If visions of my pale body flopping behind a boat haven't dissuaded you from wanting to experience Fernando de Noronha, I heartily support anyone remotely interested in visiting "Brazil's Hawaii" and will continue to explain a bit more about our trip including how much we paid (gasp!) for this whole venture. Yes, I am going to talk about the forbidden topic. Yes, it was expensive. Yes, it's a Brazilian rite of passage. Yes, it's worth every penny.
Before we could book our rooms on the island, we needed to have our airline tickets purchased. Luckily for us, we could fly directly there from Recife in under an hour. We used GOL airlines, and the kids (ages 2 and 4) were considered a discounted price. So tickets cost us 2,518.00 USD respectively; 2 adults for 383.00, 2 kids for 230.00. Maybe we got a good deal, maybe not- but if you find a cheaper flight, I don't want to know. Can't spoil the fantasy, now can we? I will admit that the GOL website wouldn't accept our credit cards and ended up paying via PayPal.
I sent on this information to reserve our rooms at Lenda Das Aguas. We paid around 3000 USD for 3 rooms (the kids, in-laws, Mark and myself) for 7 nights, about 142 USD/room/night. Not too shabby! The rooms included breakfast (fruit, cereal, meat and cheese plates, eggs, pastries, juice, tea, coffee) AC, and mini fridge, and the occasional wireless Internet. We were warned the satellite in FDN is tricky sometimes. Our rooms were cleaned daily, and the staff could make reservations or inquiries on our behalf. Despite getting gouged by the falling window pane, I was pleased with their service and attention given to our kids. Since we went through Your Way, I wired the money directly to her, and she followed up with payment (and she does not charge any fees).
Once this was completed, Mark and I could breathe easy for a few months. A few days closer to the trip, we knew we'd have to pay a Nature Tax and the rate varies by the number of days on the island. The good news is, kids under 18 don't pay. Seven days equaled about 115 USD per person. It seems all normal people can pre-register online and print out the forms ahead of landing. I did that, but the documents I produced couldn't be found in the system- so they had to register us again before handing over our credit card (cash works too). All this took place at the airport. They do hand you forms on the plane to fill out if you don't do it ahead of time. I was strongly advised NOT to lose these receipts of payment; they are proof to get off the island too and I had to show them to multiple people before even passing security.
Of course once on the island, you need to purchase a national park entry card if you want to enjoy their trails and beaches. A fee equivalent of about 66 USD gets you 10 days of adventure if you are a non-Brazilian resident. Again- keep the cards with you. If you register to do some of the fancier guided activities, like doing the boat tours, hiking certain trails or swimming at Praia de Atalaia (protected water where you can't wear sunscreen or touch the ocean bottom to due a delicate ecosystem) you need the cards.
With plane, hotel, taxes, and cards paid for we were free to roam the island. Luckily Fernando de Noronha is a remarkably easy island to navigate. It has one main paved road, with various rocky dirt trails that divert to trail heads and beaches. During our week we used the public bus (around a dollar a person/ride) and the occasional taxi to navigate the bigger stretches of travel (7-15 bucks/ride) and hiked for the rest. Mark and I put the kids on our shoulders, and off we went. Other people chose to rent dune buggies a raucous form of fun and noise as their form of travel. Personally I loved the idea of easier access, but loved the idea of built in exercise more. On average we walked five miles which included some moderate hiking up/down to the beaches. Every day we'd come home coated in dirt, staining our flip flops and clothes with an earthy brown.
There are maybe 3 grocery stores on the island and all easily walkable. I neglected most of what was on offer here, with exception to purchasing 5L bottles of water and snacks. Instead we loaded up on breakfast, snacked through lunch, and tried a different restaurant every night. A few, I might add we came back a few times for desserts on "date night" if I stayed awake past 8pm. Independently owned restaurants, each had their own style and various menus. Luckily, we received a handy list of Adriana's favorite restaurants and the ones we tried were great. The ones not on the list were meh. I think we spent an average of 100-150 dollars/day on food for everyone.
The boat tour was mind blowing. It blew our minds so much, we went back for more. For the price of 60 bucks/person, a shuttle picked us up at our hotel, we enjoyed a boat ride that covered the length of the island, an hour of snorkeling or swimming off a beach only accessible by guide, and a meticulously prepared lunch. Again- Worth. Every. Penny. My belly became round and happy eating sashimi, baked fish, fried fish, crabs, veggies and fruit. Even the kids ate it! Even Mark ate it.
