Fernando de Noronha – Not just Brazil’s version of the Galapagos but paradise on earth

I’ve visited a lot of places in this world & seen a lot of things. So I feel somewhat secure when concluding that Fernando de Noronha goes down as one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago of 21 islands, the largest one of which (only 7 square miles) is the only one inhabited with a population of 5k, located 350km offshore from the NE Brazilian coast. The island is home to the most postcard perfect & largely deserted beaches as well as protected marine life as most of the island falls within the boundaries of the national park. There’s a sea-turtle sanctuary & it’s the world’s best place to see spinner dolphins. It’s known as home to Brazil’s best beaches, diving & surfing. And it’s unforgettable. It’s only been open to tourism since 1988 & it doesn’t overwhelm now as access is limited to 2 small flights a day. No new construction is allowed on its beaches, there are restrictions on vehicles, no condos or hotel chains are allowed, no beach vendors are allowed. So for this reason, pousadas are the only lodging option & there aren’t any pousadas on the beaches. Rather, they’re concentrated in the tiny town center.

To enjoy this paradise certainly comes at a cost. They charge you an environmental preservation fee based on the number of days you’re visiting & they also charge you to access the National Park attractions – probably half of the beaches are included as well as any access to the gorgeous aqua-hued sea (i.e. diving). And generally, prices for everything else are on the expensive side.

For someone who loves to dive, there was no way I was missing out on the best dive spot in Brazil. While I didn’t dive in the Galapagos due to my head & chest cold, the snorkeling was sic & of course that’s my first comparison to Fernando de Noronha.

The Galapagos is a LOT bigger – much bigger islands & far more inhabitants.
The Galapagos has been open to tourism for much longer (mid-60s) vs. late 80s for Fernando de Noronha which means the industry & the marketing is far more developed in the Galapagos & far more people visit. There’s a quick blurb in my travel books about Fernando but word of mouth by Brazilians & then subsequent online research is really what propelled me to visit. Fernando felt much smaller to me & very welcoming. There aren’t very many people that live there & by the end of the week, I was constantly running into people I’d met (& some I’d forgotten I’d met) at the pousada, on hikes, at the beaches & at the island’s best dive shop.
My sense is there’s a lot more cool marine life to see in the Galapagos than Fernando. While in Fernando, I dove with 30+ spinner dolphins (awesome!!!), sharks, rays, turtles & eels, while the Galapagos added to that giant manta rays, hammerheads, sea lions, penguins, giant turtles, marine lizards, etc. Beyond that, I was blessed in the Galapagos to see SCHOOLS of marine life whereas in Fernando, excepting the spinner dolphins, the marine life was usually one-off. Add to that the vast wildlife in the Galapagos, including land lizards, tortoises & all the birds, & there’s no comparison.
The marine life in the Galapagos is also very snorkel-friendly. I saw crazy creatures all without diving. No dive I’ve ever done can possibly compare to multiple snorkel trips I enjoyed in the Galapagos. While I had luck when snorkeling in Fernando as I saw sharks, rays & turtles, people I told of this seemed a bit incredulous so I suspect it’s far more rare in Fernando to be able to enjoy the marine life without diving.
However, Fernando de Noronha takes the prize for beaches. Hands down, no question. It has the most stunning beaches in the lushest of landscapes & the most perfect aqua blue water.

So bottom line… I loved them both for different reasons. In the Galapagos, you feel like you’re on a nature tour & it’s constantly paying off in huge dividends. In Fernando de Noronha, it feels like an untouched island paradise accompanied by awesome marine life & feels very small & homey. Which I love. So I’ll return to both. Hopefully sooner than later.

View from atop an old fort near the town center of a couple gorgeous beaches & the island’s “primary rock” which definitely resembles a large phallic symbol

Praia do Meio – the closest beach to my pousada in the center of town; maybe a 10-min walk over cobbled streets & dirt paths

Praia do Conceicao – just past Meio & flanked on one end by the penis rock. I watched many a sunsets here which often coincided with low tide when snorkeling was especially good.

