Baía do Sancho: The Complete Guide to the Beach Voted the World's Most
By Danilo Dire · Updated September 27, 2026 · 9 min
Baía do Sancho is one of the most award-winning beaches in the world, inside the Parque Nacional Marinho de Fernando de Noronha. This guide covers how to get there (on foot via the staircase or by boat), access hours, the mandatory ICMBio ticket, the seasonal waterfall that forms during the rainy season, tips for traveling with children, and your chances of spotting spinner dolphins nearby.
Baía do Sancho is a beach inside the Parque Nacional Marinho de Fernando de Noronha (PE, Brazil), reachable on foot via a staircase carved into the rock or by boat, and it's considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: TripAdvisor has voted Sancho Beach "Best of the Best" in the Travelers' Choice awards 7 times — in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2024, and 2025 — more than any other Brazilian beach in that ranking. In 2026, Baía do Sancho also ranks 33rd on the international World's 50 Best Beaches list and 4th on the Global Beach Ranking published by Hellotickets in partnership with the American magazine Luxury Web Magazine.
Surrounded by tall cliffs, the bay has fine white sand and crystal-clear turquoise-blue water, ideal for snorkeling on calm-sea days.
If you're planning your trip to Fernando de Noronha, this guide covers everything you need to know about Sancho Beach: how to get there (on foot or by boat), opening hours, the mandatory park ticket, the seasonal waterfall that forms during the rainy season, and practical tips for traveling with young children.
How to get to Baía do Sancho
There are two ways to reach the beach — each a very different experience.
Via the staircase (on foot)
The traditional access route is a roughly 320-meter trail inside the park, followed by a staircase of 208 steps built into the rock, running through a crevice between the cliffs. At the top, there's an accessible wooden boardwalk — even if you don't want to or can't go down the steps, you can already see much of the view from there.
Before starting the descent, it's well worth continuing along the boardwalk to the Mirante do Sancho: from there you can see both Baía dos Porcos and Morro Dois Irmãos, two of the island's most photographed postcard views, from an angle many visitors don't even know exists.
If you're traveling with young children, the most practical option is usually a baby carrier for the way down and back up — the steps themselves are easy to navigate, but there are a lot of them, and having your hands free makes it much easier.
By boat
For those who prefer arriving by sea (or simply want to skip the staircase on the way back), Baía do Sancho is also a stop on two EmNoronha tours:
- Barco Tradicional (R$280/person on the schooner or R$350/person on the catamaran) — departs in the morning, stops at Baía do Sancho for about 40 minutes of free snorkeling, and also passes by Baía dos Porcos, Baía dos Golfinhos, and Ponta da Sapata. A great option if you want to see more beaches for less.
- Lancha Privativa Baía do Sancho — Premium version (R$6,200 for 2 people) or Classic version (R$4,950 for 2 people), both +R$300 per additional person. Departs from Porto de Santo Antônio in the morning (8:30 AM to 12:30 PM) or afternoon (2:30 PM until sunset), with an exclusive route and a 30–40 minute snorkeling stop just for your group — no sharing the schedule with other boats.
Guests on the Ilha Tour also visit Sancho Beach depending on the day's route, since it doesn't follow a fixed order of stops.
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Sancho Beach opening hours
There are two things here that tend to confuse visitors:
Sancho Complex hours: the Information and Control Post (PIC) at Sancho, which provides access to the area's trails, operates from 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM.
Staircase access hours: since the staircase is narrow and used in both directions, ICMBio controls the flow in time blocks, alternating between descent and ascent:
Time
Direction allowed
8:00 – 8:50 AM
Open (descent and ascent)
9:00 – 10:20 AM
Descent only
10:30 – 11:20 AM
Ascent only
11:30 AM – 12:20 PM
Descent only
12:30 – 1:20 PM
Ascent only
1:30 – 2:20 PM
Descent only
2:30 – 3:20 PM
Ascent only
3:30 – 4:20 PM
Descent only
4:30 – 5:20 PM
Open (descent and ascent)
5:30 – 6:00 PM
Ascent only
It's worth planning your descent (or ascent) within these windows — arriving outside the allowed time for a given direction means waiting for the next window.
