Fernando de Noronha is a volcanic archipelago about 350 kilometers off Brazil’s northeast coast. It’s named after its largest island, a protected national marine park and ecological sanctuary with a jagged coastline and diverse ecosystems.
The Fernando de Noronha islands are the peaks of an underwater volcanic mountain range. It rises 4,000 feet from the ocean floor, about 300 miles off the state of Pernambuco and the northeast coast of Brazil.
The Fernando de Noronha archipelago is divided into two conservation units, the National Marine Reserve and the Environmental Protected Area, with its own preservation rules for environmental preservation with sustainable development.
Because the reefs of the South Atlantic are isolated from the Caribbean by the outflow of the Orinoco and Amazon rivers, the reef communities are very different from many endemic species.
Why Visit Fernando de Noronha?
The archipelago of Fernando de Noronha contains 21 islands and it is a paradise and was declared a Natural World Heritage Site by Unesco. In order for the nature of the islands to be preserved, the number of visitors is limited. There is a maximum number of 460 visitors allowed on the island. Visitors also pay an Environmental Preservation Tax that increases progressively with the length of the visit.
Travelers can enjoy golden sands, crystal clear waters, and marine life. Some of the most beautiful beaches of Brazil and the world, such as the beaches Praia dos Porcos, Praia dos Leões, and Baía do Sancho. Baía do Sancho has been selected twice as the best beach of the planet by the Traveller’s Choice Awards of TripAdvisor.
Photo credit: Paulo Henrique / Wikipedia
If you are looking for the best place for diving, you can find it at Noronha – you can observe its splendid marine life of corals, dolphins, turtles, and sharks. You may practice scuba diving with certified local instructors. For those you like surfing, the best months are between December and enjoy waves reaching up to 5 meters.
Some of the migrating birds include the black noddy, sooty tern, red-footed booby, and frigatebird.
Here you’ll find the highest concentration of dolphins in the world. More than 99.99% of the dolphins found around the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha belong to the spinner dolphin species, Stenella longirostris, from the Delphinidae Family.
Photo credit: Rosanetur / Flickr
The sunsets on Noronha are magnificent due to the lack of air pollution. One of the best places you can enjoy and relax watching the sunset is Boldro beach.
There are plenty of activities on the island including options of ecological trails, boat tours for observing dolphins, visits to Museu do Tubarão and Parque Nacional Marinho or the Tamar project, which helps to preserve endangered sea turtles.
The number of inhabitants is restricted to around 2000. Most of the population works in the hospitality industry, catering to the visitors of the island, which includes food and accommodation, diving, snorkeling, and other water sports instruction and equipment rental and private transportation.
Slovenia was declared the winner of a World Legacy Award, awarded by National Geographic to companies, organizations or destinations encouraging sustainable tourism.
Half a century ago there were 25 million international tourists. Last year, they were more than one billion tourists exploring the world’s cultural and natural wonders. Keeping that in mind it is important responsible travel to safeguard our planet for future generations. As the United Nations heralds 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, one country rises above the rest: Slovenia.
Slovenia Became Leading Country In Sustainability
The country has made several notable and commendable efforts to promote eco-friendly practices, which deserve praise, including implementing a Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism in 2015.
Blessed with beauteous scenery of nature, no wonder why this country is a famous place for tourists to visit, especially those who love hiking activities. But what this country offer is not only wonderful nature, there’s something else that this country can offer to those tourists: sustainability.
It praised its forests, biotic diversity, well-protected natural and cultural heritage, the Slovenia Green certification scheme and highlighted that it became in 2016 the world’s first country to be declared a green destination.
Slovenia was thus awarded the prestigious title of the world’s first green country and WTM London Global Sport Tourism Impact award. Various rankings placed it among the most attractive and safe countries in the word, and numerous renowned media houses across the globe described it as an interesting tourist destination.
Why Slovenia?
Ljubljana, Bled, Komen, Podcetrtek and Rogaska Slatina have all achieved the highest attainable level
Ljubljana, the first destination to receive the SGD Gold Label, has been featured on the Sustainable Destinations Global Top 100 list since its inception in 2014. The city’s green achievements include the ban of cars in Ljubljana’s historic city center, an increase in the use of electric vehicles, reduction of noise pollution, installation of more public parks, an increase in the use of paper products made out of invasive plant species, and the construction of environmentally friendly buildings.
In size, Slovenia is smaller than many big cities in the world. But size doesn’t matter in the first place to make a country mentioned as the most sustainable one.
About 60% of Slovenia is covered in lush forests. In addition, there are more than 20,000 different animals and plants inhabiting the country’s 40 parks and reserves. Those are incredible numbers owned by a country not bigger than New York.
Sustainable tourism itself has been the main concern for the Slovenian Tourist Board (STO).
Slovenia is becoming known in the international tourism community as a small country which is taking big steps in sustainable tourism.
STO director Maja Pak
The city collected 63% of separated waste and Ljubljana Regional Waste Management Centre is the largest in the country. This waste management center collects and processes a third of Slovenia’s waste and prioritizes separation over incineration. Not only that, the city center is prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists over cars and traffic which once covered the whole city. Only economically accessible city buses, which run on natural gas, are allowed to access the city center. Natural gas is not only used to power the economically accessible buses in the city. About 74% of houses in Ljubljana are heated by natural gas, which is centralized by district heating. It reduces the consumption of fossil fuels which we know contribute the most to global carbon emission. The city also progressively builds more and more green spaces. A data showed that there are more than 500 square meters of public green space per resident in the city, and the number keeps on growing amid the growth of population. Imagine if every city in this world apply it, this world would be a greener planet.
