Attractions

Natal isn't really the place to stroll around looking at pretty old buildings, but then odds are you're here for sun and surf and some time on those famous dunes. So enjoy the beach in Ponta Negra for a day, then rent a buggy and bugreiro (driver) and buggy up the beach and explore. Check out the monster dunes at Genipabu. Head farther north and snorkel the reefs off Maracajaú. Try aerobunda where you slap your behind into a rope-sling and slide com emoção into a rainwater lagoon. Or try sand boarding, tobogganing, dune hiking, or camel riding. Finish the day watching a glorious sunset over the dune tops.

And don't forget the side trips. If buggying gets in your blood, do a second day trip south to the lovely, small beachside town of Praia da Pipa. Or for the ultimate in buggy adventure, do a 4- or 7-day expedition from Natal 800km (500 miles) north to Fortaleza. Or strike inland and see the otherworldly rock formations at Cariri, and 120-million-year-old footprints in the Vale dos Dinossauros (Valley of the Dinosaurs).

Centro Natal

On the highlands above the port is the Cidade Alta. This commercial part of the city has a number of pretty squares that make for a fine stroll. There are actually four separate squares here, all melded together: Praça João Maria, Praça Andrè de Albuquerque, Praça João Tibuco, and Praça Sete de Setembro. The largest is the Praça André de Albuquerque, dominated by the N.S. da Apresentação. Just across from the church is the Memorial Câmara Cascudo, Praça Andre de Albuquerque 30 (tel. 084/3211-8404; free admission; Tues-Sun 8am-5pm). One of Natal's most beloved sons, Câmara Cascudo (1898-1986), was a journalist, professor, founder of the federal university of Rio Grande do Norte, and author of the dictionary of Brazilian folklore; most Brazilian kids have read his stories of jangadas, fishing nets, and bumba-meu-boi (a peasant harvest festival involving the death and miraculous resurrection of a sainted bull). The memorial shows the life of Cascudo and artifacts portraying the folklore he wrote about. It also houses all of his works and his personal library. The museum is very small, but admission is free and the proud staff (one of them is Cascudo's grandson) love receiving foreign visitors.

Parks

The 1,376-hectare (3,400-acre) Parque das Dunas occupies a huge swath of Natal, from the edge of downtown all the way to Ponta Negra. There's a visitor center in the park headquarters, Av. Alexandrino de Alencar s/n (tel. 084/3201-3985; www.parquedasdunas.rn.gov.br), from which you can set off on guided walks through the dunes. Entrance is R$2, which includes the trail fee. Walks depart at 8am, 8:15am, and 8:30am, and at 2pm, 2:15pm, and 2:30pm. Participants must sign up in advance.

Top Excursions from Natal

The best way to access the terrain north and south of Natal is by buggy, but if you'd prefer a more comfortable 4*4, contact Cariri Ecotours (tel. 084/9928-0198; www.caririecotours.com.br). The company offers single and multiday 4*4 trips south to Praia da Pipa and north to Maracajaú. The 1-day trip to Praia de Pipa includes a trek through the Atlantic rainforest and dolphin spotting at Enseada do Madeiro.

Buggy Expeditions -- Untouched dunes, beaches, and lagoons stretch away north and south of Natal for hundreds of kilometers. The best way to see them in all their glory is to rent a dune buggy with a driver, and head out to explore. Prices average around R$200 for a full day for up to four people. If you're in a group of fewer than four, you can pay R$50 per person and the tour operator will make up a full group, but it's better to pay the full rental; if you have the buggy to yourself, it stops and goes at your command.

The classic north-coast day trip crosses the Potengi River and proceeds up to Genipabu, where you have the chance to ride camels or slide down the dunes on a sand board. While here, make sure you don't miss the Extreme Dune Park, an enclosed area with monstrous dunes of shifting sands, some of them hundreds of feet high. Only licensed drivers are allowed in, and once inside they make use of buggy and terrain to provide a natural roller coaster ride. Among the stunts they'll treat you to are the Wall-of-Death and the Sheer Vertical Descent. Make sure your sun hat has a string. Tip: Make sure that your tour includes a stop in the Extreme Dune Park, and that your driver is licensed to enter.

From there you float your buggy across a small stream on a tiny raft and carry on up the beach to Jucumã, where you can try your bum at aerobunda. From there, it's another 35km (22 miles) of wide, flat sand until you get to Maracajaú, a magic spot where at low tide you can snorkel in the natural pools in the offshore coral reef. (Buggy tours normally time their arrival to coincide with low tide.) At day's end, the driver returns to Genipabu to see the sun set over the dunes.

The classic south-coast trip heads south along 55km (34 miles) of coast and sand to Praia da Pipa. Along the way, buggies pass along numerous gorgeous beaches, among them Búzios, Barra de Tabatinga, Barreta, and Tibau do Sul. It's possible with a full-day tour (about R$150 per buggy) to stop in at several and still enjoy time at Pipa itself. Better still, head south and spend a few days in the Pipa, a pretty former fishing village of small pousadas and cobblestone streets.

There are lots of buggy drivers in Natal. An excellent longtime bugreiro who speaks English is Kadmo Donato of Buggy & Cia (tel. 084/9982-3162 or 9416-2222; www.buggyecia.com.br). There is also Buggy Tour (tel. 084/3086-2258) and the APBCA, the buggy owners' association (tel. 084/3225-2077).

Snorkeling the Pools at Maracajaú -- The coast north and south of Natal is hemmed with shallow coral reefs that make for perfect snorkeling. Nowhere are they more impressive than in Maracajaú, about 1 hour north of Natal. A stop here is often included in a full-day buggy tour; if not, ask your buggy driver. You need to time your arrival with low tide. From the beach a boat takes you about 7km (4 1/4 miles) offshore to a moored diving platform. At low tide the honeycomb of reefs forms natural pools rich in tropical fish and other marine life. As the maximum depth is about 4.8m (16 ft.), these pools can be easily explored with just a mask and snorkel. The water is crystal clear and warm. Expect to spend at least 2 hours. Contact Maracajaú Diver, Praia de Maracajaú (tel. 084/3261-6200 or 9983-4264 mobile; www.maracajaudiver.com.br; snorkeling R$60 adults, R$35 children 6-12, free for children 5 and under; check the website for departure times, which are tide related). Note: If you've never been scuba diving, Maracajaú Diver offers a "baptism" dive. The water is never deeper than 4.8m (16 ft.), so there is no danger of sinking or decompression. The cost is R$150 for 15 to 20 minutes.