Two hundred and some miles from the coast of Natal in northeastern Brazil, in the waters tainted by sediment from major rivers of Brazil, is Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago looking today much like it when it was discovered five hundred years ago.
Distance from the beach and tourist facilities are limited rather than a weakness for enthusiastic visitors who rave about these spectacular islands.The archipelago is called Fernando de Noronha . The islands are volcanic remnants rising prominence of the Atlantic. There are twenty small islands, one larger, and a number of beautiful beaches where the sand, clean water is pure and amazing marine life is abundant.
Fernando de Noronha is an isolated group of volcanic islands located in the South Equatorial Atlantic at 03 ° 51 'south and 32 ° 25' west, about 215 miles from Cape Sao Roque in the state of Rio Grande do Norte and 340 miles from Recife, Pernambuco. The main islands are the visible part of the submerged mountain range. Consisting of 21 islands, islands and origin of volcanic rocks, the main island has an area of 7.1 square kilometers, to 6.2 miles and 2.2 miles in maximum width. Measure the perimeter of 37.2 miles. Base of this formation, a huge volcano is 2480 meters below the surface. The main island, from which the group derives its name, makes up 91% of the total area; Sela Gineta, Cabeluda and Sao Jose, together with the island Leao and Viuva form the rest. Geological studies show that the islands formed about 2 million years ago.
As occurs in other systems isolated oceans, soil fauna of the archipelago Fernando de Noronha presents a cheerful bird life, much richer than the group of vertebrates such as amphibians ,reptiles, and mammals, are represented by only a few species.The archipelago Fernando de Noronha hosts ecological sites ideal for exuberant marine animal life, because of geographical location and well away from the continent in the path of the South Equatorial Current, as well as the nature of its climate, a fact clearly shown in various experiments. For years, a separate study has found 168 families of mollusks, 72 species of crustaceans, fish and a large number of both native and migratory.In 1988 about 70% of the archipelago declared a Marine National Park, with the goal of preserving land and marine environments. It is managed by the IBAMA.Towards the goal of the research project is being developed, such as: recording native and migratory bird species of both marine and terrestrial; studying the behavior and reproduction longirostris rotador Golfinho stenella; ecology and reproduction of crustaceans in the coastal, middle and bottom; shark research and Tamar Project (sea turtles) . This course is offered to tourists every night at the visitor center project, near the headquarters of IBAMA.
Claimed by Américo Vespucio for the Portuguese in 1503, early settlers built a fort, now in ruins, in the Vila dos Remedios, most populous city. (See map). The islands are in prison, then a convenient stopover point for an early flight to Europe, and facilities used by the European airlines provide AirFrance name for the local community. There are also a WW II air base. Today, the Brazilian Air Force to maintain bases there.Although the island supports a large variety of wildlife species, their relatively uninhabited and tourism is limited to 420 visitors at a time. In fact, the longer you live, your costs will go higher permission. There is one paved road, the shortest national highway Brazil, many of the hotels and pousadas are filled with a capacity in the summer.In 1970 nearly three-quarters of archipelago National Marine Sanctuary was created to Fernando de Noronha, the PN Fernando de Noronha, to conserve soil and marine environments. Of particular interest is the maintenance of natural attempt to save the sea turtles, while Fernando de Noronha is now a model of environmental protection area, is also one of Brazil's most hidden treasures.Water clarity and warmth, in the equatorial flow, and an abundance of underwater life make these islands a mecca for divers and snorkelers. There are more than two hundred species of fish, plus dolphins, sea turtles, and sharks for viewing and photographing.
Ask about Fernando de Noronha when you are in Sao Paulo, and your question will always be met with a combination of admiration, national pride, jealousy and one information.Fernando de Noronha is an island - named after a Portuguese nobleman of the 16th century that may never actually set foot in there - that there is in the imagination of Brazil in a place not far from the Shangri-la, Atlantis and Paradise. People glaze over when you mention it: the eye tends to roll the ball up in the movement of universal love.
We were told by friends, acquaintances and strangers - none of whom actually been to Fernando de Noronha - to expect the most spectacular beaches all over Brazil. Some believe that jet aircraft are prohibited from landing there, others warn that there is only one hotel and there was no internet. Naomi Campbell, we are reliably informed, go there to relax after the Sao Paulo Fashion Week, but - far from just a bolt-hole for the rich - is also a fiercely protected eco-wonderland, favored by naturalists and marine biologists. Luxurious warm waters and immaculate emerald island, it is widely agreed, is full of dolphins and turtles.Moreover, the consensus assured us that every species of shark are common to this area, in fact, friendly.Like most people from outside Latin America we have never heard of Fernando de Noronha, and because less than half of what we've been told it seems even remotely plausible, we turn to Charles Darwin to support the testimony. He stopped there in 1832, after one of his crew had harpooned a porpoise for dinner (it was not Darwin Dr. Dolittle), but only spent a day of "wandering in the woods" before leaving in hopes of finding "greater miracle" elsewhere. His account - except for the report "a conical hill, about a thousand meters, the top of a very steep" - this is definitely underwhelming. Is this heaven alive, in fact, turned into little more than a product of the masses too much? Or will live up to the hype?Fernando de Noronha is, in fact, an archipelago consisting of one 11-square mile chunk of volcanic stone and 20 smaller islands, three degrees south of the equator, 220 miles from the northeast coast of Brazil. Flights from Sao Paulo - with a modern passenger jet, for the record - a slight pause in the seafront town of Recife before moving on to the Atlantic, and landed on the runway occupying most part, lush green.