The Sancho waterfall: a seasonal phenomenon (currently off-limits)
Here's something few people know: during the island's rainiest period (usually between March and June), a temporary waterfall forms down the cliffs in the Sancho area — a very different sight from what you'll see the rest of the year.
Important note: due to geological risk (falling rocks and cliff landslides), ICMBio has closed access to this specific area since 2024, with active enforcement and fines for anyone who ignores the closure. So this is an interesting fact about the island, but not a tour you can currently do — worth knowing about, without approaching the restricted area.
Ticket and mandatory fees
To visit areas of the Parque Nacional Marinho de Fernando de Noronha, including Baía do Sancho, you need the ICMBio ticket: R$192 for Brazilians and R$384 for foreign visitors, valid for 10 consecutive days. You can buy it directly, in advance, at tickets.parnanoronha.com.br — it's worth doing this before you arrive, so you don't waste time on the island.
This ticket is separate from the TPA (Environmental Preservation Tax), charged by the municipality and paid by every tourist who lands on the island. We explain both fees in detail in our Fernando de Noronha fees guide.
Best time to visit Sancho Beach
August, September, and October are the best months of the year on the island — calmer seas, no swell, ideal for great-visibility snorkeling at Baía do Sancho. From November to March is wave season on the island: the sea gets rougher, which can affect the experience at Baía do Sancho both on land (the swell stirs up sand from the bottom and reduces water visibility) and by boat (a bit more rocking on the crossing, and lower visibility for snorkeling too). After March, the rainy season starts — and it's exactly during this period (March to June) that the seasonal waterfall mentioned above can appear.
Combine it with other tours
To make the most of your day, Sancho pairs well with:
- Barco Tradicional or Lancha Privativa, if you want to see the bay from the sea;
- Ilha Tour Coletivo or Ilha Tour Privativo, which already include Sancho as part of a bigger island route;
- A morning tour departing from Porto de Santo Antônio, if you'd like to catch the spinner dolphins, which usually show up there early in the morning.
Frequently asked questions about Baía do Sancho
Do you have to pay to enter Baía do Sancho?
Yes. Besides the TPA (municipal fee charged to every tourist), you need the Parque Nacional Marinho (ICMBio) ticket — R$192 for Brazilians and R$384 for foreign visitors, valid for 10 days.
Is Baía do Sancho really the most beautiful beach in the world?
TripAdvisor has voted Sancho "Best of the Best" in the Travelers' Choice awards 7 times (2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2024, and 2025) — more than any other beach in Brazil. In 2026, it also ranks among the world's 50 best beaches on the World's 50 Best Beaches list and 4th on Hellotickets' Global Beach Ranking.
What's the difference between Baía do Sancho and Baía dos Porcos?
They're two neighboring bays within the same stretch of the Parque Nacional Marinho. Baía do Sancho is the more famous and award-winning of the two, reached by staircase or boat with a snorkeling stop; Baía dos Porcos is smaller and closer to the trail leading to Sancho — many tours (such as the Barco Tradicional and Ilha Tour) visit both beaches on the same day.
Can you get there on foot, without a boat tour?
Yes, via the access trail and staircase, which operates on alternating descent and ascent schedules (see the table above). Along the way, it's worth stopping at the Mirante do Sancho, with its view of Baía dos Porcos and Morro Dois Irmãos.
Is the staircase wheelchair accessible?
At the top, there's an accessible wooden boardwalk, from which you can already see much of the view, even without going down the 208 steps to the beach.
Can I bring my young child down the staircase?
Yes, you can — the steps are easy to navigate, but there are a lot of them: for young children, it's usually most practical to use a baby carrier, leaving your hands free on the way down and back up.
Is it true there's a waterfall at Sancho?
Yes — during the rainiest period (March to June), a temporary waterfall forms on the area's cliffs. Today, however, access to that specific area is closed off by ICMBio due to the risk of falling rocks.
What's the best way to visit Baía do Sancho?
It's best to visit with a guide, who knows the staircase schedule, the day's sea conditions, and the best spots for photos — whether by trail or by boat.