The Northeast tip of South America - Natal
Natal is a major tourist destination and it is Brazil's closest city to Africa and Europe. Natal was one of the host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup (the USA played Ghana here). Do not miss Ponta Negra Beach, famous for the Morro do Careca (large sand dune). Take a buggy day trip to the Genipabu Dunes to find the Aero Bunda at Lagoa de Jacuma. Natal is the capital of the state Rio Grande do Norte in northeastern Brazil.
How to get to Natal
Natal has an average temperature of 24-31 C (75-87 F). The dry season is September to January and March to July experience the most rain. Natal is known by two nicknames, "City of the Sun" and "City of the Dunes".
Beaches in Natal
Ponta Negra beach is the location of the spectacularly high sand dune, Morro do Careca. It extends into the air 120 meters (390 feet). This is one of the most popular beaches in Natal and the beach gets more crowded as you walk closer to the dune. This is a popular surfing beach. There are plenty of bars and restaurants that line the beach boardwalk as well as barracas that set up umbrellas and chairs in the sand and serve food and drinks. Here you can also find plenty of beach vendors making fresh fruit drinks, selling trinkets, braiding hair, etc. It is a lively scene at this beach from sunrise to sunset.
Pro Tip: Walk to the Morro do Careca and then continue walking along the rocks. The beach becomes private and you can find beautiful rock formations! The water is perfect for swimming here as well.
Bring sandals if your feet are sensitive. Some of the rocks can be hot from the sun. Pay attention to the tides or else you may have to swim back to the main beach.
Praia dos Artistas is located north of Ponta Negra and it is closer to the city center of Natal. Some claim that you can see dolphins here if you watch closely. Be careful of the rocks close to the shore.
Praia do Forte is a beach where you can also find the Fortaleza dos Reis Magos. In addition to the fort you can also find an ecological reserve with endangered turtles, natural pools for swimming and a white sand beach.
Genipabu Dunes
The Genipabu Dunes are 12 km north of Natal in an environmental protection area, so you must use an authorized guide to enter the park. Guided tours can be found in Ponta Negra on Av. Engenheiro Roberto Freire across from the Yak Beach Hotel (close to Rua Pastor Rodolfo Beuttenmuller).
Pro Tip: The most popular and exciting way to explore the dunes is on the dune buggy. The rides are offered in two ways, com emoção (with emotion: a thrill ride) or set emoção (without emotion:a calm ride). We chose the Buggy Litoral Norte tour com emoção and it was definitely a thrill ride - highly recommend this! You can choose private ($250 RS total) or shared ($70 RS per person). Read below for all of the stops on the tour.
Camel (or dromedary) rides were popular for many years but now they are not widely offered. The camels were brought to Natal from Africa in 2000 and now they are domestically bred.
Praia Redinha Nova is the first stop on the the buggy tour. The buggy picks you up at your hotel and then drives along the coastal highway to pass Praia dos Artistas and Praia do Forte. Next, you drive over the Ponte Newton Navarro Bridge and head to the sand. The driver speeds down the Praia Redinha Nova sand for miles. This beach is empty except for a few other buggies that take the same route.
Praia de Genipabu is where you enter the dunes. The driver will detour through a small town with dirt roads to head inland to the Lagoa de Genipabu. This is a popular picture spot for tourists. After this the driver will drive you through some of the initial dunes. This is where you start to understand what "com emoção" means. The driver speeds up the dunes and then flies down and does donuts. After this, you head back to the beach to drive along Praia de Genipabu to head north.
Praia Barra do Rio is the third stop on the buggy tour. Here you will take a small ferry across the river. The ferries are manually operated by men with large sticks. You can ask to try and they will allow you to help out.
Lagoa do Pitangui is the next stop. The Lagoa has a restaurant and bar with chairs in the water and plenty of places to take pictures. There is a small tirolesa (zip line) here but it was not operating when we arrived. Many families come to spend the day here and play in the lake with the stand up paddle boards and swan paddle boats as well as the volleyball/foot volley court.