Praia do Leao – what a beauty! I went there a couple times, which involved a 10min local bus then a 15min walk, & there was never another soul there. I’m sure they call in Lion beach bc the waves are fierce, probably scaring away folks.

Baia do Sueste – gorgeous beach, islands, snorkeling & mirantes. Ran into a 2m shark in 2m of water & followed that beauty for 10min as he kept going shallow hunting. I lost him in 1m of water as he was kicking up sand. I couldn’t believe how shallow he was for how big he was. Awesome.

One of my fave days was spent hiking from beach to beach during low tide over & across rocks & through forest, snorkeling & swimming at each beach, then hitting the next. Started early at 8am with the lowest tide as I didn’t want to get stranded on the first 3. Hiked 5 beaches, then into Baia do Porcos for some really amazing views & finally a long hike to Baia do Sancho & it’s beach, which is ranked the number one beach in the world by more than one publication, finishing at Baia do Golphinos. It was a LONG day as I didn’t return til 6 & spent exactly zero time laying around relaxing on any beach.

Praia do Sancho – this beach is within the national park so there are quite a few really nice trails leading to one gorgeous viewpoint after another. Only after I knocked out all of those did I realize the only way to access the actual beach was via 2 massive construction ladders1 after another, slipped inside a crevice in the massive stone cliffs backing the beach. The crevices are son arrow, it doesn’t fit a small backpack but no worries bc they also provide a rope for you to first lower you bag before descending on these ladders from hell. Oh & I didn’t mention there’s rushing waterfalls around you in this deep dark crevice so you must take care to not slip on these massive metal ladders. After the ladders, there are probably 200 big stone steps to get you the rest of the way down. I was at the top listening to this explanation from the park ranger & finally figuring out why there’s no one actually on the beach below. I think most people come to take photos, then decline to descent bc it’s somewhat insane. But of course I did it. And it was amazing. There were maybe 10 other people hiding out in shade on this massive beach that’s the BEST beach in the world. Crazy. To top it off, it also had great snorkeling as I came across 3 turtles hanging out & eating & proceeded to follow those goofballs around for a good hour.

I spent a lot of time diving here which made me a really happy girl. But bc I don’t have a GoPro, I have no documentation of the 30+ dolphins who swam with us underwater 5mins into the 2nd dive (!!!!!), sharks, rays, turtles, moray eels, etc. i considered buying a GoPro before my trip to primarily use for diving but decided against it. I am always so relaxed on a dive – chilled out, zoned out & just focusing on exploring what’s in front of me. I thought perhaps constantly taking photos or videos would alter my zen-like experience. Although one of my fave videos of this trip was one my friend Malene took of the shark den we explored in the Galapagos. I still watch that every so often & giggle with glee. Still considering.

