A Paradise, Fernando de Noronha

Fernando de Noronha is an island that is two hours by air away from the easternmost part of the Americas, in the northeast coast of Brazil. Fernando de Noronha is a marine park and ecological sanctuary that is open for tourism, which is the main contributor to their economy. A quick flight from Natal, Brazil takes you to the main island in the volcanic archipelago. The island’s beauty is captured immediately with a quick aerial view of the island.

Once we landed, we noticed a giant rock formation that could be seen from anywhere in the island. The hotel we stayed at was a small bed and breakfast. Once we dropped the suitcases we rushed to do everything we could, because there is a limit for the number of days a visitor can stay, we stayed a total of 3 days. There were a few fees that are mandatory once you land on the island. A day fee (for each day of the stay) that must be paid to be allowed on the island and another fee to be able to enter the national park. We took a walk through the small town and I saw many people who were on the same plane that I took, the island also has a limit of tourist at any given time to control the flow of people on the island. We took a trail that took us around to beaches that were beautiful and very safe. Walking on the warm sand was a calming feeling as we took in the precious view.

We sat down and watched the surfers, then we continued our adventure to another beach and it was as gorgeous as the previous one. We went back to the hotel and the next day was even busier. We woke up early and headed down a street to grab snorkeling gear for our tour. We joined a group of other tourist and met our three tour guides. We started our tour on a cliff. We climbed to the the top and witnessed the view from above. The beach was perfect, the water was crystal blue and reflected the sun while the sand looked soft.

We stared at this gorgeous view for a while, then we moved on to a path that led to a narrow cliff in between two walls of massive rocks with a ladder heading down. We waited for our turn and when it was our turn we had a chary descent down the ladder. The cliff we descended looked more like cave which had a treasure at the end. The treasure was the beach you face as you turned around at the bottom.

The beach was the “Praia do Sancho” one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. As we stepped foot onto the beach my happiness grew exponentially.

We rushed to put on our snorkeling equipment and entered the ocean. Watching the sea below we stared at the sea ground and how peaceful it was. We saw fish and spinner dolphins swim by and swam deeper in the ocean. As we were called to continue our tour, it was hard for us to say goodbye to that beach.

As we continued our tour, we stopped on some natural pools and saw wildlife fly above us and swim below us. We went to a shark museum and learned about the islands ecosystem. The ecosystem is stable and that allows everything to work how it should. There are no shark attacks because of the stable ecosystem. The last stop of our tour was a beach where sea turtles are common to be seen and we were given a chance to see them. As we swam past the rushing waves we started to feel excited. We arrived above a sea turtle and as we were in open ocean, we floated above the sea turtle and observed the natural beauty of this animal.

As the day ended we laid on the hammocks and watched the sun descend. The next day it was raining, but the rain was soothing. As it continued we walked to a path that led to an observational location for marine life. Dolphins, sharks, and many more species could be observed there.

Fernando de Noronha is an island off the coast of Brazil. The trip for me was an unforgettable experience that will take your breath away. Even though it was a short trip I would like to go back to make it a longer one.

written by Diego