Fernando de Noronha
"Brazil's volcanic UNESCO marine sanctuary"
Baía do Sancho, Brazil4.9 Baía do Sancho on Fernando de Noronha has been voted the world's best beach by TripAdvisor multiple times — and the moment you descend through a crack in the volcanic cliff via iron ladders, you understand why. This pristine crescent of golden sand is framed by 50-meter volcanic cliffs draped in emerald-green vegetation, with water so clear that spinner dolphins are visible from the clifftop above. Fernando de Noronha is a volcanic archipelago 350 kilometers off Brazil's northeast coast, and strict visitor limits (only 460 people allowed on the main island at a time) ensure it remains one of the most pristine marine environments on Earth. The archipelago is a UNESCO World Heritage site and marine sanctuary, home to the largest concentration of resident spinner dolphins in the world — up to 1,000 gather each morning in the Baía dos Golfinhos. The diving is among the best in the South Atlantic, with visibility exceeding 40 meters and encounters with sea turtles, reef sharks, and manta rays virtually guaranteed.
