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Although They May Seem Tropical Paradises, the Island of Queimada Grande and the Southeast Beach Are Brazilian Areas of Restricted Access, Protected for Housing Rare Species, Venomous Snakes, and Sharks in Breeding
Not every paradisiacal scenario can be freely explored in Brazil because some islands and beaches house fragile ecosystems or are too dangerous for tourists. Among the most restricted locations in the country are the Island of Queimada Grande in São Paulo and the Southeast Beach in Fernando de Noronha. Both combine natural beauty and risk, requiring strict access control.
Island of Queimada Grande: Territory Dominated by Venomous Snakes
The Island of Queimada Grande, popularly known as Snake Island, is located approximately 36 kilometers from the São Paulo coast.
The seemingly paradisiacal scenery conceals a real danger: the place houses one of the highest concentrations of snakes on the planet.
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It is estimated that there are up to five snakes per square meter, mostly of the jararaca-ilhoa (Bothrops insularis) species, considered one of the most venomous in the world. For this reason, visitation is completely forbidden.
Only researchers and Navy personnel can enter the island, and this occurs under strict security rules.
The restriction serves to protect both people and the snakes, which live exclusively in this territory and are endangered.
Southeast Beach: Natural Nursery for Sharks in Noronha
In Fernando de Noronha, access to Southeast Beach is also prohibited to the public. However, in this case, the reason is environmental.
The site is a strategic point for the reproduction and feeding of sharks, constantly monitored by conservation teams.
For this reason, tourism has been suspended. Only researchers, with authorization from the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), can frequent the area.
This limitation seeks to prevent accidents and ensure the balance of the ecosystem.
Protected Islands: Nature That Must Remain Untouched
These locations demonstrate that not every stunning landscape is ready for tourism. Some areas need to remain protected, either to preserve rare species or to ensure human safety in the face of the power and mysteries of nature.
With information from O Tempo.
You May Also Like: The Most Isolated People on the Planet Live on Sentinel Island: Natives Attack Any Intruder and Reject Human Contact for Centuries — How They Live?
Image: Reproduction/Survival International
This year, a 24-year-old American was arrested in India after invading North Sentinel Island, one of the most restricted and mysterious regions on the planet. Identified as Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, he allegedly landed with only a coconut and a can of Diet Coca-Cola in an attempt to approach the local residents — considered the most isolated people in the world.
The action, according to Indian authorities, violates laws that prohibit any contact with the island’s inhabitants.
One of the Most Isolated Societies on Earth
North Sentinel Island belongs to the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago in the Indian Ocean, under Indian jurisdiction.
The group consists of 572 small islands, only a few of which are inhabited. Among them is Sentinel, located about 88 kilometers from the port of Port Blair and less than two hours by boat from Wandoor.
Covering just over 59 square kilometers, the island is protected by specific legislation — the Protection of Aboriginal Villages Regulation of 1956 — which prohibits any approach within 9.26 kilometers (5 nautical miles) of the coast.
The goal is to preserve the culture and health of the group, avoiding the entry of diseases and external interference.
The Indian Coast Guard and a team from the regional administration monitor the area permanently.
The control is strict because, in addition to protecting the indigenous people, it prevents illegal hunting, clandestine tourism, and the exploitation of natural resources, practices that could destroy the fragile environmental balance of the island.
A People Who Live on the Margins of the Modern World
The local inhabitants, known as “sentineleses”, form a small community, estimated to consist of around 200 people.
Little is known about their language, customs, and traditions, as any attempts at contact are met with hostility and resistance.
According to the research “Sentineleses Contacts: Anthropologically Revisiting the Most Reclusive Masters of the Unknown Land North Sentinel Island”, published in the journal Nature in November 2024, the term sentinelese is not used by the inhabitants themselves but was created by researchers based on the island’s name.
The study points out that this group is the most reclusive and self-sufficient on the planet. They depend entirely on nature for food and shelter, using simple tools similar to those from the Stone Age, such as bows, metal arrows, and adzes — wooden instruments with a steel blade used for carving logs.
Researches and Reports of Dangerous Encounters
Over the past decades, the Indian government and researchers have attempted to establish contact with the group, almost always without success.
The first recorded approach occurred in March 1970, when a team of scientists left fish, coconuts, and bananas on the beach.
In response, about 20 individuals appeared armed and threatened to shoot arrows, forcing the immediate withdrawal of the visitors.
More recently, in late 2022, three fishermen who accidentally approached the island disappeared.
According to the study, their boat was seen stranded on the coast, and near it, a structure resembling a flag was spotted.
Researchers believe it may have been a distress signal or an improvised burial site, but the case remains officially unresolved.
Experts highlight that the sentineleses live in small groups, ranging from three to eighteen people, constantly moving to hunt, fish, and protect their territory.
Their homes are simple palm leaf shelters supported by four wooden stakes.
Isolation of Sentinel Island as a Form of Survival
The prohibition of approach is not just a cultural measure but also sanitary. Since they have never had direct contact with the outside world, the sentineleses lack immunity to common diseases, making any interaction potentially lethal.
The isolation is also essential to maintain their ancestral way of life. The island is covered by dense tropical forest, with an abundance of fish, fruits, and wildlife, ensuring food autonomy for the group.
According to the study published in Nature, “the inhabitants of North Sentinel Island, equipped with their indigenous knowledge system shaped by the environment, may be superior to any scientific machinery developed by modern technology”.
This view emphasizes that the value of this people lies not only in their mystery but also in the ecological wisdom accumulated over centuries of direct coexistence with nature — something that contrasts with the technological dependence of the modern world.
A Boundary That the World Has Learned to Respect
North Sentinel Island is now a symbol of cultural resistance and a reminder of the limits of human intervention.
India, by strictly protecting the site, recognizes that some boundaries must remain untouched.
The recent case of Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov reinforces this discussion. Although he entered with seemingly peaceful intentions, he violated one of the most restricted zones on the planet, putting himself and an entire civilization that has survived without external contact for millennia at risk.
For this reason, the island continues to be viewed as a world apart, where time seems to have stopped — and where human curiosity, if not contained, could mean the end of one of the last truly free societies on the planet.
With information from UOL.
Porque os militares tem acesso à ilha. Lá existem guias para serem pintadas?
O que a nação toda sabe é só para isso que eles servem