Cape Town is South Africa’s greenest city in Siemens’ African Green City Index. Cape Town’s topography allows the city to introduce new green spaces and its population has driven the rise of farmers’ markets and growth in locally sourced food.
South Africa was colonized by the Dutch in 1652 and then from the British Empire and its independence was granted on May 31, 1961. South Africa has increasingly become an attractive tourist destination due to its varied cultural offerings, eclectic food scene, architecture, and natural beauty.
In this post, we put together the top 10 things to do in the city.
Best Things to do in Cape Town
Cape Town has plenty to offer from its world-class restaurants and golden beaches, colorful historic districts and hipster farmer’s markets to the stunning coastal suburbs of Simonstown, Hout Bay and Fish Hoek await nearby and award-winning vineyards.
The name of the island come from Dutch for “seal island.” Robben Island is a World Heritage Site and museum, offering daily tours. This was a place of isolation for nearly 300 years, housing many political prisoners and serving as both a lunatic asylum and leper colony, one of them was the legendary South African president Nelson Mandela who spent 18 years here during his imprisonment.
The tours are led by former prisoners and include a return ferry ride from the island, a tour of the island and also a visit to some of the old cells.
Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. It is a significant tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or hiking to the top.
The ride on the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway is one you’ll never forget. The journey up the mountain takes about five minutes and the car rotates 360° as it ascends, slowly revealing better and better views as you approach the summit.
The Cableway operates from 8:30am until 5:30pm in winter and closes later in summer
You can gain free entry to Table Mountain Aerial Cableway with Cape Town City Pass. The pass also gets you free entry or amazing discounts on over 70 other Cape Town attractions!
Here’s a selection of tours to Table Mountain – both hikes and cable car; a mix of the two, or a proper adventure:
Boulders Beach is located in the Cape Peninsula, near Simon’s Town towards Cape Point, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Cape Town has many beautiful beaches, but Boulders Beach offers up something the others don’t – a large colony of African penguins!
These African penguins are only found on the coastlines of Southern Africa – South Africa & Namibia. They are adapted to live in a warmer climate and you can see these little birds up close at Boulders Beach. It is located approximately one hour’s drive south of the city center. At the beach, an observation platform gives you the option to observe the penguins. There is a small conservation fee, which goes towards ensuring the future of this sadly endangered species.
Here’s a selection of the best tours that go to Boulders Beach:
If you want to explore outside the city borders Cape Winelands is one of your choices. It spreads out around the famous wine-making regions of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek. Here you’ll find some of the world’s finest vintages.
Groot Constantia has been producing wine of outstanding quality uninterruptedly since 1685 with its award-winning wines still celebrated around the world today. The Simon’s and Jonkershuis restaurants at Groot Constantia offer visitors al fresco dining expertly paired with the estate’s award-winning wines.
If you have limited time then one of the best ways to see several different wineries is to book a tour on the Franschhoek Wine Tram. You can enjoy wine tasting, go for a tour of the cellars or a gourmet meal in a local farm restaurant with breathtaking views. Another wineries that you could add to your list are the iconic vineyard Spier Wine Farm.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens is an oasis in Cape Town’s city center. Nestled beneath Table Mountain, this botanical garden is one of the most famous places to visit in Cape Town, this garden is one of the most beautiful in Africa. It is the first botanical garden in the world to be declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.
It offers many fantastic places to have a picnic. It also hosts concerts between November and April every Sunday, art exhibitions and more.
Locally growth produced is boost also by the restaurants who offer fresh, local ingredients. The South African capital has a unique multi-cultural heritage that inspired culinary scene influences. The wineries themselves often house some of the region’s best restaurants. It has some pretty amazing restaurants, some of whom have earned internatonal awards.
V&A Waterfront Food Hall is one of the best places to eat in town.
Cape Town’s coolest restaurant strip is Bree Street in the Central Business District.
Bo-Kaap is known for its brightly coloured homes and cobble stoned streets. The area is traditionally a multicultural neighbourhood with immigrants from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia, and most of its population is Muslim.
Translated from Afrikaans, Bo Kaap means ‘Above the Cape’ and it has a long history dated back to the 1760s. It is a former township, situated on the slopes of Signal Hill above the city center and is a historical center of Cape Malay culture in Cape Town.
The area is filled with history, visit the museum for a glimpse of the past and find out about the architectural heritage.
Camps Bay
Camps Bay is considered Cape Town’s most beauteous living. It’s also known for its white sands and dolphin sightings, natural rock swimming pool and views of the Twelve Apostles mountains. Just a walk from the beach where you can find many trendy restaurants and cafes, cozy accommodation.
Nearby you’ll find also the Promenade Mall boutiques selling fashion and beachwear and the intimate Theatre on the Bay performing drama, musicals, and comedy.
Photo credit: Stockvault
Walk Around the Beaches
Cape Town is home to some of the most picture-perfect beaches in the world, each with its own unique advantages.
The beaches along the False Bay coastline boast warm water and good swimming conditions when the Atlantic coast beaches have much colder water with a brilliant shade of turquoise.
Zeitz Museum offers the largest collection of contemporary African art on the continent features works from all over the diaspora. You can check out the Afro-futurist goggles by Cyrus Kabiru, anti-patriarchal needlework by Ghada Amer, oil portrait by Kehinde Wiley, and cowhide sculptures by Nandipha Mntambo.
The museum located at the V&A Waterfront opened on September 22, 2017.
Responsible Tourism is a unique approach to the management of tourism, which aims to maximize the benefits of the destination for both tourists and locals.
Want to learn more about South Africa? Check our other posts.
Main photo credit: Pe_Wu / Wikipedia
