Breaking down the costs of going to Fernando de Noronha 

What you will spend on Fernando de Noronha

Visiting this island is expensive, especially compared to the costs of the mainland. The island restricts the number of visitors to prevent overcrowding, which in turn drives up airfare costs, with only Azul and Latam airlines flying the island. Additional expenses include an island tax and a national park fee, both intended to protect the island’s environment. 

Since everything must be imported by plane or container boat, costs are higher than on the mainland. Most food is imported, with only a small amount grown locally, vehicles, clothing, and many souvenirs are also brought in from elsewhere. Although some souvenirs are made locally, they are few. 

Tours are also pricey, though not significantly more than the rest of Brazil. A factor often overlooked is waste management; trash must be exported back to the mainland for processing. Snorkeling and scuba equipment can be rented, as most visitors don’t bring their own. These factors all contribute to the high cost of visiting the island.

But having said all this, here are some ways to keep your cost low. 

Air fares 

The cost for your plane ticket is probably the highest cost that you will have for your visit to Fernando. The best tip I can give you is to plan ahead. If you are flexible with your dates you can find better prices. For websites like Skyscanner you can select an option to search for prices for the whole month and then you can choose which airfare is the best for you. 

Hotel or other accommodation 

Daily rates for hotels, pousadas (family owned hotels) and hostels are more expensive here than the rest of Brazil. 

There are some options that are very budget but then you will sleep in a dorm. Down below I have some options for different price ranges but check out booking.com for lots of great options. Also in this case, if you are flexible it can help you keep costs down. 

Finding a budget accommodation can be nice and Casa Silveira NORONHA is a good option. This budget option is close to the village and you are able to cook your own meals if you want to. It is older but it’s clean, you have your own room and bathroom and there is an (shared) area where you can sit and eat. 

There are lots of Pausada’s, family owned hotels and this medium budget option is really nice: Martinelli residence. I love the style of the rooms a lot, really a tropical island vibe. It is in the middle of the city center of the little town. There is a very small kitchen where you can make breakfast because it’s not included. 

If you have a bit more money to spend I highly recommend Noronha 350. It really is a great place with beautiful decks where you can relax and enjoy the view. Breakfast is good and there are lots of options and they even make eggs and tapioca pancakes to order. There are some staff members that speak English which is really nice! The rooms are decorated in a tropical style and are provided with a seating area. It’s close to the airport and a bit farther away from the city center and because of that is very peaceful.  

Please check if your accommodation provides breakfast. Some places only offer breakfast at additional costs. 

Some accommodations include the arrival and departure transfer. Check with yours if that is included or not. Most of the time the transfers are carried out by local tour operators that take the opportunity to sell tours to you on the island. 

Tours on the island

Tour operators on Fernando de Noronha offer some amazing tours but most of the places can be visited independently and, best of all, for free. It is one of the ways to reduce the final bill of how much this trip will cost you.

Instead of doing an Island Tour, for example, in my opinion it is more worthwhile to visit the beaches yourself. On the island tour you will visit the most popular places on the island and if you don’t have a lot of time of course you can choose to do that. This way you can see as much as possible in one day. And you can go back another day if you want. Because I was on the island for a week I decided to visit the beaches on my own. The tour is about R$ 150,-

The boat trip is something that I do recommend because this is the moment where you are able to spot dolphins, if they are close by. From the shore it’s very hard to see them. You can try to see them from the Dolphins bay but up close it is way cooler! There are different boat trips with additionals, some include lunch on board and others include activities (obviously the prices also increase).

There are self-guided trails and guided trails. The guided trails are paid, they are about R$150,- Read more about the trails in the blog about important information about Fernando. 

Some tour operators give discounts if you pay with cash. Check in advance if that’s the case. 

You can rent snorkeling gear on the island at most beaches for about R$35,- per day. If you bring it yourself you can lower the costs. I bought my equipment because it’s not that expensive and if I would rent it every time it would be more expensive. Now I can use it for my next snorkeling trip. 

Ways of transportation on Fernando

There is public transport on the island and you pay for a one way ticket in the bus R$ 5,- The bus goes every half an hour. But to be honest nobody could tell me at what times they went. So sometimes you will be in luck and other times you might need to wait a bit. 

