month in October and November.
- 30° J 62 27°
- 30° F 114 28°
- 30° M 263 28°
- 30° A 291 28°
- 29° M 282 28°
- 29° J 198 28°
- 28° J 133 27°
- 28° A 50 26°
- 29° S 30 26°
- 29° O 15 27°
- 30° N 15 27°
- 30° D 19 27°
Where to stay
Pousadas above the sea and in the village.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Where to dine
The best tables on the island.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Fernando de Noronha. These are the island’s top-priced restaurants, picked by CNN Brasil or holding Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice awards.
- Restaurante Maravilha CNN Brasil Contemporary Brazilian $$$$ Pousada Maravilha, south side of the island
- Teju-Açu Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice 2026 Brazilian, seafood $$$$ Pousada Teju-Açu
- Restaurante Varanda Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice 2026 Contemporary Brazilian $$$$ Vila do Trinta
- Restaurante do Vale Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice 2025 Brazilian, seafood $$$$ On the island
Elsewhere in Brazil
More reasons to come.
- Rio de Janeiro Ipanema, the Sugarloaf, and Christ the Redeemer above the bay.
- São Paulo The largest city of the southern hemisphere, and its restaurants.
- Búzios A peninsula of small beaches along the coast east of Rio.
- Trancoso Painted houses around the Quadrado, and beaches below the cliff.
- Manaus An opera house in the forest, and the meeting of the waters on the Amazon.
- Foz do Iguaçu The Brazilian side, for the panorama of the whole falls.
Flying to Fernando de Noronha?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.