Genipabu Dunes

The dunes at Genipabu are mobile - they move with the wind and are protected as an environmental area, which is why buggy access is licensed and drivers are registered rather than free to go anywhere. The buggy run is the local institution and the question is always the same: com emocao or sem emocao, whether the driver takes the steep faces fast. On the route are the esquibunda, a plank toboggan ridden down a dune face into the lagoon, and the aerobunda, a zip line over the water. Dromedaries were introduced in the 1990s as a novelty and now give rides on the sand. The Genipabu lagoon at the base is the stopping point, with stalls and chairs.

What you actually see

• Mobile dunes - sand that moves, with licensed buggy access only.
• Esquibunda and aerobunda - the toboggan and zip line into the lagoon.
• Dromedary rides - introduced in the 1990s and now a fixture.
• The Genipabu lagoon - the stop at the base with stalls and chairs.

When to go

September to March. Half a day.

Honest expectations

This is a packaged excursion and is sold hard from every Natal hotel. Buggies are open and the sun and sand exposure is severe. The com emocao option is genuinely rough. The lagoon area is crowded and commercial.

Nearby

Natal is south; Maracajau and the reefs are north up the coast.