Brazil - 2016 Our Experience, Our Adventure: Bonito

After a three relaxing day in Pantanal, we travelled back to Campo Grande whereby we booked a car and decided to drive to Bonito where we stayed for the next two days. After a five hour drive with over 430km, passing through fields and open plains, we arrived in Bonito. Bonito is a small city which promotes the eco-tourism concept with excursions or tickets must be all bought beforehand from a local licensed agency by also limiting the number of tourists per day. We learned this the hard way as our first stop was Gruta do Lago Azul which was a rough 45min drive from our hotel and when we arrived they informed us that we had to have pre-paid tickets from an agency with time booked so we ended driving back to the centre wasting over 2 hours. Luckily, we booked all our itineraries in Bonito from one agency and they were very helpful including providing us with suggestions. It is suggested that the various places of interest are all at a distance and a car is highly important.

Photo: Lagoa Misteriosa

In the two days in Bonito, we visited:

1.   Gruta do Lago Azul
   

2.   Balneario Municipal
   

3.   Recanto Ecologico Rio da Prata
   

4.   Lagoa Misteriosa
   

5.   Buraco das Araras
   

The Gruta do Lago Azul was interesting with natural limestone structures and beautiful blue water however there is nothing special about it.

The Balneario Municipal is a very clean and clear river which is continuously slowly moving and full of fish. It is a great way to relax for the day and take it easy. Recanto Ecologico Rio da Prata for me was the best experience of all and truly deserve “The Best Tourist Attraction of Brazil by 4Rodas Travel Guide”. Wearing a wetsuit, shoes, mask and a snorkel all provided by the company and you immerse in the crystal-clear river and float downstream for an hour seeing lots of fish and water plants. The only problem my Chinese GoPro got wet and I lost all of my photos but luckily we met a Brazilian couple which shared with us some of their photos.

Photo: Recanto Ecologico Rio da Prata

Lagoa Misteriosa is a crystal-clear lake having a strong blue colour and a fabulous diving spot or free diving. We had some amazing underwater photos taken by this couple we met.

Buraco das Araras involved no swimming or water but a huge sandstone crater measuring 500 meters in diameter and a depth of 127 meters, being the largest in Latin America. Here we managed to see a toucan as well as many red-and-green macaws.

Buraco das Araras

On our way back, we ended up in the middle of a cattle herd passing but luckily no scratches or dents were visible on the car. The drive back home was done late at night which I do not suggest given the roads do not have lighting and trucks passing both ways making it dangerous to overtake.

Great Fish in Bonito:

What can I say, all the itineraries are worth the money and time spent within. I truly suggest visiting Bonito.

Next Week: Amazon!!!