You can also grab a taxi, they drive around everywhere. They have a system where they calculate how far away they will take you and that way you will get a fair price across the board. One ride will be between $R 20-50,- It is a bit more expensive than on the mainland but that’s expected. Cars need to be transported by boat to the island. Please be aware that most people don’t speak English or if they do, it most likely is not very good. 

You can also choose to rent a buggy or motorcycle. The daily rates are from R$290,- for the buggy and R$170,- for motorcycles. See the most up to date prices on the Ilha de Noronha website. As you can see the price of the buggy is much more expensive than riding a taxi or taking the bus. With renting a buggy for one day you can take about 8-10 taxi rides.

Environmental preservation tax and entrance Fee to the National Park

When you arrive on the island you are expected to pay the environmental preservation tax. The taxes are $R 97,16 per day, in 2024. You can get it online but I found it was too complicated. I was a bit scared to get it at the airport because I was afraid I had to wait for a long time but it only took about 20 minutes. Once you have your document you can enter the island. 

For some beaches (the best in Noronha) it is necessary to pay the fee for the Fernando de Noronha Marine National Park. To access the beaches of Sancho, Bay of the Pigs, Beach of Atalaia, Bay of Dolphins, Bay of the Sueste and Praia do Leão, you need to have this ticket. The entrance fee is R$ 179,00 for Brazilians and  R$ 358,00 for non-Brazilians. Even if you have a residency card you still pay the non-Brazilian fee. 

When you buy the ticket, you get a laminated card to bring with you to the beaches. It is paid only once and gives free access to the island’s beaches, over a period of 10 days. 

Restaurants and meals

Some accommodations don’t offer breakfast or offer it with additional costs. So please check if your accommodation provides breakfast or not. 

Because most ingredients are imported from the mainland, food and drinks are more expensive than on the mainland. If you are planning to go out every day it can add up quickly. You will spend about R$ 70.00 per person per meal. Outside the city center you can find places a bit cheaper but not by much. 

The island has some grocery stores and supermarkets, such as the Poty Supermarket, in Vila dos Trinta. The prices are higher than on the mainland. (A 1.5 liter water bottle costs R$ 11,-)

There are some really nice restaurants on the island and I loved the following restaurants: Varanda, Cacimba Bistrô and O Pico. Of course there is a lot of seafood here but also some nice traditional Brazilian dishes. 

Final thoughts and overview of costs 

This is an estimate of the expenses I have had. You might spend more or less depending on your wants, needs and the time of the year that you are going. During the high season September until March it can be more expensive. 

* Breakfast wasn’t included in my accommodation and I bought water bottles to take with me on tours.

As you can see, I kept my cost relatively low and I was happy that I was able to do so.

If you have any questions after reading this blog, please let me know in the comment section down below. And if you have had a chance to go please send me a message, I’m interested to hear what you thought of the island. 

Is the island of Fernando de Noronha accessible for wheelchair users?

Tours*

The island is not prepared for wheelchair users or people with mobility problems. The pathways are uneven and have uneven stairs. Tours, like going on a big boat, you could do but it’s not very comfortable and with rough seas it is dangerous.

Café’s and restaurants

The cafe’s and restaurant are a lot of the time on a slope which means there are stairs or a steep path. So most places are not accessible for wheelchairs.

Public transport

The bus has some stairs to get into and the bus doesn’t have a ramp. The bus stops are on steep roads so that also makes it hard to climb in sometimes. You could take taxi’s here if you have a collapsible one.

Toilets

Unfortunately there are almost no toilets that are accessible.

*And other attractions

Items I love while traveling

Baseball cap for ponytail or bun

One of my biggest wins in terms of sun protection are hats and baseball caps. But I have a lot of hair and with this baseball cap I can finally wear my hair in a bun or high ponytail. Win-win!

Microfiber towels

Even when I go to a hotel I love to bring my microfiber towels. I use them for my hair, for when I go to a beach or swimming pool and I use them to get even more water out of my clothes after laundry.

Waterproof dry bags

These bags I use all the time for different things. I do my laundry in them, use them as a hamper or bring them