Fernando de Noronha is a volcanic island that sits along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. It lies a few hundred miles off the Northeast coast of Brazil. It is a small island, probably not more than a few square miles in area. The island is protected by the Brazilian government because of its ecological importance. It is home to many different species of migratory birds, as well as numerous marine species, including a huge population of spinner dolphins. The number of visitors to the island is limited each day. Each visitor pays an conservation tax upon arrival based on the number of days they will stay.
Our stay was booked through a tour agency and included our pousada, a boat tour and a historical walk through the small town on the city. On our first full day on the island we took the boat tour and historic walk. The boat tour was fantastic. The boat had left the dock not 15 minutes before we came across a school of spinner dolphins which swam alongside our boat for a few minutes. The boat drove alongside the island and stopped for snorkeling at a remote beach on the island. Here is a short video of the dolphins swimming along the boat. You will probably have to download it onto your computer first to view it.
The historic walk was given in Portuguese, so we did not get much out of the talk. We understood the occasional words but it wasn’t enough for us to piece the history together. Our Portuguese is getting better and we are able to understand people when they speak slowly. In this case however, the guide was speaking very fast.
The next day we rented snorkels and went to Playa Sueste, which is known for its large population of sea turtles. The visibility was really cloudy at this so we didn’t see any sea turtles here but did see lots of tropical fish. For the most part the coral reefs that we were snorkeling over were all dead from the years of tourists. All it takes to kill the coral is the simple touch of a human.
Later that day we rented bicycles and explored the island. We stopped at a beach and watched a handful of sea turtles in the water. Afterwards we headed to a remote beach for the sunset.
On Sunday we braved the large waves and tried our luck at surfing. This was Su’s first time surfing and my second attempt. We were tossed around by the large waves. We were not able to catch any waves but we had a lot of fun trying. Later in the day we traded the surf boards for body boards which are much easier to catch waves with. We body boarded for the remainder of the day.
On Monday we woke up at 5:30am and joined a dolphin walk. The spinner dolphins spend their days inside one particular bay in the island called Baia de Golfinos (Dolphin Bay). In the afternoon the dolphins leave the bay and over the course of the night they take a lap around the island to feed. At dawn, they return to the bay because of its calmer waters and the safety it offers from sharks. We walked to the edge of Dolphin Bay before sunrise. Minutes after the sunrise we spotted the dolphins coming back to the bay. There were probably a few hundred of them, more or less. It was an incredible site. Later that day we took a flight to Natal.
On Tuesday we met up with Sandra, another friend of Magnus’s (Su’s old coworker in SF). She was a fantastic help and took us outside of Natal for a tour of the beaches and the area. Natal reminds me of Florida because of its wide streets, palm trees, condos, shopping plazas and beautiful beaches.
On Wednesday we went on a 8 hour buggy tour to the dunes of Genipabu which is just outside of Natal. The dunes here are endless and there is a booming tourist industry based on these buggy tours. The dunes themselves go on mile after mile. Throughout the dunes various businesses have setup zip lines, sledding, sandboarding(using a snowboard to get down the dunes), or riding a camel. It was a very fun trip.
On Thursday we took a bus ride about 90 minutes outside of Natal to the town of Praia de Pipa. Here there is a touristy town based around the local beaches. We spent the day walking around the beaches and exploring the town.
Tomorrow we head to Rio de Janeiro via plane. We will be staying in Copacabana for the next seven days.
Hey hick!
I finally got back onto your web page. I had issues. It turns out to be the org thing that did it. So, I spent about 2 hours last night reading all of your post, and looking at every video and picture. I am not completely done, but I am going backwards so I am in Brazil now.
To say the very least I am so fucken jealous it makes my stomach hurt. Here I am remodeling a bathroom, and your sledding down sand dunes, crawling through mines, and hiking over glaciers.
You absolutely rule.
you should swing by the diamond mines and then go back to the silver mines, and then whip up a ring for Su, cause she rocks!
You 100 % have a place to crash here when you get back. The odds are i'll even have an extra car for you to cruiz about. We are 1/4 to the commuter rail, and have 2 guest rooms for you to choose from. We can hit up dougs boat on the weekend, and slay some stripers in the Eve's.
Keep on making the rest of us silly 30 year old middle age, home fixin, working for the man chumps jealous.
hippie.