São Paulo – Day breaks in Bonito in a very relaxed style. No noise of car hooters or people hurrying. Most of the streets are tarmacked, but there are mud roads in the outskirts of the city, people talking simply and even cockerels crowing, depending on how far from the centre you are staying. And it is in this environment, very much in the countryside and smelling of greenery, that you can have a day full of ecotourism and adventure. But there is no need to hurry. If you have two or three days to stay, it is possible to see almost everything in a peaceful agenda.
Floating in crystal-clear rivers alongside several different kinds of fish is one of the most enchanting activities in Bonito. Among the most famous rivers are the Prata, Olho d’água and Sucuri. But don’t think that all you have to do is get there, dive in the river and that’s it… The rivers are in farms that have all necessary infrastructure to receive tourists. They make available clothes for your dive, take tourists to the bank and accompany them throughout their trip. If the group is not loud, it is possible to hear birds and the crackling of the bush while floating down the river.
At the same farms that offer dips in rivers it is possible, after a water journey, to have a full meal, with country food and then snooze in a hammock between the trees there. A cat may walk by, rubbing his tail on your legs. Maybe the house parrot will speak too much and not allow you to sleep or a chicken will walk by, pecking the crumbs off the floor. The climate there is usually a country climate, with the right to a stable with horses and cattle in the fields in the surrounding area.
Another attraction of Bonito and the surrounding area is the visit to limestone caves. The most famous is Gruta do Lago Azul, where there is blue water. On getting there, it is necessary to go down some 100 metres to see the 90-metre-deep water up close. On the way down you must stop to see the speleothems or stalactites, the small sculptures formed on the roof and sides of the cave. The bravest may also visit Abismo Anhumas, a cliff where they may rappel. But the crack for entrance is narrow and adventure is great: the way down is 75 metres. The prize is the view of blue and clean waters below.
In Bonito it is also possible to ride horses along tracks amidst the bush, to rappel down Boca da Onça, a green valley with a view to a 90-metre tall waterfall, and even to bathe in waterfalls, with the right to stops at strategic sites for dives full of adrenaline. That is not to mention the other tourist facilities in the city, like the presence of restaurants specialized in fish, shops with Bonito souvenirs and agencies specialized in outings with friendly guides.
The beauty of Bonito and its natural diversity may be explained by the geographic location of the city, which is Serra da Bodoquena, where the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado and Pantanal biomes meet. The need for environmental preservation, in fact, is usually mentioned by the guides at agencies and farms. At the rivers, for example, tourists are asked not to make rapid movements, hence the floating and not diving or swimming – or not to touch the soil much, for the water to continue clean. The fauna in the region includes mainly birds, capybaras, butterflies and caiman.
Hotels are not lacking in Bonito. There are both cheap options, with simple housing, to small and comfortable inns and hotels with full infrastructure, like pools, games courts, restaurants and games rooms. Águas de Bonito hotel and inn is one of those with broad infrastructure. The apartments are spread among a well-cared garden, around a pool and the options at the site include from hammocks for resting, a conventional pool and Jacuzzis, television room, fireplace, reading area and 350 metre track for running, among other commodities. In the best peace and adventure style.
Hotels
Hotel Pousada Águas de Bonito
Site: www.aguasdebonito.com.br
Telephone: (+55 67) 3255 2330
Hotel Paraíso das Águas
Site: www.paguas.com.br
Telephone: (+55 67) 3255 1296
Further Information
Bonito City Hall
Site: www.bonito.ms.gov.br
Telephone: (+55 67) 3255 1351
*Translated by Mark Ament