A white star-shaped fortress has stood guard at the mouth of the Potengi River for more than four centuries: it is the first thing ships salute as they enter Natal. The capital of Rio Grande do Norte occupies the northeastern tip of Brazil, where the coast swings toward the equator, and boasts the nicknames city of the sun and capital of the dunes. Passengers find here a concentrate of the Nordeste: Portuguese history, urban beaches and mountains of sand that shift with the winds.

Ribeira, the founding district

The cruise terminal is in Ribeira, the founding district, on the banks of the Potengi. The area alternates warehouses, colonial façades and eclectic early-20th-century buildings, several brightened by murals; revitalization is advancing in waves, and the sector keeps a raw character that will appeal to lovers of port atmospheres. Climbing up to Cidade Alta, the historic upper town, you reach the cathedral, the Alberto Maranhão Theatre and shopping streets that bustle on weekdays. The Ribeira–Cidade Alta pairing can be discovered in an hour or two on foot, preferably in the morning.

The Fort of the Three Kings

At the mouth of the river, the Forte dos Reis Magos owes its name to the day of its founding, the Epiphany of 1598, followed by that of the city on December 25, 1599: Natal means Christmas in Portuguese, and all local place names stem from this calendar. The fortress is reached by a strip of sand and a footbridge; inside, casemates, a chapel and cannons watch the ships go by, while the whitewashed ramparts offer a panorama of the Newton Navarro Bridge, the modern arch that has spanned the Potengi since 2007. It is the attraction closest to the pier and the one most steeped in history.

Ponta Negra and the bald dune

South of the city, Ponta Negra beach remains the classic image of Natal: a crescent of warm water closed off by Morro do Careca, a giant dune covered in vegetation except on its smooth face, now protected from climbing. The promenade along the beach lines up seafood restaurants, iced coconut water kiosks and roasted cashew vendors, the region being among the world's major producers of this nut. Allow about twenty minutes by taxi from the port to dip your toes in, longer at rush hour.

The dunes by buggy

The region's signature excursion takes place to the north, around Genipabu, where dunes as tall as hills plunge into the ocean. You ride across them in an open-top buggy driven by a licensed driver, who asks the eternal local question at every departure: a ride with or without thrills? The spicy version strings together steep descents and sandy turns, while the gentle version sticks to the panoramas and the lagoons where you swim between climbs. Mind the logistics: the round trip and the activity fill a good half-day, best booked through an organized excursion to respect the ship's schedule.

Before heading back on board

The equatorial sun is no joke, even under clouds: sunscreen, a hat and water at all hours. Brazilian reais can be withdrawn at ATMs in shopping centres, and cards are accepted in most Ponta Negra restaurants. Portuguese is by far the dominant language, but a smile and a few words of Spanish will help, the people of the Nordeste being among the most welcoming in Brazil.

Natal leaves a memory of harsh light and shifting sand, with that stubborn fortress that has locked the river since 1598. Ships then continue on to Recife or Fortaleza, but many passengers keep a special fondness for this stop: the kind reserved for cities born on Christmas Day.