The Most Beautiful Beaches in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

With pure white sand, turquoise sea, and a curved frame of dramatic rocky cliffs covered in tufts of green vegetation, this picturesque beach seems almost too good to true. It’s little wonder then that Praia do Sancho beach is often ranked among the most beautiful beaches in the world.

While Praia do Sancho is regarded among the best of Noronha’s beaches, it’s Baia dos Porcos that is one of the most photographed thanks to its striking landscape. The bay gets its good looks from the rocky peaks that rise from the crystal clear waters that lap around the small, golden shore. Getting there requires a scramble up and over the stony formations that frame the beach but its worth it to take a dip in the warm water and swim among the marine life – just don’t forget your snorkel.

It’s not so easy to get to Praia da Atalaia – you need special visitor permits – and even when you get there, you are bounded by strict regulations (such as no diving with any kind of sun block) yet it’s these tight restrictions that make this beach so worthwhile. Protected by the marine national park laws, Atalaia is wild, untouched and only a certain amount of people can visit per day. When the tide is low, the waters become shallow and crystal clear, turning the sea into a natural aquarium of tropical fish, crustaceans, and octopus.

If a wide stretch of golden sand lapped by warm turquoise waters and framed by thickets of vegetation that explodes into a green mass after a rainfall aren’t reason enough to visit Beach Boldró, then the sunset in the evening should be. Its fame as the best spot on the island to watch the sun go down behind the watery horizon is well-deserved and promises to be up their in the best sunsets you’ll probably ever see.

At 900 meters long, Praia da Cacimba do Padres is one of the longest beaches on the island and with its rich golden sand and the Two Brothers peaks jutting out of the translucent green waters, it’s undeniably eye-catching. Yet it’s not just a pretty face – it’s also one of the best surfing spots in Noronha with large waves forming neat tubes that earn this beach the nickname, the Hawaii of Brazil.

Slip into the calm, warm waters at Baia do Sueste to snorkel among some of the island’s most marine life-rich spots with a delicate ecosystem that helps sustain the population of sea turtles that thrive there. The long pearly beach entices visitors into lazy afternoons of soaking up the sun’s warmth or exploring the crops of trees and vegetation that surround the shore.

Praia do Leão – Lion Beach – ranks alongside Praia do Sancho and Baia dos Porcos as Fernando de Noronha’s most beautiful beach and it’s not hard to see why. The silky sand beach bathes toes in what feels like soft powder and the turquoise ocean glistens like a jewel. The beach takes its name from the semi-submerged rock just across from the shore shaped like a crouching lion and is also famous for having the highest concentration of nesting turtles at certain times of the year.