I suppose equipment rental added up a small sum, 6 dollars/day for snorkel and fins, 4 dollars/day for an umbrella and 7 dollars/day for chairs. But we didn't do this everyday. Some beaches offered natural shade while others simply didn't offer anything at all. To us, it was a matter of enjoying the environment and heat with the resources we had. And lots of sunscreen. I slathered one liter's worth of sunscreen on my family during the week.
Before we add up the grand total, just for sticker shock, I would like to mention the many free activities we did enjoy: a recently added playground in the "downtown area," a lesson on turtle management with real researchers and real turtles, child friendly hikes and swims including big waves and tidal pools. We visited old churches, cannons, and the historic square where prisoners would receive their punishments. Apparently during the early 1900s Fernando de Noronha served as a prison, especially of the political kind. The kids loved relaxing in hammocks, burying each other in the sand, and visiting the Shark Museum. Even though the island (at least during January) is rather dusty with hibernating greenery, we got to rub our feet in some real grass too, just outside the museum. The open space is dotted with iron sculptures that flocks of tourists pose and dance around. Seriously, I saw a group of Brasileiros whip out their articulating selfie sticks, dancing around with utter abandonment.
In total? A week in Fernando de Noronha cost my family of four: 6,200 USD in my estimate. It was magical. Hot and sticky. It was momentous and fun. It was trip also done in the honor of Mark's grandmother who passed away July 2014. She'd highly approve.
Useful sites
Ecotourism planner: http://www.yourway.com.br/
Fernando de Noronha government and information on the Nature Tax: http://www.noronha.pe.gov.br/
Boat/SCUBA/Planasub tour company (there are many more ready to show you a good time):
www.trovaodosmares.com.br/
Noronha turtle project: http://www.tamar.org.br/
Brazil's conservation organization: http://www.icmbio.gov.br/portal/
Hotel we stayed in: http://www.pousadalendadasaguas.com.br/acomodacoes/index.html
Beach info: http://www.world-insider.com/practical-travel-guide-for-fernando-de-noronha/
Yellow grunt fish research: http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v4n2/en/fullpaper?bn02704012004+pt
Before we could book our rooms on the island, we needed to have our airline tickets purchased. Luckily for us, we could fly directly there from Recife in under an hour. We used GOL airlines, and the kids (ages 2 and 4) were considered a discounted price. So tickets cost us 2,518.00 USD respectively; 2 adults for 383.00, 2 kids for 230.00. Maybe we got a good deal, maybe not- but if you find a cheaper flight, I don't want to know. Can't spoil the fantasy, now can we? I will admit that the GOL website wouldn't accept our credit cards and ended up paying via PayPal.
I sent on this information to reserve our rooms at Lenda Das Aguas. We paid around 3000 USD for 3 rooms (the kids, in-laws, Mark and myself) for 7 nights, about 142 USD/room/night. Not too shabby! The rooms included breakfast (fruit, cereal, meat and cheese plates, eggs, pastries, juice, tea, coffee) AC, and mini fridge, and the occasional wireless Internet. We were warned the satellite in FDN is tricky sometimes. Our rooms were cleaned daily, and the staff could make reservations or inquiries on our behalf. Despite getting gouged by the falling window pane, I was pleased with their service and attention given to our kids. Since we went through Your Way, I wired the money directly to her, and she followed up with payment (and she does not charge any fees).
Once this was completed, Mark and I could breathe easy for a few months. A few days closer to the trip, we knew we'd have to pay a Nature Tax and the rate varies by the number of days on the island. The good news is, kids under 18 don't pay. Seven days equaled about 115 USD per person. It seems all normal people can pre-register online and print out the forms ahead of landing. I did that, but the documents I produced couldn't be found in the system- so they had to register us again before handing over our credit card (cash works too). All this took place at the airport. They do hand you forms on the plane to fill out if you don't do it ahead of time. I was strongly advised NOT to lose these receipts of payment; they are proof to get off the island too and I had to show them to multiple people before even passing security.
Of course once on the island, you need to purchase a national park entry card if you want to enjoy their trails and beaches. A fee equivalent of about 66 USD gets you 10 days of adventure if you are a non-Brazilian resident. Again- keep the cards with you. If you register to do some of the fancier guided activities, like doing the boat tours, hiking certain trails or swimming at Praia de Atalaia (protected water where you can't wear sunscreen or touch the ocean bottom to due a delicate ecosystem) you need the cards.