Praia do Pitangui is the next drive along the beach. The beach is empty again other than a few additional buggy tours. We cut into another small town and then drove through more dunes with emotion.
Parque Aquático Aerobunda, Kamikaze E Skibunda Praia do Pitangui is a water park at the top of a dune that has a large lake at the bottom. This is a popular activity called aerobunda/esquibunda. There are a few different variations to choose from: sled board (sitting down with hands on the sand), boogie board (lay down on the board), or tirolesa (zip line). The boogie board goes the fastest. Lots of laughs at this place. There is also a separate water park for younger children.
Praia Jacumã is the seventh and final stop of the day. We drove to Restaurante Alho e Óleo where they have a $60 RS all you can eat buffet. You can order off the menu if you prefer. The restaurant also has tables in the sand on the beach. The schedule allows you to stay here for 2.5 hours so you can eat and swim in the ocean.
Check out my other posts for more destinations...
Pipa Beach
next post is FORTALEZA out on 8/5/2021!
Where to stay
Ponta Negra - for those that want fun beach vibes and a party atmosphere this is the place to stay. We stayed at Natal Prime - Porto Imperial Airbnb a few blocks away from the beach. Beautiful views of the sand dune Morro do Careca, fast and reliable WiFi, safe area to walk, 24-hour reception, pool and many restaurants and stores in the area.
Praia Barra do Rio - if you are looking for a laid back accommodation with ocean views and a pool this is the place for you. The rooms are clean with beautiful views.
Natal - High end hotels: Hotel Senac Barreira Roxa, VILA DO MAR Natal, Ocean Palace Beach Resort and Bungalows, Aquaria Natal Hotel
There are many beautiful Airbnbs, hotels and pousadas. Most have reliable WiFi for video calls. I can help pick the right option, specific to your style.
I recommend 4 days to explore Natal and the surrounding beaches.
Where to eat
The boardwalk! Quentinhas (pictured on the left) for $20-30 RS
Food truck parks on Av. Engenheiro Roberto Freire across from the Yak Beach Hotel. Options include: burgers, crepes, pasta, pizza, churrasco, tapioca, etc.
Camarões - famous in the area, specializing in shrimp
Ô Bar Restaurante - the crowd is young and trendy
Açaí Empório Ponta Negra - build your own açaí bowl
Olga Pão de Queijo Ponta Negra - self-serve buffet
Where to exercise
Av. Praia de Ponta Negra, 9067 - covered, open air gym that has good equipment, a CrossFit section, a spin class area and supplements store, $20 RS day pass
Beach gym - located on the Ponta Negra beach boardwalk close to Quiosque 2 - K2 you can find pull-up bars, dumbbells, barbells and other beach weight lifting equipment, FREE!
Ponta Negra Fitness Academy - indoor gym with new equipment, $20 RS day pass
SmartFit - many locations located throughout Natal, $25 RS day pass
CROSSFit - many box locations throughout Natal, prices vary
How to get to Natal
Car
João Pessoa to Natal - You are able to rent a car and drive approximately 2.5 hours
Fortaleza to Natal - You are able to rent a car and drive approximately 7-8 hours
Bus
João Pessoa to Natal - Progresso operates buses and the journey is 3 hours and it costs $40-50 RS.
Fortaleza to Natal - Guanabara operates buses and the journey is 8-9 hours and it costs $100-150 RS. There is the option to buy fully flat seats (leite cama) or semi recline seats (semi cama). If you prefer lay down seats I recommend buying at least 1 week in advance and these are slightly more expensive tickets.
Air
Fly to Natal International Airport - it is a very popular destination for all airlines in Brazil.
Buggy or Jeep 4x4
This is an option not for the faint of heart. If you decide to choose this option you must have a group of people or you will bear the full cost on your own.
Fortaleza to Natal or Natal to Fortaleza - 750 km along the shore traveling for 3-5 days and passing 92 beaches along the way. This costs $2800-4000 RS for up to 3 passengers. Some packages include lodging, breakfast and driver. Contact me for help booking this trip.
Map of all places listed
Natal Album
Drone shots by Jon Brierley
@jbfilminit
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