Written by Hugo García Gil
Founder of Taivas Signature · Travel Advisor (Fora Travel, Virtuoso) · 50+ countries visited
Published in September 2026
The most cosmopolitan Northeast, 1h30 from Natal airport and with flights from Lisbon. September 2026 · Pipa and the dune coast: cliffs, dolphins and sun twelve months a year.
Why Rio Grande do Norte in September
Pipa was a fishing village until, in the 1970s, surfers and travellers discovered its crystalline waters, its ten-metre reddish cliffs and its bays where dolphins come in every morning. Today it is one of Brazil's most cosmopolitan beaches without having stopped being a village, and the arrival of international kitesurfing has brought hotels and restaurants of real quality. Around it, the whole state is a postcard: the moving dunes of Genipabu, freshwater lagoons, kilometres of beaches and the 16th-century fortress that gave Natal its name. They call it "the city of the sun" for a reason: the average annual temperature is 27 °C. September opens the dry season, with the constant trade wind that cools the afternoons and keeps the kites flying. For a European family it is also Brazil's closest corner: Natal receives direct flights from Lisbon.
Taivas Tip
Two nights if you are passing through, up to five to explore. The hotels in the area are small, eco-minded and village-spirited, so choosing well is key: next to the dunes of Praia das Minas for total tranquility, or in the Atlantic-forest reserve ten minutes from the beach to have the village at hand. Book the sunrise boat trip to see the dolphins in the Baía dos Golfinhos, a buggy day on the Genipabu dunes and, for teenagers, a beginner kite course on the lagoon.
Climate in September · Pipa
Daytime temperature: 28–30 °C • Night temperature: 23–24 °C • Rain: low, start of the dry season • Sea: warm, approx. 27 °C • Atmosphere: tropical, breezy, relaxed • Ideal for: beach, kitesurfing, dolphins, dunes
Recommended hotels
Filha da Lua Eco Lodge — bungalows and villas between the ocean and the dunes of Praia das Minas (@filhadalua) • Toca da Coruja — historic pousada in an Atlantic-forest reserve, a stroll from the village (@tocadacoruja) • Kilombo Villas & Spa — private villas with pool in Sibaúma, the most exclusive in the area (@kilombovillas) • Filho do Vento Kite & Lodge — Filha da Lua's little brother, designed for families with kitesurfers (@filhodovento)
Through the eyes of those who live there
Information and photography courtesy of Matueté, our on-the-ground partner for Brazil from São Paulo. © Matueté · All rights reserved.
Key Highlights
- ✦Baía dos Golfinhos: dolphins every morning beside red-sand cliffs and transparent-water beaches
- ✦The Genipabu dunes by buggy and the freshwater lagoons, one of the Northeast's most photographed landscapes
- ✦Sun 365 days a year, perfect wind for kitesurfing and design eco-lodges in the heart of the Mata Atlântica
Photography courtesy of Matueté