With plane, hotel, taxes, and cards paid for we were free to roam the island. Luckily Fernando de Noronha is a remarkably easy island to navigate. It has one main paved road, with various rocky dirt trails that divert to trail heads and beaches. During our week we used the public bus (around a dollar a person/ride) and the occasional taxi to navigate the bigger stretches of travel (7-15 bucks/ride) and hiked for the rest. Mark and I put the kids on our shoulders, and off we went. Other people chose to rent dune buggies a raucous form of fun and noise as their form of travel. Personally I loved the idea of easier access, but loved the idea of built in exercise more. On average we walked five miles which included some moderate hiking up/down to the beaches. Every day we'd come home coated in dirt, staining our flip flops and clothes with an earthy brown.
There are maybe 3 grocery stores on the island and all easily walkable. I neglected most of what was on offer here, with exception to purchasing 5L bottles of water and snacks. Instead we loaded up on breakfast, snacked through lunch, and tried a different restaurant every night. A few, I might add we came back a few times for desserts on "date night" if I stayed awake past 8pm. Independently owned restaurants, each had their own style and various menus. Luckily, we received a handy list of Adriana's favorite restaurants and the ones we tried were great. The ones not on the list were meh. I think we spent an average of 100-150 dollars/day on food for everyone.
The boat tour was mind blowing. It blew our minds so much, we went back for more. For the price of 60 bucks/person, a shuttle picked us up at our hotel, we enjoyed a boat ride that covered the length of the island, an hour of snorkeling or swimming off a beach only accessible by guide, and a meticulously prepared lunch. Again- Worth. Every. Penny. My belly became round and happy eating sashimi, baked fish, fried fish, crabs, veggies and fruit. Even the kids ate it! Even Mark ate it.
I suppose equipment rental added up a small sum, 6 dollars/day for snorkel and fins, 4 dollars/day for an umbrella and 7 dollars/day for chairs. But we didn't do this everyday. Some beaches offered natural shade while others simply didn't offer anything at all. To us, it was a matter of enjoying the environment and heat with the resources we had. And lots of sunscreen. I slathered one liter's worth of sunscreen on my family during the week.
Before we add up the grand total, just for sticker shock, I would like to mention the many free activities we did enjoy: a recently added playground in the "downtown area," a lesson on turtle management with real researchers and real turtles, child friendly hikes and swims including big waves and tidal pools. We visited old churches, cannons, and the historic square where prisoners would receive their punishments. Apparently during the early 1900s Fernando de Noronha served as a prison, especially of the political kind. The kids loved relaxing in hammocks, burying each other in the sand, and visiting the Shark Museum. Even though the island (at least during January) is rather dusty with hibernating greenery, we got to rub our feet in some real grass too, just outside the museum. The open space is dotted with iron sculptures that flocks of tourists pose and dance around. Seriously, I saw a group of Brasileiros whip out their articulating selfie sticks, dancing around with utter abandonment.
In total? A week in Fernando de Noronha cost my family of four: 6,200 USD in my estimate. It was magical. Hot and sticky. It was momentous and fun. It was trip also done in the honor of Mark's grandmother who passed away July 2014. She'd highly approve.
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| Keeping a watchful eye. Praia do Meio. |
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| Nap time on Praia Cacimba do Padre. Passed. Out. |
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| Adolescent turtle weighing in at 60 kg, or 132 pounds and 2.5 foot shell length. |
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| TAMAR researchers hanging on for dear life. PS: I love this man's beard. |
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| Pedra de Urso (Bear Rock) |
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| Right before he got taken out. Praia Cacimba do Padre |
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| Small mouth grunt fish, often mimicked by the yellow goatfish as a form of protection. |
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| Right out of Finding Nemo. I moved, they moved. |
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| Baia dos Porcos. |
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| Score 2 for mom. Passed. Out. |
Useful sites
Fernando de Noronha government and information on the Nature Tax: http://www.noronha.pe.gov.br/
Boat/SCUBA/Planasub tour company (there are many more ready to show you a good time):
www.trovaodosmares.com.br/
Noronha turtle project: http://www.tamar.org.br/
Brazil's conservation organization: http://www.icmbio.gov.br/portal/
Hotel we stayed in: http://www.pousadalendadasaguas.com.br/acomodacoes/index.html
Beach info: http://www.world-insider.com/practical-travel-guide-for-fernando-de-noronha/
Yellow grunt fish research: http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v4n2/en/fullpaper?bn02704012004+pt
