Brazil travel blog

Ubatuba travel guide

Ubatuba is a long stretch of the São Paulo north coast where the Atlantic rainforest reaches the sand. It has more beaches than any trip can cover, and where yo

Paraty travel guide

Paraty combines a preserved colonial centre, a bay full of islands and the rainforest of the Serra do Mar. Three distinct kinds of day sit within reach of one b

Jardim, MS: the town where the Rio da Prata and the macaw sinkhole are

Much of what people call "Bonito" actually happens in Jardim, the neighbouring municipality: the Rio da Prata, the Buraco das Araras and the Lagoa Misteriosa ar

Miranda, MS: the gateway to the Pantanal for anyone staying in Bonito

Miranda is where the Serra da Bodoquena ends and the Pantanal floodplain begins. It is the municipality that makes the Pantanal reachable from Bonito, whether a

Bodoquena, MS: the town of tall waterfalls and canyons

Bodoquena is the municipality of relief. Where Bonito and Jardim deliver clear rivers and sinkholes, here the landscape is vertical: the tallest waterfall in th

Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul: when to go, how to get there, what to expect

The Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul is the largest flooded plain in the world, and it works the opposite way to what most people expect: the best time to see wil

Serra da Bodoquena, MS: the rock that explains all the water in Bonito

The Serra da Bodoquena is the reason Bonito exists as a destination. The limestone of this range filters rainwater, forms the caves and makes the rivers run cle

Ilhabela or Ubatuba: which suits your trip

Ilhabela and Ubatuba sit close together on the São Paulo north coast and are genuinely different trips. One is an island you cross to; the other is a coastline

Boat trips in Ubatuba

Ubatuba sits on a coast where several beaches and islands have no road to them. A boat here is transport as often as it is a day out, and which trip makes sense

Beaches in Ubatuba: how to choose

Ubatuba has dozens of beaches along a long, indented coast. They are not interchangeable, and choosing by photograph is how people end up driving an hour to the

Ubatuba without a car

A trip to Ubatuba without a car works, but only if you choose the base for that and accept a smaller stretch of coast. The mistake is booking somewhere remote a

Waterfalls and rainforest in Ubatuba

Ubatuba is a beach destination with a mountain behind it. The inland day is not a consolation prize for bad weather — on the days the sea is closed, it is the b

Waterfalls in Bonito, MS and the Serra da Bodoquena

Waterfall days in Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul, are trail days. How much walking you sign up for is the real difference between the circuits, and it is the one ca

Adventure activities in Bonito, MS

Beyond the rivers and caves, Bonito, in Mato Grosso do Sul, has a layer of activities that ask something of your body. They are also the only ones here with rea

Wildlife around Bonito, MS

Bonito, in Mato Grosso do Sul, sits between two ecosystems, and the wildlife is the part of the trip most often left out of the plan. Nothing is guaranteed, but

Rio Sucuri, Bonito MS: snorkelling from the spring, with no hiking

The Rio Sucuri is the easiest snorkel float in Bonito: a boat takes you up to the spring and you drift back down with the current, with no trail and no effort.

Municipal River Beach, Bonito MS: the public stretch of the Rio Formoso

The Balneário Municipal is the stretch of the Rio Formoso closest to the centre of Bonito, and the most democratic: it is public, has simple facilities and take

Balneário do Sol, Bonito MS: a day by the Rio Formoso with facilities

The Balneário do Sol is a private day-use site on the Rio Formoso near Bonito, with a lawn, a restaurant and light activities in the water. It is the option for

Barra do Sucuri, Bonito MS: snorkelling where the Sucuri meets the Formoso

Barra do Sucuri is where the Rio Sucuri flows into the Formoso. It is a different operator on a different stretch of the same river: wider, with bigger fish and

Bio Park Bonito MS: the wildlife of the Pantanal and Bodoquena up close

The Bio Park brings together, in a controlled setting, the aquatic and terrestrial wildlife of the Bonito region and the Pantanal. It is a short, largely covere

Boca da Onça, Bodoquena MS: a waterfall trail and Brazil biggest abseil

Boca da Onça gathers in a single valley the tallest waterfall in Mato Grosso do Sul, a trail passing several falls with pools to swim in, and an abseil of aroun

Estância Mimosa, Bonito MS: a waterfall trail at farm pace

Estância Mimosa is a farm with a trail that passes several waterfalls on the Rio Mimoso, almost all with a pool to swim in. It is the moderate-effort waterfall

São Miguel Caves, Bonito MS: a cave, a canopy bridge and a short trail

The Grutas de São Miguel sit close to the centre of Bonito and combine an easy-access cave, a suspension bridge over the forest canopy and a short trail. It is

Gruta do Mimoso, Bonito MS: the cave where you get into the water

The Gruta do Mimoso is the Bonito cave where visitors can actually enter the water. It has a clear underground lake, installed lighting and options ranging from

Blue Lake Cave, Bonito MS: what to expect from the descent

The Gruta do Lago Azul is the postcard of Bonito: a cave with an intensely blue lake at the bottom, reached by a steep flight of steps. You cannot enter the wat

Gruta Catedral, Bonito MS: cave chambers with no water involved

The Gruta Catedral is a dry cave near Bonito, visited on walkways and an internal path, with chambers of stalactites and stalagmites. There is no lake and no sw

Fazenda San Francisco, Miranda MS: day and night safari in the Pantanal

Fazenda San Francisco, in Miranda, is the closest Pantanal day-use site for anyone based in Bonito. It runs day and night photo safaris, a boat trip and one of

Pantanal lodges, MS: why sleeping in the Pantanal changes what you see

Lodges in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul exist for a practical reason: wildlife moves at dawn and dusk, and anyone who arrives by day and leaves by day miss

Parque das Cachoeiras, Bonito MS: several waterfalls on a short trail

Parque das Cachoeiras gathers several falls of the Rio Mimoso along a short, flat route, with pools to swim in at almost all of them. It is the lightest waterfa

Projeto Jiboia, Bonito MS: the talk that changes how you feel about snakes

Projeto Jiboia is an environmental education project in Bonito that presents snakes to the public with a talk and guided contact. It is short, covered, works on

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