Arraial do Cabo – My (first) small town Brazilian paradise

I live in a big city. And I LOVE it. I’m a big city girl. But the opposite attracts me most on my travels. Don’t get me wrong, I freakin loved Rio, but my heart skipped a beat when I first arrived in Arraial do Cabo, via a 3hr bus due East. The bus dropped me at the town’s tiny main square & as expected, I found no taxis waiting so I wound my way through the little streets (thank you offline google maps – an international traveler lifesaver!!!) til I arrived at my tiny little pousada where I was the only one staying.
Side note to head off a mom question… in Brazil the place to stay are pousadas. It doesn’t have a direct translation in English but essentially it’s similar to SE Asian guesthouses, Cuban casa particulares or US B&Bs where you get a room (w a private bath if you so desire) & you have shared living amenities. However, I’ve also since found it can include lodging such as villas & small boutique hotels so the terminology has a wide span.
Lovely small towns in my travels stick out the most to me. Maybe it’s bc you get nonstop interactions w locals but also bc I think the place perhaps hasn’t quite blown up yet as far as tourism goes. In Arraial do Cabo’s case, I really feel that. Arraial gets a tiny half column mention in my Rough Guide but that’s it. I read in some random online blog that it’s the Buzios of 20 years ago (next stop). Buzios, as you may know, is famous as the best beach in the Rio de Janeiro province. So just that statement saying it may be “the next big thing” in Brazil makes me want to go. As does a couple random online articles ranking Brazil’s top beaches – 2 of Arraial do Cabo’s fall number 2 & 3 on the list. I feel as if my past experience has qualified me to be an exemplary judge of beach quality. The fact that every Rio local I asked about it told me to instead go to Buzios, only made me want to visit more. And I have to say… it’s amazing, the beaches can easily hang even with the Philippines & all expectations were exceeded. One potential downfall – it’s real quiet at night (which I think drove the party animal Rio opinions). But I don’t mind that. I exhaust myself during the day & if nothing’s going on at night, then I don’t feel guilty for being “lame” & crashing early while reading my book. Because the tourism industry hasn’t fully developed yet, there’s no “central tourist district” that’s been spit-shined & crowded w adorable restaurants & bars & shops. Those things are just a big more spread out in a tiny little town which is just fine by me. There’s also no proper big hotels as the only option to stay is in pousadas (mine was open air & lovely). If you’re looking to invest in a property in Brazil… this could be the place.
So Arraial is a town of 25k, features some of the best beaches in Brazil yet still flies under the radar. Oh yeah, it’s also considered the 2nd best dive spot in Brazil & I FINALLY took advantage of that so I was a real happy girl here. The town is quite tranquil & relaxing & a stark contrast to Rio. I loved Rio, don’t get me wrong, but this is my kinda place.

Praia do Forno is the 3rd ranked Brazil beach let some ranking that locals quote. It’s probably my favorite. To access it, you have to hike 20-30mins up & over a hill on a winding path. No vehicles no thing there. There are some light beach services but nothing more. It’s heavenly & also has some pretty good snorkeling along the rocks (turtle!).

Praia dos Anjos runs along the port on one side of the town

I took a boat one day (definitely the most touristy thing to do in Arraial) to see a couple beaches you can’t access any other way (well one you can by car but I didn’t have one of those).

Praia da Ilha do Farol is supposedly Brazil’s 2nd best beach. It’s an island just off Arraial & facing the beach below & the only way to reach it is by boat. It’s pretty gorgeous.

A crazy cool naturally forming crevice. Nature rocks.

Prainhas do Pontal do Atalaia is on the very SE most tip of Arraial & faces Farol beach on its island. This is a stunner. One half of the beach is pretty isolated. The other half has beach services & a really long wooden stairway up & over the bluff to a road (so you can drive & park if you have a car). The best views are from this beach.

Praia Grande on another side of town. Great for sunsets. Obviously. And also surfing. One of the widest beaches I’ve ever seen.

A hike up to a mirador between Praias Grande & Brava reveals views of all of Arraial & lovely sunsets, even when the clouds aren’t cooperating

Reflections at the midpoint

So I’m 3 months into my trip across South America & I’m thinking it’s pretty close to my midpoint as I’m tentatively targeting end of June / beginning of July for my return. Let’s be real… Chicago is an amazing city, especially in the summer, & I need to minimize the missed Cubs games, boat days, street fests, etc (my life is real tough right now I know). I thought I’d take the time to (quickly) reflect on a few things as people recently have been asking me what I prefer: South America or SE Asia. I respond by saying the 2 trips are completely different but then I’m left unable to explain myself. So I did some thinking & came up with the following:

