On Avenida Hermes da Fonseca, to the east of the Cidade Alta, is the Museu Câmara Cascudo, with anthropological and ethnographic material, utensils of the Amazonian Indians, fossils, skeletons, reconstructions of sambaquis (shell-mounds), Christian and Candomblé cult objects and local craft products.
Address: Museu Câmara Cascudo, Avenida Hermes da Fonseca, 1398, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte 59020-650, Brazil
Also in the Cidade Alta is the church of Santo Antìnio (1766), which has a carved wooden altar. It now houses the Museu de Arte Sacra, which displays 18th century religious objects.
Address: Museum of Sacred Art, Rua Santo Antonio 698, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte , Brazil
30km/19mi north of Natal is the Praia Genipabu with its gigantic dunes. Beyond the estuary of the Rio Ceará-Mirim is the fishing village of Pitangu, on a lagoon with crystal-clear water. The offshore reefs shelter the beach, providing good conditions for swimming.
Natal's harbor is in the Ribeira district, on the banks of the Rio Potengi. Farther south are the Cidade Alta (Upper Town) and the central area which contains most of the city's historic buildings.
A memorable experience is a beach-buggy ride by way of the dunes fringing the beaches to the north of Natal to Cabo São Roque, the "elbow" of Brazil (i.e. the promontory in South America reaching farthest east in the direction of Africa).
The first beach to the north is the Praia do Forte, the original nucleus of Natal. Beyond this is the Praia da Redinha, 20km/12.4mi from the city, where the Festa do Caju is celebrated in the first half of January and the Festa de Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes on January 20th (procession of boats).
On Praça André de Albuquerque is the Câmara Cascudo Memorial, with a library, a picture gallery, an art gallery and a collection of documents relating to the Rio Grande do Norte historian Câmara Cascudo.
The church of Nossa Senhora da Apresentação (1694), on Praça André de Albuquerque in the city center, was formerly the Cathedral. The New Cathedral (Catedral Nova) is farther east, on Avenida Deodoro.
In Rua Aderbal de Figueiredo (Petrópolis district) is the Casa da Detenção, the old prison, now occupied by the Tourist Center, with a museum, an art gallery, craft shops, a restaurant and a discothäque. Folk events, with dancing and singing, are put on here.
The Fort of the Three Kings in Natal was built to completion in 1598. It was later remodeled in the early 17th century and now stands on a star-shaped plan.
Some of the most picturesque beaches in Brazil can be found on the coast of Natal. These include the Praia da Ponta Negra, Cotovelo, Pirangi do Norte and Pirangi do Sul.
The Mãe Luisa lighthouse, on the Praia de Areia Preta to the east of the Petrópolis district of the city, crowns the hill of the same name 5km/3mi outside the city.
20km/12.5mi south of Natal, in Parnamirim, is the Barreira do Inferno rocket-launching base and space research center. The name ("Barrier of Hell") refers to the reddish coloring of the dunes in this area. To visit the center a permit must be obtained in advance.
83km/52mi north of Natal, beyond Pititinga and Rio de Fogo, is the fishing village of Touros, from which fishing boats take visitors to the Parracho, a seawater basin (area 5000sq.m/6000sq.yds) formed by banks of coral.
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Fort of the Three Kings
Natal
