South America
Brazil
State of Pernambuco (PE)
Fernando de Noronha
Things to Do in Fernando de Noronha
Baia do Sancho
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Baia do Sancho

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Baia do Sancho
5
8,740
#1 of 55 things to do in Fernando de Noronha
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6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
6:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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Top ways to experience Baia do Sancho
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The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
62 within 3 miles
Barraca das gemeas
236
0.5 mi$$ - $$$ • Brazilian • Seafood • South American
Point da Cacimba
165
0.5 mi$$ - $$$ • Brazilian • Seafood • South American
Restaurante Maravilha
540
1.3 mi$$$$ • Brazilian • Seafood • Mediterranean
Mundo Verde
59
1.1 mi$$ - $$$ • Specialty Food Market • Brazilian • Diner
Fernão El Loco
114
1.4 mi$$ - $$$ • French • Mediterranean • Dining bars
Pousada Solar dos Ventos
33
1.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Brazilian • South American
Restaurante Casa do Pirata
38
1.4 mi$$ - $$$ • Brazilian • Grill • Contemporary
Restaurante e Pizzaria Forno Noronha
127
1.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Brazilian • Pizza
Restaurante Teju-Açu
756
1.6 mi$$$$ • Brazilian • Seafood • Contemporary
Noronha Steak House
34
1.3 mi$$ - $$$ • Brazilian • Barbecue • South American
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Attractions
39 within 6 miles
Fernando de Noronha Marine National Park
1,168
0.2 miNational Parks • Parks
Baia dos Porcos
1,905
0.3 miBeaches
Cacimba do Padre Beach
3,418
0.5 miBeaches
Praia do Bode
334
0.9 miBeaches
Forte Sao Pedro do Boldro
1,300
1.1 miObservation Decks & Towers
Leao Beach
1,683
1.2 miBeaches
Fundação Projeto Tamar - Fernando de Noronha
1,513
1.3 miSpeciality Museums
Boldro Beacch
810
1.4 miBeaches
Aulas de Energia – Espaco Usina Solar Fernando de Noronha
146
1.3 miObservatories & Planetariums
Baia do Sueste
4,551
1.5 miBeaches
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See what other travelers are saying
  • camazine
    Boalsburg, Pennsylvania30 contributions
    Best Beach in the World
    Considered by some to be the best beach in the world, this is certainly my favorite. The beach can only be reached by a walk through a wooded area along a boardwalk, followed by a descent down a long ladder through a rock crevice. Access to the beach is restricted, and is never crowded. Indeed, there are few people and if you go early in the morning, the beach is all yours. One needs to purchase a pass to obtain entrance to the national park beaches on the island of Fernando de Noronha. I felt it was certainly worthwhile to support the conservation efforts and maintenance of Noronha’s many beaches. Your pass gives you access to all the beaches in the park system.
    Traveled as a couple
    Written January 10, 2020
  • EasyGoingMidwestGuy
    Rio de Janeiro, RJ82 contributions
    Worthy of the hype and ratings
    Sancho deserves its ratings - its absolutely a beautiful remote beach with majestic bluffs that can take your breath away. Having to descend what at first glance seems to be dangerous ladders in the cracks of the rocks just adds to the experience. But it is actually easy to get down. Be aware there are scheduled times to go up and down the ladders, so plan accordingly.
    Written January 22, 2021
  • akeyaranu
    London, United Kingdom155 contributions
    Some precautions worth knowing before you go
    It is a very beautiful beach, a pretty much postcard beach. Good to stroll on, there are some pretty cool crabs and they're quite comfortable around people. From the top you can see big sharks and rays swimming really close to the shore. However, There is a reason why almost all photos from this place don't have people swimming in them.. When I went the sea was quite choppy, and pretty impossible to snorkel or swim leisurely. The sea is the calmest first thing in the morning, so go as soon as the centre opens at 9am to get your snorkeling in, by 11am it was back to choppy. By choppy sea I mean pretty strong currents and big waves that are pretty tough even if you're a good swimmer. There are also obstacles of getting to the beach itself that you need to be aware of. To get to the beach and back you will have to climb two huge ladders. They're sturdy, but a little unnerving, if you have a thing about heights or claustrophobia, or bad knees, I imagine it's not the experience you'd be looking for. After the ladders there are pretty steep rocky steps, but if you made it after the ladder they're fine. Anyway, it's not really a swimming beach, there is also very little shade and it's usually taken by people who arrive early.
    Written January 23, 2021
These reviews are the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor checks reviews for fraud.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
8,740 reviews
Excellent
8,102
Very good
541
Average
68
Poor
18
Terrible
11
marcusrjr
Sao Paulo, SP1,595 contributions
Great view from lookouts, a bit difficult to reach the beach
Jun 2021 • Couples
This was once elected the most beautiful brach in the world.
There are lookouts in both sides of the beach, one on the "Tirlah do golfinho" and another from the right part. Those views are awesome. Its worthy.
To reach the beach, its a bit complicated you have to go down for narrow stairs, and after that walk a little. Not very advisable for older people. Because its narrow, only one person can go at the same time. Therefore, there are some time tables. There are times when people can only go down and times whem you can only go back, so pay attention to it.
The beach is beautiful, and is great for snorkelling.
Please follow us on instagram: @mapamunditravel
Written July 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Jana A
Vienna, Austria112 contributions
This is complete nonsense - a tourist trap
Oct 2014 • Friends
First thing first - the title of the best beach of the world is not correct. This may be the worst and least accessible beach in the world but I doubt very strongly that this is the most beautiful one. If you come from anywhere outside Brazil, first you have to go to some international airport like Sao Paulo 'there are no connection from and to Rio de Janeiro and then fly for about 3-4 hours depending on the connection and either switch the planes or land at least one time in Recife or Natal. So apart the fact that you come outside of Brazil, you have to undertake a substantial travelling in Brazil. Then you land on this tiny little island where everything - from accmomodation to food is very basic and very expensive. Almost no one speaks English so train your Portugese before you get there. Then - beware - you are very close to equator and the sunshine is very strong so you have to protect yourselves all the time! Drink a lot of water and use the highest possible sunscreen. And then - if you fly 12+ hours from Europe and 5+ from Brazil, there is nothing to do on this beach - then you realize that you just threw a LOT of money just out of your pocket for nothing.... You cannot even swim because the waves are too big, There are no facilities on the beach. And to get there you have to use two different ladders in a hole in the cliff...people make few pictures there and go back, there is nothing there and no reason to stay on the beach longer than 20 minutes. The view is OK and if you rent a boat you can do some snorkelling there, that is fine. But apart from that - not worth the trip at all, not only you have to pay a special ecological tax to get on the island at all, you have to pay to get to the beach - National Park entry fee...what a scam!!! There are more beautiful beaches elsewhere..
Written February 22, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kurt P
Brussels, Belgium70 contributions
Tourist Trap - but that goes for the whole island
Jun 2015 • Family
Fernando is in my view extremely overhyped and overpriced, a tourist trap – or that is what it felt like,
Have to admit that I let Lonely Planet convince me that even though it might be costly, going to Fernando would be worth it.
Been all over the globe, and all over Brazil as well and this was the place we least enjoyed in the country. Not because it is not a beautiful island but because at every step we felt taking advantage of. The prices were outrageous even for low season. And as locals admit it that is because tourists are willing to pay these rates, so why not ?
First there are the flights. Might be up to 500% of comparable distances elsewhere in Brazil. Then you have the poussada. We payed double of a nice apartment on the beach in Recife and triple of a 5 star Beach hotel in Ponta Negra (Natal).
Then you have an entry tax. OK. But it is expensive….. a person, full price was demanded for our 5 year old.
You need a Buggy to get around, they are in bad condition, no handbrake, steering all off etc…count 400% of a nice Volkswagen on the mainland.
75% of the island is national park. Entrance to the park is not included in the tax you pay when arriving at the airport. Again this is very expensive 162 reals a person – even for a 5 year old for a day in the park (permit stays valid 10 days)
What exactly they do with the money from these taxes, who knows ? The locals don’t
The only thing they have done seems to have been checkpoints at the park to see you have actually paid.
Infrastructure is very bad, roads, internet, there doesn’t seem to be any investment in that
And of course it is great to protect the park but isn’t one tax + a solid building stop in the park enough ?