The food – A big part of traveling for me is experiencing the food. I love to eat. I can’t overestimate how much I miss the food in SE Asia, especially the soups & noodle dishes of Vietnam & the curries of Thailand. The food here in South America? Bleh. It’s nothing new, thought provoking or life changing like Asia. Inland it’s a lot of meat & potatoes. On the coast, it’s a lot of fresh seafood. Have I had good even great meals? Of course. But it’s so familiar that it just doesn’t get me excited & I oftentimes find myself daydreaming about Bun Bo Nam Bo in Hanoi & wondering how much a flight to Vietnam would cost.
My stomach – So this is related to the food but it’s much more than that… something about the food, beers, wine, booze, etc in SE Asia just agreed with me. In 6 months I never had travelers’ stomach issues & no matter if I over indulged a bit, never suffered from a hangover. Neither are the case here. So not only is the food more boring, it far too often leaves me feeling like shit. Same goes for the booze. In SE Asia, I inquired about ingredients or lack thereof & people responded the countries had different laws regarding preservatives (as in much more strict) & everything was very fresh. Now I don’t pretend to be a knowledgeable health nut but something is different down here & it’s unfortunate for me. Now I’ve only just arrived in Argentina so haven’t yet tried their “amazing beef” but there sure is a lot riding on that if it’s going to totally change my opinion.
The sights – With the exception of the Northern coast of Colombia & the Galapagos, which are both phenomenal trip highlights, most of the places I’ve visited & things to do on this trip are land based. Obviously it’s driven by this little ol’ mountain range known as the Andes that runs the length of the continent. That terrain is without question more varied than SE Asia as it includes mountains, deserts, cloud forests, salt flats, lakes, etc. & I’ve enjoyed it immensely but I’m going on 2 months at altitude with no view of an ocean & while I’m loving it, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss my remote island paradises every now & then. I’m thinking of ending my trip in Brazil wandering the northern coast from tiny beach to tiny beach, after swinging by the Amazon, so hopefully that’ll give me my fix.
The activities – This is obviously related to the above. There’s a helluva lot of trekking & hiking in South America while I’ve only gone diving once. Ask me before my trip & I’d be bummed about it but I am really enjoying getting outdoors & getting dirty, perhaps more than I even imagined (I’m in Patagonia as I type this & I’m fucking loving it) & I keep extending my trekking stays bc there’s never enough time. After days here filled with challenging 8-10hr treks & incredibly beautiful mountainous views, I feel more physically accomplished much more often than I did in SE Asia. But there is something about being underwater in this crazy different world & totally reliant on this stupid air tank that really gets me going so I’m going to have to find a good spot for that before I leave.
The language – So this is going to seem counterintuitive to just about everyone but my elementary knowledge of the Spanish language & ability to communicate & have basic conversations obviously has its perks but I kinda miss having to really work hard at communicating. It’s crazy I know. I’ve thought long & hard about this but I really think it’s true for me. Now it certainly makes functioning on a daily basis much easier. I can read menus & signs / trailheads & ask questions & understand the answers which is all great. But it also means there are fewer surprises, misunderstandings & challenges throughout the day & I apparently somewhat miss those. I fondly recall communication struggles in SE Asia & I don’t think I’m rewriting history or my memory is failing me. Traveling in SE Asia was much more difficult than traveling in South America & i think it made me feel a bit more accomplished. Not that I mind the ease of traveling here.
The culture – I feel as if the culture in SE Asia was overwhelming. The Asian cities screamed culture as they were vastly different from what I know while many big cities in SA are obviously more westernized. The food, the language, the religion, the cities in SE Asia are all very different from what I know so it seems a bit more foreign or exotic. And many of the places I visited in SE Asia seemed very remote & rather untouched by tourism. The only place that nears that so far in South America is Punta Gallinas in Northern Columbia. I’d love to find more of that down here. But so far, South America to me is less about the culture & more about these incredible outdoor adventures around every corner. And that’s an amazing thing.

So I still don’t have an answer but all I know is I’m having a great time & not even close to ready to returning. So on to the next adventure.

