The hills of Ponta Negra

Most of Natal was built on dunes. Visiting the Parque das Dunas gives a good idea of how Natal was before the Portuguese arrived in 1500.

In Ponta Negra, the dunes started right at the beach; the original Atlantic Forest was devastated to give place to the village of Ponta Negra; if the Morro do Careca were less steepy, it would probably have been devastated, too.

The photos below are an attempt to show the hills of Ponta Negra. The slope of the hills varies from point to point, but climbing up the hill under the soon of mid-day may be tiring.
The photos above were taken from Avenida Roberto Freire, distant about 200 meters (about 320 ft) from the shoreline. These 200 meters would be easily walked on a leveled terrain, but the inclination makes the distance look longer.
Notice that the inclination may be advantageous for some business. Some restaurants in Natal situated at Avenida Roberto Freire afford an excellent view of the sea.
Likewise, some hotels in Natal may afford a sea view, even if not located by the sea. In the photo above, to the left, the visible building is of Soleil Hotel; in the photo to the right, the building with a blue square (a water reservoir) on top is Vip Flat; notice that they are located near the sea, but rooms may or may not have a sea view, depending on the floor. We classified these hotels as "near the sea" in the Ponta Negra hotels section.


The photo to the left shows the Blue Marlin Flat. It's the same building which appears far in the background, near the sea, of the first photo at the top.
Hopefuly, this photo shows that the hills near the sea are even more sloped, and how being really close to the beach can make a difference.



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