All these costs mean that foreigners are scarce. Brazilians seem to love it though – They pay half of all the different taxes.
So is it nice ? Yes
But worth the cost ? No
Would we go back ? Not at these rates and with these government policies, no
Written July 13, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Henrik M
Hong Kong, China68 contributions
Beautiful beach fell victim to pariah state?
Apr 2013 • Couples
Fernando de Noronha seems infested with civil workers who waste tax payers´ and visitors´ money, pollute the island and look for new ways of taking advantage of tourist and the local population. Half of the island´s car fleet has stickers with acronyms of numerous government departments and seem to serve only for the personal transport of well fed officials with goofy grins.
As many other places on the island Praia do Sancho now was privatized and can only be visited officially after paying R$ 130,00 (!!!), having your photo taken and all kinds of personal data exposed and saved into the department´s data bank. According to Brazilian law closing and charging access to a beach is illegal but when it gets to exploitation and getting other people´s money without having to offer anything in return, Brazilian laws become very flexible.
There are ways around the checkpoints and you will find even more beautiful spots of the island on your alternative way in! Don´t support corruption, don´t pay to go to the beach!
Written April 15, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
anoushka
26 contributions
#1 Beach in the World? Seriously?
Jan 2015 • Solo
Not sure how the #1 ranking was worked out, but there are many more beautiful beaches in Australia, and they don't come with a R$130 price tag, or with questionable characters trying to sell you all sorts of rubbish! Tripadvisor is really not doing itself any favours with this ranking.
Written February 20, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Jean G
Tampa, FL96 contributions
One of the most beautiful and peaceful place I spent time in Brazil but not in the world.
Oct 2014 • Family
To get there, you first need to get to Fernando de Noronha, schedule your trip and get the pass to access the island.
Then on the island, after a short buggy ride, you will get close to the cliff's top and will spent one hour of a not that easy walk to reach the beach.