Bali… Not just for honeymooners

I think a lot of people know people who’ve been to Bali for their honeymoon. Before visiting, I perhaps had a fear in the back of my head that it’d be me & a bunch of boring newly betrothed couples, but I’d heard great things & since I will most likely never take a honeymoon (sorry mom), I thought this was a great time to visit. I spent nearly 2 weeks exploring the island & it has a lot to offer beyond the beautiful beaches in the South it’s known for including a lush hilly interior region with lovely rice paddies & charming towns featuring hippy yogis, arts & crafts & temples as well as a Northeast coastal region dotted w picturesque fishing villages, 40+ dive sites, stunning views & few tourists. Oh yeah, & it has a TON of backpackers (so fun, social fellow travelers) who come to visit all of the above plus the great surfing. Thankfully.
First stop was Ubud in central Bali, 2 hours drive from airport. I stayed in a lovely private villa with pool overlooking a rice paddy, at a discount bc it was low season, that was a 15-minute beautiful walk into central Ubud, which I soon decided was a shoppers Mecca as it has a ton of local artisans & galleries/museums selling art, yoga gear, unique textiles, clothes, antiques & other goods. The fact that I’m traveling w a pack that I physically have to carry on my back makes it easier to refrain from overindulging when shopping but Ubud tested me. I did cut myself some slack & bought some hippy gear but still enforced my “one-in / one-out” rule & left a few things behind (who needs tennis shoes anyways?). So while it’s a charming area, it’s certainly overrun during the day w a crazy number of tourists. I think they take taxis here from the Southern beaches just for day trips. So there’s lots of traffic, autos, motorbike & foot, on tiny roads. When you’re at shops or restos, servers often ask if you’re staying in Ubud. They tend to react well if you say yes; you get a superior level of service at restaurants & often times further discounts at shops. That tells me locals have grown weary of the day-trippers as they really showed an appreciation for folks actually staying in Ubud. Once the day-trippers clear out in time to get all dolled up for some fine dining & dancing, the town slows down a bit & is much more relaxing. It’s a quiet place at night as places close down pretty early. So I’d have a nice quiet dinner & then stroll back to my villa & spend the night reading or doing trip research while listening to music & hopping in & out of my pool. Nice chill place but bc of the massive amounts of tourists that invade during the day, I sure was ready to go after day 3.
Second stop was Amed on the NE coast, a 3 hour drive from Ubud past tiered rice paddies & through the hills. Amed is a beautiful area dotted w little fishing villages featuring these cool boats called jukungs that are mini outrigger sailboats. I stayed in another beautiful place w villas on a hill overlooking the sea. Amed is known to have the best diving in Bali but few tourists so that was the plan & it delivered. My dive shop in Thailand recommended an Amed dive shop owned & operated by a former dive boat manager who was amazing & organized some cool dives where I saw a giant octopus (that we followed around for awhile), manta rays, a couple sharks (yes!!!), moray eels, etc & a cool wreck of a US ship sunk by a Japanese torpedo in WW2. I also was lucky enough to see perhaps the most beautiful view of the trip as I hopped on back of my dive pro’s motorbike & headed 30 minutes outside of Amed proper to a viewpoint on the Eastern-most point of Bali overlooking a gorgeous black sand/pebble beach lined w jukungs & the picturesque little island of Gili Selang. Stunning views.
Finally Nusa Dua, the last stop in Bali for some R&R on the beach, was a 3.5 hour drive south from Amed. I decided to skip Kuta & Seminyak… two of the most high profile spots on Bali & where everyone flocks for beaches, nightlife, etc. It’s supposedly crazy & real jammed w tourists so not quite my thing. Nusa Dua is a quieter beach locale featuring fancy resorts so I used my hotel points & it was more of the same relaxation, paddle board, kayak, reading time. While staying at luxury properties is nice, you find a certain kind of traveler – one who is relatively well off, on holiday & often still in work-mode so on email or calls while the wife, girlfriend or family is entertaining themselves on the beach. You also find the honeymooners. All of these folks are looking for total isolation both physically, as these fancy resorts are located on gorgeous remote beaches enticing you to just stay put all week long, & socially, as the guests are not looking to meet other people (& they’re also missing out on the best of Bali… these are the day-trippers if they dare to venture off their sun loungers). There aren’t too many people doing what I’m doing & staying at these joints. This clientele is very different from who you get when you stay at a mid-range place in the middle of the action. There you find fellow travelers on extended trips, often solo travelers, interested in meeting new people & who are generally in a very happy place in their life, thus inviting interesting conversation. So while I’ve used the luxury properties as a welcome break to really relax & enjoy the sea & do some trip-planning on good wifi, I strongly prefer the mid-range social hotels/guest houses as they’re a lot more fun.

