Rio Grande do Norte is better than the caribbean
This utterly impressive state beaches stretch for more than 400km across the whole area of northeastern country. And as the winter persists at my hometown in south Brazil I miss more and more this pristine water and sandy beaches from northeastern areas.
The state is bordering with two other states in the country, and its capital city Natal has everything worth of big towns: convincing airport, good roads there and back and all kinds of stuff to do.
The places, the people and the experience you can have there make it an unforgettable trip. Brazilians often say its the country caribbean but I prefer saying it differently: northeastern region is better than the caribbean.
By the way Natal is the first stop in any trip to the state
Particularly I don’t think there is a lot of worth in visiting the city center and other urban areas. Opinions might diverge, but if you are a person particularly fond of nature experiences chances are you will be with me on this one. You can find great walks, fine dining and unique artistic expressions. Its a great city with great people, but compared to the beach cities nearby it gets hard to compete. Exception goes to Ponta Negra beach and some hidden surf spots around the city, which I will not mention because locals don’t like theses spots been advertised. If you are lucky enough to find them there will be endless lefts to ride.
So if the city of natal is not the best part of the state, where to go?
Pipa and region
Pipa itself got a bit to much. To much tourists, to much restaurants, to much people having fun and fucking up the beaches. Still its a paradise and constantly features on the lists of most beautiful beaches in the country. Of course if you came for partying to much is exactly what you need. Just for a fast glimpse of holidays there, last new years eve featured the national star Anita on the main stage and a plethora of other reputed singers.
In Pipa you can enjoy the sandy beaches of Praia do Amor, and for surfers a big right that comes licking the coast when the right swell hits. Eat some açaí at the local shop to understand how it works and make sure you respect locals. Pipa inhabitants and northeastern in general tend to be generous and welcoming, but don´t push to much here.
There is no shortage of tourism agencies offering all kinds of tours around. Some are worth it, some a bit less. I definitely recommend the short trip do Barra do Cunhaú nearby and renting a quad if you would like. Not needed, its possible to get there by easy and affordable private shutter.
If you are not so sure, just lay in centrinho (little downtown) of Pipa to enjoy your tacos or pizza and listen to some great local artists performing in bars and restaurants. There is a hidden samba scene and brazilian music not that much featured in traditional guides.
But the best of Pipa comes now. Take the walk from Praia do Amor to Praia Madeiro walking through Baia dos Golfinhos. Make sure you paid enough attention to the tides not to get stuck at the beach at night. However nice it seem to be stuck in paradise at night its not that cool. Baia dos Golfinhos is this dolhipns beach exclusively accessed walking, and connectes the two aforementioned beaches. Huge falesias spreading across the whole area and the likely encounter with dolphins make it a surreal experience.
Praia Madeiro is also on the top of my recommending list. Surfing there is great for begginners and kids who won´t take the chance in the crowded close outs of praia do amor. This mellow constant point and sand break is an everyday right moving slowly from the outside, where you can wether get walking wether do the easy paddling out over the waves.
Baia Formosa
Home land of brazilian superstar Italo Ferreira, who is changing a lot of things over there, Baia Formosa is — when compared to its neighbor Pipa — widely unknown by outsiders. Tourism in Baia Formosa at the moment of this writing consists mainly of locals and some surf aficionados. Even the value for money there a lot better than in more mainstream places. You can have amazing “nordeste” food for as little as 25 reais and pay half what you pay for the bowl of açaí anywhere else.
As you get there the impression is of a local community, many kids surfing trying to match their hero that made the jump from local promise to international superstar. And the talent there is endless. 12 y/o kids flying on this small beach and point breaks are just impressive.
Besides the city is particularly chilling and dazzling at the same time. The cool experience is arriving at night and not seeing anything from the central square. The next morning you walk to the exact same place to have an amazing view of the bay and its unique rocky sand mountains.
If you are lucky enough there might be a chance to hit some of the famous brazilian artists that came from the region playing for free in some of the city festivals.
São Miguel do Gostoso and region
The next Pipa is here. Gostoso was not heard anywhere just a couple of years ago. The kitesurffing community has a big part in making it a popular destination for both nationals and foreigners looking for one of the best wind in the world. As the eolic parks rapidly prove as soon as you reach the city. Nowadays however the tourists are flocking more and more, not only looking for the great winds but also for the parties. Gostoso hosts an intense new years eve, and thats a nice opportunity to live the brazilians all dressing white and jumping waves in celebration for the Iemanjá godess.
Differently from the two previous places, Gostoso is a hard city to reach. You can get there by regular bus but it means two different buses from Natal and the route is not all that easy to find. There are a lot less shuttle services from the capital to Gostoso and renting a car is at least not a quite smart decision, since you won´t use it whatosever over there. We tried everything, from blablacar to finding the all to often private shuttle that run there and back from Pipa. But there was no option and the akward bus was the choice.
When in Gostoso enjoy the nice restaurantes based there, with both great local food and international options, mostly held by foreigners who came, fell in love and never managed to leave the place. Another great tour is hire a local guide that will drive you through the sand dunes to the neighboring city of Galinhos. The landscapes are massive. Even as a brazilian, born and raised in the country its impossible not to be impressed by the sceneries, the many colors of waters and catch a glimpse of local lifestyle. Remember to bring a lot of sunscreen for this journey.
Hope you enjoyed these perspectives from a couple who was traveling there for a while. We are a remote worker couple and are addicted to traveling. If you have any feedback or new ideas about the place do let us know, it will be a pleasure.
