Fernando de Noronha trip: rules, park and getting there

At a glance

What the archipelago is

Fernando de Noronha sits in the South Atlantic, about four degrees south of the equator. UNESCO listed it in 2001 together with Atol das Rocas as the Brazilian Atlantic Islands. The listing names resident dolphins in Baía dos Golfinhos, breeding green and hawksbill turtles, and the largest concentration of tropical seabirds in the Western Atlantic.

The main island is an environmental protection area (APA) created in 1989. Most of the smaller islands belong to the marine national park and are “untouchable areas”: you see them from a boat or while diving, and nobody lands. The island administration lists 16 beaches, from Praia do Sancho and Baía dos Porcos to Praia do Leão, Cacimba do Padre and Praia da Conceição.

For a Fernando de Noronha trip the rules matter as much as the beaches. Two bodies set them: the island administration (Administração de Fernando de Noronha) for the environmental fee, and ICMBio for the marine park.

The TPA environmental fee: the rules

The Taxa de Preservação Ambiental (TPA) applies to everyone who does not live on the archipelago. The administration’s rules:

• It is charged per person and depends on how many days you stay. The table on the official site runs from 1 to 30 days.
• The administration recommends paying before you board, online through the “PAGAR TPA” form, by credit card or boleto. You can also pay on arrival, and any extra days when you fly back.
• A credit card issued outside Brazil can only be used at the counter at Fernando de Noronha airport.
• Days beyond the planned stay cost double unless the administration has scheduled and authorised them in advance.

We do not quote the fee on this page. The administration publishes the current table, and the total for your dates goes into your proposal.

The marine national park ticket

The park covers about 70% of the archipelago, so you need a ticket for most of the well-known spots: Baía do Sueste, Praia do Leão, Praia da Caieira, Baía dos Golfinhos, Praia do Sancho, Baía dos Porcos and the self-guided diving points. Beaches in the APA, such as Praia do Bode and Praia do Americano, are outside the ticketed area.

• You buy the ticket online on the official park site or at the visitor centre in Boldró, open 8:00 to 19:00.
• It is valid for 10 days, counted from the first activation at a park control point or the visitor centre. Changing your flight does not reset it.
• Online buyers enter the park with the QR code from the purchase.

Natural pools: booking and daily limits

Some trails lead to natural pools over sensitive coral, so ICMBio limits them. Booking is required for Capim-Açu, Enseada do Abreu, Praia da Atalaia, Pontinha-Caieira, Atalaia-Pontinha-Caieira and Morro São José.

• Spots depend on the low-tide window (about four hours a day) and on a daily cap set by a carrying-capacity study.
• You need your ticket number to book. If you hold someone’s ticket, a phone photo of their QR code is enough to book for them.
• Times move every day with the tide, so check a tide table (the Brazilian Navy publishes one for the archipelago) before you set the rest of the day.
• Arrive about 20 minutes early. In most pools you float with a life vest, mask and snorkel, and you do not touch the bottom.

Rules on beaches and trails

• Capim-Açu, Pontinha-Caieira, Atalaia-Pontinha-Caieira and Morro São José (swim route) must be done with an ICMBio-accredited guide.
• Diving and boat trips in the marine area need a park ticket and an ICMBio-authorised operator.
• Baía do Sueste is temporarily closed for swimming, freediving and floating, according to the park.
• Pets are not allowed on beaches, and entry of animals to the island is restricted to narrow exceptions such as guide dogs.
• Bringing plants, seeds or seedlings without authorisation is an environmental crime in a conservation unit.
• Drone flights inside the marine park are generally limited to research and outreach.
• Check sea conditions and posted signs before you go into the water anywhere.

Getting there from Rio

The island administration names Recife, capital of Pernambuco, as the main departure point, with daily flights of about one hour on Azul and GOL. It gives distances of 545 km from Recife, 360 km from Natal and 710 km from Fortaleza. Visitors can also arrive by sea on private vessels, which pay a separate anchoring fee.

From Rio there is a domestic flight to Recife first. That makes Recife and Olinda a natural stop on the way in or out. Schedules change by season, so we confirm them with the airlines when we build your plan.

How many days and how to combine it

Plan your days around three things: the 10-day park ticket, the TPA (charged by day) and the tide, which decides when you can see the natural pools. Bad weather can close a pool on the day you booked, so leave room to move it.

Common combinations:

• Rio, then Recife and Olinda, then the island, as part of a two-week Brazil itinerary.
• A honeymoon with a few nights in Rio and the rest on the island.
• Several islands in one trip: compare them in our guide to Brazil’s islands or to beach holidays in Brazil.

Check entry requirements on official websites before you travel.

What to tell us in your request

• Dates and how many nights you want on the island
• Number of people and ages of any children
• Where you fly from and whether you want nights in Rio or Recife
• Natural pools, trails, diving or a boat trip you want to fit in
• Type of accommodation and budget range
• The language the guide should speak

How we help

We build the whole Fernando de Noronha trip: flights through Recife, the order of nights, the TPA and park ticket on time, booked natural pools in the right tide window and an accredited guide who speaks your language. In Rio we add a private driver and airport transfers. Terms and payment are set out in the proposal; you pay nothing before you confirm.