Bonito Brazil: Mother Nature’s Playground

When I asked Brazilian friends on places I should visit while traveling in southwestern Brazil, the overwhelming response was always Bonito.

The small town of just over 17,000 people is tucked away in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul and is one of the most popular Brazilian tourist destinations in the region.

Famous for its abundance of natural beauty, including wildlife, waterfalls and crystal-clear rivers, Bonito, is one of the best outdoor adventure spots I’ve ever visited.

On day one I rented a bike from town and road through the countryside to two different eco parks/public baths, Porto da Ilha and Balneário do Sol. I loved the freshwater pools that connected to small waterfalls and wildlife surrounding my every move.

No question, the zip-line into the pool at Balneário do Sol was the highlight. 

I got lucky with the Rodeo being in town, so that evening I ventured over to the Brazilian Rodeo at the Clubes de Laço (lasso club) just outside Bonito to experience a different aspect of Brazilian culture.

I couldn’t believe how similar the Brazilian rodeo culture was to ours in the States. Just a bunch of good ‘ol boys trying to have a good time. 

The next morning I drove over to Recanto Ecologico Rio da Prata (The Silver River Ecological Reserve) to snorkel the beautiful transparent water teaming with aquatic life.

As I mentioned in the video, thanks to the enormous amount of limestone in the ground around Bonito, the water passes through a natural filter that leaves the rivers to be some of the clearest and most transparent in the world.

To maintain its beauty, there is a daily limit to how many people can enter the water so you have to reserve a spot in advance. 

From there we went to Buraco das Araras (Sinkhole of the Macaws) to witness hundreds of Macaws and other exotic birds fly around the giant redrock hole in the ground.

It was a captivating moment that felt like something out of a Pixar movie. 

That night I experienced the quiet and lovely downtown Bonito and drank some locally brewed cachaca at the popular Taboa.

Needless to say, it was a great weekend in Bonito Brazil and I can’t wait to come back again soon.

There are still a ton of things to do in Bonito Brazil that I missed, like… Abismo Anhumas, Lagoa Misteriosa, Boca da Onca Waterfall, Aquario Natural, Rio do Peixe, Rio Sucuri, Gruta do Lago Azul and Parque das Cachoeiras to name a few.

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Hotel provided by Aguas de Bonito

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Watch this and every Travel Deeper Brazil episode @ YouTube.com/Tourist2Townie