About an hour off the coast of Brazil, the Fer­nan­do de Noron­ha island offers a beach expe­ri­ence like no oth­er in Brazil. Fer­nan­do de Noron­ha is made up of vol­canic sub­merged moun­tains, with peaks that pop out of the water to form 21 islands and islets.

This is a trop­i­cal area home to a rich marine life – includ­ing sea tur­tles, hump­back whales, spot­ted dol­phins, and alba­tross­es – and a great des­ti­na­tion for those who pre­fer their beach­es extra pri­vate. Of the many beach­es on the islands, the pro­tect­ed cove of Pra­ia do San­cho is one of the most beau­ti­ful.

Get­ting here requires a walk on a wood­en board­walk, fol­lowed by a steep cliff­side descent down some shaky lad­ders and through some nar­row rock tun­nels.

The work is worth it – at the bot­tom, you’ll find a palm-fringed beach with gold­en sands and the deep­est blue waters.