Backpack packed and I'm ready to get on the move again but this time to a place that can really be justified as paradise. Fernando de Noronha or what I like to refer to it as "The Isle of Fernandos" is an hour's flight from Natal in an easterly direction so really is in the middle of the ocean and secluded. Only 700 people per day can visit the island, which is a national park, turtle sanctuary with staunchly protected marine life. The government, to protect the island, limit everything...vehicles, building work, number of tourists to visit certain beaches per day and boat trips are limited to certain areas to avoid protected marine live and coral reefs. Sounds expensive right? Well it is, I paid about R1200 which is approx £500, this included return flights, 2 nights' accommodation, breakfast, a island tour & a boat tour, all packaged up nicely with an itinerary. I brought the package deal at the previous hostel in Ponta Negra which was Lua Cheia.

The plane to the island was pretty small and full of more wealthy Brazilians rather than your normal backpacking crowd, I guess the price puts most backpackers off. On the plane, everyone was very happy, there was a sense of excitement on board, everyone was taking pictures of what was built up to be the ultimate paradise island as we neared it for landing.

Oh my god, I have just arrived on Jurassic Park. To enter the island you have to pay an extra 40 reais per day in environmental tax or something...fair enough I have already paid a lot to get here...no point in scrimping and saving now, I'll have plenty of time to do that in and around the Amazon!

Checked-in to Pousada de Ro, this was a small bungalow where the owner's family live and rent out the remaining rooms. The pousada was small and cosy but the beds where far from cosy, they were not the kind of beds you can slump into...they were hard with what cannot be classed as a mattress! I wouldn't change it though...lovely place and very welcoming.

That late afternoon the first trip was organised, it was a tour of the main fort that protected the island from intruders in the 19th century. Our guide Kevele was great, he arrived on the island when he was a kid and has lived there ever since. These days no one can just move and live on the island, the only new inhabitants have to be born there. The workers are allowed to live there so long as they are in work, if they lose their job they have to leave the island immediately and crime is also a banishment from the island - it's great because everyone is soooooo happy and friendly and theft etc are nonexistent here. During the tour, we met lots of well educated Brazilians who were eager to brush up on their English by talking to us constantly and helping with the guide's translation into English, it made me feel very welcome. The tour ended with watching the sunset at a known tourist viewpoint, as we made friends with the guide Kevele he took us to where the locals watch the sunset, which was a short rock climb and trek through the jungle but was totally worth it. Then back to the tourist viewpoint where we drunk Skol and fed the circling birds above that swopped down to eat small fishes off a stick we held in the air for them. That evening we had a few beers in a small outside bar then went to another bigger bar later on in the evening to sample forro music for the first time.

Got up and ready early, about 7am, hired a beach buggy and drove around the island exploring. There was only one tarmac'ed road which went down the middle of the island and all roads off of this main road were dirt tracks. I started off at the viewpoint over looking Sanchos Bay, and then went to the remarkable view at Porcos Bay viewpoint, then finally to Golfinhas Bay viewpoint...this trek didn't take longer than an hour. As I was so early, the morning tourist groups hadn't arrived yet, so I was the first one on Sanchos beach. To get to this beach I had to climb down a ladder which took you in-between the cliff face and then it was a short walk sideways through a cave then finally another ladder down to the beach. I chilled out and snorkelled here for a bit and saw some brightly coloured fish, then jumped back into the buggy and drove myself to the Sueste Bay, which is known for sharks and turtles.

I arrive on Sueste beach preying I would see a turtle as for me, swimming with dolphins and turtles are what paradise is all about. I step into the shallow reef lined waters and within about 5 seconds a small, what I believe to be, reef shark swim directly passed me...way too quick for a picture. On my first snorkel, which lasted about 30 minutes, other than that brief encounter with a small shark - I only encountered fish, it was nice but not really what I had come to see. The second snorkel attempt I was determined to see a turtle and I spoke to a few of the other snorkelers who pointed me in the right direction to where I might see them - so off I swim. After a long time searching, I managed to spot a giant turtle feeding on the bottom of the reef...I was so relieved as it's what I came to see. So I spend the next 15 minutes or so just watching it eat and swimming with it as the tide took us both. I was so close, half an arm's length and I could have touched him.

Later that afternoon I booked myself in for a dive. It was a beginner single dive which lasted about 15 minutes or so underwater. I managed to equalise my ears really good this time so I enjoyed the experience so much more than previous dives I have done. I found out after the dive that I reached depths of 13metres, down there I saw a rather large barracuda, a small octopus and plenty of brightly coloured fish - Lee did the same dive in the morning and saw dolphins, reef sharks and a huge stingray with the sting about half a metre long!!

After the dive, I met up with Lee and Kevele to do more snorkelling in Sueste bay; we saw a 2-3metre lemon shark and another 3 turtles, a pretty good day so far! As we joined up with the guide Kevele again, he took us to another viewpoint for great sunset pictures, again drink Skol and chilled. Befriending Kevele the guide allowed us to get more out of the trip on the island, seeing places that only the locals know about, so we treated him to a meal that evening to say thanks.

For the final day we were booked into a boat cruise around the island. We saw plenty of dolphins that were following the boat and showing off by jumping out of the ocean spinning, we also saw a baby dolphin. During the boat trip we stopped off and did one final bit of snorkelling which was good because we saw a stingray on the bottom of the ocean, a fitting finish to what has been an absolutely amazing few days. Checked out of Pousada Ro as a smoking hot Swiss girl checked-in, how's your luck!! Anyway Fernando de Noronha paradise done, now leaving for a 20 hour journey to Jericoacoara.