Down there, this is beautiful, peaceful, this is really a place I love to go but this is not the best beach in the World, neither in Brazil.
On the top of my head I know at least 7 or 8 other beaches I already went to in Brazil nicer than that one.

Does it worth the trip, YES, is it the best one, NO.
Written February 26, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Natalia N
Paysandu, Uruguay146 contributions
Best in the world??! Not in a million years......
Feb 2016 • Family
Now.. let's be clear about something first..the beach is not ugly, but it's just a beach, come on people (Brazilians)! it's just a tiny rather common looking beach!!, I've seen better beaches before, any beach in the caribbean or Polynesia looks better than this and I don't even think it's the best beach of Brazil, some beaches at Pipa in Natal are much prettier IMHO.

This place has no services, no bathrooms, no umbrellas, no life guards, no nothing, no even immediately at the top of the horrible stairs! To find a place to eat and a toilett you have to climb the worst stairs in the whole world (half an hour because people want to go down but you wanna go up but there's only room for one at a time) and then you have to walk like 20 min to civilization.

If you are a baby or a little kid or an old person or you have some sort of physical
disability or a pregnant woman or have a broken leg or arm or too fat.. guess what? You won't be able to "enjoy" this beach 'cause you have to walk muddy uphill and downhill trails with loose stones under the hot hot sun, after that you have to walk like 20 min on a deck/bridge built through the jungle, then go down two firefighter stairs built inside the cliff's rock, it´s dark and wet and smelly and only a person with a normal built fits inside the little claustrophobic tunels. Then you have to go down about 120 or more stairs built in the rock, this are not normal stairs they are like 23 inches tall.

So, after you went through all that physical pain and your legs are shaking as a product of the effort.. you're thinking "this beach must be amazing".. right? Well..no, not exactly, it's just a normal frickin beach, and I tell you more, you can't properly swim because the waves are violent and big and there's a lot of rock on the shore, so be really carefull a wave doesn't catch you from behind and crash your already beaten anatomy with one of those rocks.

If you take the time to reviewing the ratings of "excellent" you will notice that most people who rate like that are Brazilians, Brazilians seem to love this beach and this overcharged, overestimated and pretentious island, subjectivity perhaps? Or maybe these people never travel outside Brazil in their lifes, what I mean is that this "best beach in the world" qualification is not at all realistic. It's just a reflection of disproportionate national pride.

Positives things: The beach itself is not worth it in my opinion, the Praia da Conceição is prettier. What it is cute in Sancho are the views from above and the colorful crabs but that's about it.
There is good snorkeling, abundant varieties of fish are seen but the currents are strong and that kind of ruins the snorkeling experience. But if you've done snorkeling tours before, then there's not much novelty.

I recommend you try to have a good time despite everything that's wrong, it's a matter of attitude.

Oh.. and another thing..you have to pay to access this beach, 130 R$ per person... nice isn´t it? Good luck! :/
Written March 15, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Anne C
New York, New York, United States7 contributions
stunning beach!
Mar 2015 • Couples
We have been to beaches all over the world and this is by far one of the most beautiful. It is however very difficult to get to!
Written April 20, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
SpanishSun08
Madrid, Spain660 contributions
A-MA-ZING beach!! Take water!
Feb 2015 • Solo
Truly one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen, although it is quite hard to reach- impossible to visit without a beach buggy or hiring a tour... and not accesible to people on crutches, elderly or wheelchairs. You will have to go up and down a very steep stair. Also, remember to take water and snaks if you´re planning to spend the day, as it is a protected area and there are no bars or restaurants on the beach. However, all totally worth it when you see the turquoise waters, turtles, sharks and dolphins!!
Written March 16, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Mell-Elle1
London, UK27 contributions
Know when to go!
Feb 2018
I don’t understand other reviewers complaining about the difficult access tand at the same time the excess number of tourists on the beach! One should be prepared to put some effort to get to a hidden exotic gem rated as the world’s best beach which understandably won’t be readily available at your doorstep.

When my friend and I were there, we were the only people on the beach and it was surreal! It was February, just after the rain, still very hot and the wet weather didn’t stop us from going down the metal steps between the cliffs. The natural surroundings are absolutely gorgeous, same goes for the water and the best part was the lack of people. Absolutely thrilled with this beach and won’t ever forget the experience!
Written February 27, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Baia do Sancho (Fernando de Noronha) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Baia do Sancho
Baia do Sancho is open:
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