About the city
The city Natal was originated on Forte dos Reis Magos (Reis Magos Fort). In December 25th., 1599, Portugueses arrived at Rio Grande do Norte to expulse the Frenchs that were in the possession of that part of the coastline. And on the mouth of the Potengi river, they started to rise up a fort to protect the territory. Now that fort is one attraction on the city, which is one of the most preferred by the tourists.
It’s simple to understand why: Natal has beautiful beaches, blue and warm sea, dunes and sun the whole year. Besides that, it has an excellent infrastructure for hosting visitors. On Via Costeira, an avenue that border some of its beaches, there’s a suite of resorts and good hotels, that offer a lot of comfort and leisure. Nearby, on the Ponta Negra beach, there are hundreds of small, simple and warmth inns.
Natal is also known because of the buggy strolls on the dunes, the restaurants with fishings and salted meat and the craftsmanship. The nights on the city are very animated, on the bars of the beach Ponta Negra and on forrós.
Infrastructure
Resorts and hotels at the seacoast and inns compose a lot of accommodation options on the city. The city has restaurants that serve regional dishes, from fishings to specialties. There is a great number of receptive tourism agencies, besides car rental agencies.
How to get there
Natal is on the northeastern region. It’s 2500 km far from Brasilia and 2660 km far from Rio de Janeiro. The airport Augusto Severo, 15 km far from the city center, operates with flights from the main cities on the country. On the road terminal, arrive buses from all regions of Brazil.
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Beaches
Ponta Negra is the most visited, good for baths. On the end of the beach, is Morro do Careca (Careca’s Hill), an enormous dune more than 100 meters high. The Via Costeira has resorts and hotels. On some legs of that beach, it’s difficult entering on the sea because the presence of reefs. To the north, the urban beaches of Areia Preta, Artistas and Meio, where are bars and small hotels. Near to the mouth of the Pontegi river, the Forte beach, where is the Forte dos Reis Magos.
Strolls
It’s possible to visit some places near Natal and its attractions. On Genipabu, 25 km far from Natal, there are enormous dunes and lakes, that are part of the strolls with buggy. From Pirangi do Norte, 30 km far from Natal, depart the boats that take to the natural pools formed when the tide is low. They are excellent for independent diving. On Pirangi, it’s possible to visit one curious natural phenomenon: one cashew tree more than 8 thousand m², considered the largest on the world.
Parque das Dunas (Dunes Park)
The second largest urban park on Brazil, with about 1200 ha, has a big reserve of Atlantic Forest vegetation. It has trails.