From above, the promise of a very exciting wonderland - shimmering sea of sand, turquoise pure - made good immediately.After coughing is excited at the airport tax of Environmental Protection (seven days costs about £ 65 per person), we were taken by Land Rover to our hotel - Pousada do Vale - a friendly place in a wooded path near the first permanent settlement on the island, Vila dos Remedios . Within half an hour, we fully understand the realities of life on Noronha basic climate during the rainy season (April-August) - bursts of sunshine punctuated by rain .so that, nature goes into overdrive: explosions of green plants; reptiles, frogs and native battalions, yellow eyed lizard Mabuya, and the clouds fly low, almost invisible mosquitoes borrachudo who has a voracious appetite for meat ankle human.maintenance yourself quickly drove us to the most effective, but at least environmentally friendly of the two insect repellants offered by pousada: not the ideal start in the UNESCO World Heritage Site and designated marine national park where swimming in the sun the screen is, in places, it is forbidden to damage delicate eco-system.As night fell like a short stick, then the separate personality of the island began to reveal itself. All the evidence so far has been marked as a dream destination for Noronha-hardened tropical biologists, but the appearance of several well-dressed couples choose their way carefully over the slippery wet rocks, confirms the bread-and-butter rich identity as a magnet for honeymooners . Their muddy shoes, and their lower legs - like us - borrachudo'd, but they have paid good money for romance in paradise and no extremes of nature that will take them.
Remoteness of the island - and its value is considered to be the perfect place - making the price (meals, lodging) constantly high, equivalent to a quarter of Sao Paulo pricier, increasing the exclusivity and mystique.Nights, spent more than a few beers at a bar called Tom Marrom, gave a colorful procession of diverse characters: a local teenager rode past on horseback, followed by a man in a train that seems to pile modeling himself after Steve McQueen Thomas Crown. The train bumps were the most common form of island transportation: not exactly the first choice of the environment, but practical given the way the system is structured largely around the pot-holes, ditches and habit.The bartender was wearing a fake pig-tails and painted-on freckles, and dancing - the delivery of food - to live forro band. Forro is a type of accordion-based folk-dance music particular to the north-east of Brazil, with an intoxicating and swamp feel to it. One member of the band has traditionally played a triangle, which we think is the most-grueling, most Bez such a role, until trianglist we started to sing, very well, and shot in our estimation.After a night spent under the watchful eye of some mabuyas, we set about finding the best of Noronha can be found on and under water.
A three-hour round trip by boat from the island's small harbor is a good introduction to the island as any, and features a 40-minute snorkeling stops at Baia do Sancho is quite astonishing. On the way we show that the rock formation (sort of) like a dog, an Egyptian mummy and King Kong, was caught by a glimpse of the flying fish, wild tortoises and some pike-shaped barracuda. Large withdrawals, though, is the spinner dolphin population - so called because they jump clear of the water in the form of spiral acrobatics - which appeared in their hundreds every day. You can not argue with wild dolphins en masse: some will insist they are worth the hefty price of entry into Noronha only.We can not confirm or deny the rumored friendliness of the local sharks - lemon sharks, nurse sharks and Caribbean reef sharks are the most common - because we do not see anything, but we can state that there are no reported attacks (touch wood). Marked contrast to the beach mainland near Recife, where environmental problems have caused a dramatic increase in fatal shark encounter, a protected marine ecosystems around Noronha appears to offer all the creatures sustenance they need.Other highlights include a nature-based walking route to Baia do Sancho, which involves negotiating two steps at the sheer cliff-face and felt adventurous enough, until you realize that it is regularly handled by an old woman in flip-flops, and a new lunch of barracuda caught at the Bar do Meio, Praia do Meio, frigate birds circling overhead. Away from the coast, the ruins of the prison offers a bit of life on Noronha before the era of modern tourism. Gypsies (in 1739) and capoeira fighter (in 1890) locked up in there, not realizing that their lives hell will one day turn into eco-purpose high-end.Fish back nights at Pousada do Vale - where the catch-delivered wrapped in banana leaves and baked - it is free for guests on Thursday.
Two floors in the hotel "bungalow" has a balcony with a hammock, and it's in one of them that we weighed up our minds on the island. Do Noronha live up to the hype? There is no question about it, this place is beautiful - nature has taken anything by sending floods of the Atlantic rain and vindictive insects, it has been given back in spades with the stunning marine life, dramatic rock formations and sunsets are priceless.But, There are still suspicious that Fernando de Noronha has something of an identity crisis. By selling itself as both a strict eco-patrolled paradise and a dream destination for the rich - in which the outer muscular bike with a chugging train station, and a lot of food that was flown - the island appears as confused. Price-tag for a holiday it is possible to prevent, but for a honeymoon scuba divers who do not short a bob or two, Fernando de Noronha is the opposite of life.
Getting thereWhen to go: Dry season / high (from September to March) and rainy season / low (from April to August)
Specialist operator Tim Best Travel: +44 (0) 20 7591 0300; timbesttravel.com; info@timbesttravel.com
Where to stay:
- Pousada do Vale, Rua Pescador Sérgio Lino, 18 - Jardim Elizabeth; pousadadovale.com / ingles: +55 (81) 3619 1293.
- Bungalows from 648 reais; £ 200 a night Pousada Maravilha, 363 BR Sueste; pousadamaravilha.com.br / ingles / pousada.htm: +55 (81) 3619 0028. From 1230 to 2710 reais per night (£ 385 to £ 848)Pousada Zé Maria, Rua good Cordeiro, 01 - Floresta Velha; pousadazemaria.com.br: +55 (81) 3619 1258.
- Doubles from 558 reais in low season (£ 174)
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