Fodor's Expert Review Forte dos Reis Magos

Natal owes its existence to this impressive five-sided fort, which juts out into the sea on an artificial spit. It was built by the Portuguese in 1598, one year before the founding of Natal, and controlled by the Dutch between 1633 and 1654. Visitors can see the old quarters, the chapel, and rusted cannons; there is an impressive viewing point of the sea, especially when the tide is coming in.