The path leading to my Ubud private villa

There is an obvious penis obsession in Ubud. I would argue the entire world is a bit too obsessed & could do with some women in charge but nowhere has it been more obvious as there are penis-shaped & inspired tchotchkes for sale everywhere. At least these can be used to open bottles. I inquired about the obsession (of course I did) & apparently, they are symbols for good luck as in Hindu, the penis represents the supreme god (of course it does). I was told some men even wear these charms around their neck. I would argue perhaps they’re over-compensating for something but I still would’ve loved to see that.

… or “beer koozies” as we like to call them

Tiered rice paddies along the pretty drive from Ubud to Amed

View from the lookout of Gili Selang & the jukung lineup on the beach

Nusa Dua viewpoint from hike off my beach

https://youtu.be/5cOblroHy9k

What, am I 12 again?

So the last few days of my Koh Tao diving, my right ear seemed to fill w water & subsequently refused to empty. I at first ignored the problem, innocently probed Anna for a solution when it wouldn’t go away (bottle of saline), & then remained silent & suffered, even with the onset of pain bc no chance in hell I was missing out on my last dives. I just found myself saying “what?” a lot when out w the crew at night bc it was clogged & I couldn’t hear for shit. I knew it was swimmers ear based on prior experience when I was 12 during Okoboji or Myrtle Beach family vacas (but I thankfully didn’t have it nearly as bad as Sar). I’m guessing it was somehow related to my ears equalizing while descending during diving as they aren’t accustomed to that bc I haven’t had swimmers ear in 25 years. I knew I had to take care of it in Malaysia & I also knew it was going to dampen my water activity level. I was now going to be the chick who refuses to get her hair wet in the sea/pool. I fg hate those lame chicks. But I figure it’s only 2 days & then I’m back to my old self… so says the medical assistant I saw who prescribed me drops, antibiotic & ibuprofen all for a whopping 30 ringgit (USD $7). Worth every penny.

Diving… finally

I have wanted to learn how to dive for what seems like fucking ever. There have been several past vacations where the opportunity presented itself but my travel companions were uninterested so we opted for snorkeling. Which I love. No disparagement to the snorkeling population. But there’s just something about the idea of diving down to explore this different world & being totally reliant on a silly little aluminum air canister & related life sustaining accessories. I do love a rush. So traveling by myself to such insanely great dive locales including the island of Koh Tao that, despite its minuscule size, registers more divers worldwide than any other place given the numerous highly rated dive shops, it was a no-brainer to sign up to do my open water certification down to 20m. Given all the dive shops, Koh Tao is a highly competitive market, especially in the low season, so I got a great deal.
Clearly not a lot of pics taken as the dive boats are very wet little operations. The 2 Dutch girls in my course wanted to pay for a video of our final dives so while this isn’t something I’d typically do (reminded me of a boring wedding video no one ever rewatches), I joined the pool as it made it pretty cheap. I’ve already watched it twice as it highlights the fantastic marine life we saw that my niece & nephews will love.

All kitted up & headed to dive site so ready to dive upon arrival. A little different from our relaxing boating in Chicago.

Here’s the video link. Password is “scuba”. Warning… It’s a lot of cheese. Tell the kiddos I’m swimming right after Anna, my instructor, who is this badass gorgeous blonde-hair blue-eyed chick w an octopus tattoo arm sleeve from Sweden. We bonded. I loved it so much, I signed up to do the advanced open water course down to 30m. I am now, happily, a diver.

https://vimeo.com/162408469

amusemusings

Do shit in life that makes your heart race (Instagram: angelamusings)

Tag: Diving