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| Reviews and photos of Natal attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Natal sightseeing. Natal Map |
 | Natal Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 78 |  |
This is certainly the most famous tourist spot in Natal.
The village of Ponta Negra is a few square kilometers large. It used to be home for fishers and other working people; around early 1990's, the tourism businesses began to take ove the area; a few years ago, foreigner investors (notably Italians, Portuguese and other Europeans) started to pour money into the area, and tourism oriented businesses flourished.
Today, there are men at work all around the village. Medium and small hotels and flats are being built everywhere (there is no free space for bigger hotels). Houses are being refurbished and adapted to become restaurants, shops, etc. There are few slots of real estate left (naturally, prices are rising).
However, if the hotels and flats are spread all over, most of the fun happens at the beach strip.
Ponta Negra beach is about 4 km long. In the south end is Morro do Careca, the most famous landmark of Natal. Walking northwards, one first sees about 2km of av. Erivan Franca, crowded with bars, restaurants, hotels, party houses, small shopping galleries, etc; then, the avenue ends, and the next 2km have just a walk way, lined with small hotels and some small snack barrows.
It's not hard to see why this is the hot spot in Natal.
Morro do Careca is a combination of sea, mountain, dunes and green. Climbing the hill is forbidden, but many people don't care; the gay guides repeatedly mention the lateral trails of the hill as a good meeting point. The avenue sideways is where most fun happens. That stretch is always crowded with tourists, both Brazilian and foreigners. It's not luxurious or posh, but it's cosy and clean. The sun is almost always shining, but it's always accompanied by a refresing wind. It's always busy with people of all walks of life, but everybody respects each other. Leave a Comment
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The Praia do Meio area is in the northern part of Natal; there are several beaches, with undefined boundaries: Praia do Forte (around the fortress), Praia do Meio, Praia dos Artistas (around Chaplin) and Areia Preta.
There is a tourist office at Praia dos Artistas, close to Chaplin; also, right beside, a 24/7 Banco do Brasil ATM.
Until about ten years ago, this was the busiest area in Natal; the today closed Hotel dos Reis Magos was famous for the parties which congregated the high society of Natal.
Today, the place is decadent; the city government has been trying to revitalize the area (the pavement was refurbished, a communitary sports court was built), but results are still incipient. The beaches are frequented mostly by locals who live around the area.
Don't walk very far towards the fortress by night. Even though very diminished from recent years, street prostitution still exists, both on main avenue and lateral streets.
The beaches are lined by reefs; when the tide lowers, water pools are formed, good for children. During the high tides, the waves here and bigger than in Ponta Negra, making Praia dos Artistas a favourite place for surfers.
Hotels along the beach avenue are cheaper than in Ponta Negra. Quality and prices vary much, but you can certainly find comfortable places here.
Praia do Meio and Ponta Negra are about 12 km apart. Leave a Comment
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The cleanest urban beaches in Natal
Via Costeira is the 10 km highway which goes from Praia dos Artistas to Ponta Negra. There are about ten high category hotels on one side, and a nature reserve Parque das Dunas,on the other.
Differently from Ponta Negra and Praia do Meio, there is no sewage running on the sand; also, because few people (basically, only the guests of the hotels) go to these beaches, very little garbage is thrown out, and the hotel staff cleans it often.
If you are staying at one of the Via Costeira hotels, then going to these beaches is just a natural option.
However, even if you are not a guest, you can use part of the structure of the hotels to enjoy the beaches. Always remember this: the beach is public property, whereas the hotel is private property; the hotel can't stop anyone from going to the beach; the hotels could prevent you from using their premises, but it is not to their benefit to do so. Usually, you can leave your car at the parking loot; use the restaurants for water/drinks or to have a full meal; use the external showers to wash the salt. Leave a Comment
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One week of carnival is not enough for many Brazilians.
Almost every big city tries to capitalize on that fact and organize an off-season carnival. Fortaleza has Fortal, Recife has Recifolia, Brasilia (a city famous not just for not having carnival, but also for not having any other means of having fun) has Candango; Natal has Carnatal.
Carnatal takes place sometime in early November. It has happened in the streets around Machadao (traffic around the stadium changes radically during Carnatal days), but every year a discussion arises about the convenience of moving the party somewhere else (people who live around that area claim they pay too much tax and are unhappy with all the noise that Carnatal makes).
While in Rio it's difficult (though possible) for foreigners to participate directly of the parades (most tourists just watch alegories passing by), in Carnatal participation is the norm.
There are several "blocos", which consistly basicly of a famous band playing music very loudly on the top of a big adapted truck; the truck moves slowly along the streets, and the members of the block are allowed to follow it, singing, dancing and enjoying themselves (plenty of drinking, flerting, hugging, kissing). A membership costs around R$100, and you are identified by a characteristic t-shirt, called abada; only people wearing abadas can follow the block.
You can also just watch the blocks; either you pay a small fee to be allowed in the cabines mounted around the Carnatal streets, or just wander around for free. Leave a Comment
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Parque das Dunas is a legally protected enviroment which occupies an area of 1,172 hectares (1 hectare = 10,000 square meters) in the urban area of Natal; it's the area you see when you drive along Via Costeira; actually, you can see the Parque from almost everywhere in southern Natal.
By visiting the park, one can learn much about the geological formation of dunes and the wild life of Brazilian forests Leave a Comment
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The Center of tourism had functioned as a House of Detention until the decade of 60. It was inaugurated in 1976 and is located on the top of a hill with a privileged sight of some urban beaches in Natal and part of the city. Besides providing touristic information, it has many little stores installed in what was once the prison cells, and filled with the most varied craftsmanship (carnauba fiber, sisal, ceramics, embroiderings, typical products and foods...), an art gallery, an antiquary, a night club and a restaurant. Leave a Comment
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The fortress was built in 1,598, using wood, stones, sand and whale oil; it was the first bulding in Natal. The designer, Gaspar de Samperes, adopted the conventional design for a maritime fortress: a five corners stars.
In 12th December 1,633, the fortress was taken over by the Dutch, who stayed until January of 1,654, when the Portuguese, helped by the indians, regained the place. Leave a Comment Directions: Directions: Praia do Forte
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Genipabu has long been the favorite of the local Brazilians, and gained real fame when the soap opera 'Tieta' concluded its story in this beautiful beach. Only 30 km from Natal and the airport, this is a convenient, yet secluded, location to enjoy your vacation. Famous for its dunes, this is one of the most developed beach resort areas on the coast. Leave a Comment
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Museum of natural science and anthropoly, maintained by the Federal University.
Diversified expositions: fossils found in the region; scheletons of several animals: whale, elephant, lion, etc; artwork from indians and afro-brazilians; pieces of historic relevance. Leave a Comment Address: Av. Hermes da Fonseca, 1398 TirolPhone: 215-4192
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Buggy Drive at the dunes is a great fun for one day. Hire a buggydriver and load up to 3-4 persons into a buggy and have day that you will remember.
While driving with "motion" at sand-dunes you will be natures own made rollercoster and you will come to one of these places where you can jump into one of these aerial cableways from the top of the dune, all the way down to a sweet water lake - SPLASH.
There will be waiting a "boat" on which you climb or you can swim back to the shore.
From here there will be waiting a carriage on rails. WV Beatle driven engine will then tow you back to the top of the dune.
If this is too frightening for you, there is also similar high dunes from which you will have a sledride down to a lake. Leave a Comment
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on June 19, 2004
on January 12, 2005
