Ponta Negra Beach

One of the most well known and visited beaches in the city, Ponta Negra is in an area that is frequented by tourists due to the beautiful beach, numerous hotels, restaurants and activities available to them.  One of the most famous and well known post card pictures of Natal has been taken from this area, and includes the famous Morro do Careca or bald mans hill, which lies at the very southern most point of the beach.   Overall the beach is one of our favorites in the city because of all it has to offer, but it can get crowded because everyone else considers this one of the best beaches in the area as well.

The entire beach has seen many upgrades down over the years, including a wide brick walkway that runs the entire 4km length of the beach, which is dotted with small brick kiosks which sell local foods, drinks and snacks.  The food is very affordable and often served in smaller portion sizes which allows you try out many different cuisines.

To the south of the beach, closer to the Morro do Careca, the water is more calm and has fewer waves.  This is also where you will find many of the water activities, including stand up paddle which has become very popular in the area.  As you move north, the waters get a bit more choppy and waves increase in size moderately, but never become very large here.   The beach here is very flat, which means during low tide there is a huge beach to walk along, but during high tide the waters come almost all the way up the beach.  It is still possible to walk along the waters edge, but at these times it is often more fun to walk along the beautiful board walk.

Along the beach you will find many umbrellas with several chairs for rent.  Most people come to the beach with virtually nothing and simply rent the umbrellas.  They are affordable and plentiful so it's generally not very difficult to find an open one.   Umbrella business owners are only allowed to place a maximum of ten umbrellas, so there are many owners along this beach, and they are all very attentive to the needs of their customers.   They often speak a bit of English due to the number of tourists that visit the beach and you should be able to get along fairly well with limited Portuguese.  

Ask them how much rent is, as it changes by season but they all seem to charge around the same amount.  Roughly R$10-30, and they will often waive the fee if you spend R$30-40 in food and beverages.   They all typically have the same set of items available and purchase it from a restaurant.  Typically the food is fairly expensive for what you get, even when they try and sell you "Everything on the menu for R$75+, a 50% savings!".  What most locals do is purchase beverages from the umbrella owners, and then purchase food from the various vendors that walk along the beach with their carts.   This is completely acceptable to buy food from them, and not the umbrella owners and eat it at the umbrella!  There are no roaming vendors that sell beverages, so they always end up with the beverage sales and rent from the umbrellas.  

Many great types of food can be found on the beach, including meat skewers, fried cheese, shrimp, corn on the cob, brigadarios (a soft chocolate ball with condensed milk, coated in chocolate sprinkles), cocada (a coconut based dessert, often in plain, passion fruit, or a brown sugar version), crepes and other small snacks.  Some of the food is made right there on the spot, such as the meat, shrimp and cheese options on small little portable bbq's.  The crepes often come in large carts where they can cook them fresh for you and the desserts are often home made the night before.   Everything is delicious, usually comes in small portions and is very affordable.  

More Photos of Ponta Negra Beach

Activities near to Ponta Negra Beach

Artesania Crepe Bar (nightlife) - Hours: Mon, Wed, Thu from 6pm to Midnight.  Fri, Sat from 6pm to 1am.  Sunday from 6pm to 11pm.   Cards accepted: Visa, Mastercard Access for disabled Rua Senador Teotônio Vilela, 146 - Ponta Negra - Natal / RN Tel.:(84) 3219-5343 Address: Rua Senador Teotônio Vilela, 146 - Ponta Negra - Natal / RN, Brazil Distance: 0.20km from the Ponta Negra Beach
New Year´s Eve in Natal (festival) - Christmas The New Year is also celebrated Christmas on the edge of town. According to the Secretariat of Tourism of Rio Grande do Norte, 2 million tourists pass through the city every year. Dunes, beaches and rafts are the most popular attractions in the region of Natal. Every year the city makes fireworks in various parts of the coast .... Ponta Negra is one of those points ... there is an armed stage where concerts t... Address: Ponta Negra Natal - RN Distance: 0.20km from the Ponta Negra Beach
Artesanato Potiguar (market) - One of the finest crafts produced in the Northeast is the Rio Grande do Norte. And a reflection of the quality (and sheer number) of pieces made ​​by true artists in textbooks is Natal, which already has six major centers for the sale of craft products. The biggest is the Mall of Artesanato, in Ponta Negra. Mall of Potiguar Craft owns 164 units of various marketing products between shops and stalls, food court, cafe... Address: Av. Eng. Roberto Freire, 8000 - Ponta Negra Natal - RN Distance: 0.25km from the Ponta Negra Beach

Restaurants near to Ponta Negra Beach

Hotels near to Ponta Negra Beach

Pousada Manga Rosa Hotel Pousada Manga Rosa Hotel is conveniently located in the popular Natal Waterfront area. The hotel has everything you need for a comfortable stay. Take advantage of the hotel's safety deposit boxes, laundry service/dry cleaning, disabled facilities, business center. Each guestroom is elegantly furnished and equipped with handy amenities. To enhance guests' stay, the hotel offers recreational facilit...

Littoral Varandas de Ponta Negra Hotel The 3-star Littoral Varandas de Ponta Negra Hotel offers comfort and convenience whether you're on business or holiday in Natal. Featuring a complete list of amenities, guests will find their stay at the property a comfortable one. 24hr room service, business center, laundry service/dry cleaning, elevator, safety deposit boxes are on the list of things guests can enjoy. Each guestroom is elegantly...

Aquaria Natal Hotel Ideally located in the prime touristic area of Natal Waterfront, Aquaria Natal Hotel promises a relaxing and wonderful visit. Both business travelers and tourists can enjoy the hotel's facilities and services. To be found at the hotel are airport transfer, meeting facilities, salon, elevator, tours. Each guestroom is elegantly furnished and equipped with handy amenities. Take a break from a long d...

Hotel Rosa Náutica Discover all that Natal has to offer with Hotel Rosa Náutica as a base. The Hotel Rosa Náutica boasts a convenient location with modern amenities in every guestroom and superb service. Each of the hotel's guestrooms offers non smoking rooms, air conditioning, daily newspaper, desk, hair dryer, in room safe. This Natal accommodation contains all of the facilities and conveniences you would expect...