Rota Zagaia quad trail, Bonito MS: a short route close to town
The Rota Zagaia is the shortest quad bike trail around Bonito and the closest to the centre. It suits anyone who wants to try the activity without committing a
Brazil travel blog
Articles about where to go in Brazil and what each place asks of you, grouped by the kind of day rather than by region. Nine categories, each one a way of travelling rather than a list of names.
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Horse riding at Recanto do Peão, Bonito MS: the countryside at farm pace
The ride at Recanto do Peão crosses the fields and woods of the property at walking pace, with a guide and horses used to beginners. It is the quietest outing i
Rio do Peixe, Bonito MS: waterfalls, natural pools and a farm day
Rio do Peixe is a farm near Bonito with waterfalls in sequence and clear natural pools. It combines a waterfall outing with day-use facilities, which lets you s
Lagoa Misteriosa, Jardim MS: a sinkhole lake with no known bottom
The Lagoa Misteriosa is a flooded sinkhole in the municipality of Jardim whose depth has never been fully measured. It takes snorkellers, a zipline and certifie
Rivers and river beaches in Bonito, MS
Not every day in Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul, needs a wetsuit and a briefing. The river days are the ones you can take slowly, and they are what absorbs a bookin
Tourism Brasil
Wine routes in Brazil: where the vineyards are and when to visit
Brazil has two very different wine countries: the cool southern highlands, where the harvest follows the classic southern-hemisphere calendar, and the irrigated
Tourism Brasil
Fishing trips in Brazil: catch and release, closed seasons and where to go
Sport fishing in Brazil is regulated, seasonal and, in most of the country, catch and release. Understanding the closed season and the licence matters more than
Salobra Canyons, Bodoquena MS: rock walls and cold water
The Salobra Canyons are a stretch of the Rio Salobra hemmed in by limestone walls, covered by swimming, floating and wading. It is the most physical outing in t
Bosque das Águas, Bonito MS: a river water park with natural pools
Bosque das Águas is a day-use site near Bonito laid out as a park: natural pools, water play, green space and a short trail. It is the place for families with c
Refúgio da Barra, Bonito MS: the river without a schedule
Refúgio da Barra is a river day-use site near Bonito that bets on the opposite of a water park: few people, little visible infrastructure and forest all around.
Jardim Ecopark, Jardim MS: a river swim on the Rio da Prata road
Jardim Ecopark sits in the municipality of Jardim, on the same road as the Rio da Prata and the Buraco das Araras. It is the swimming stop that rounds off a ful
Nascentes da Serra and Rio Azul, Bonito MS: snorkelling away from the crowd
Nascentes da Serra, on the Rio Azul, offers the same clear water as the famous floats around Bonito with far fewer people. It is the alternative for anyone who
Balneário Ilha Bonita, Bonito MS: river swimming around an island
Balneário Ilha Bonita occupies a stretch of the Rio Formoso where the bed divides around an island. The result is calmer water in the side channels and a swimmi
Quad biking the Boiadeira Trail, Bonito MS: cattle roads and open country
The Boiadeira Trail runs by quad bike along the old roads once used to drive cattle across the Bonito region. It is the most open of the three trails in town: l
Bonito by night: the after-dark outing, when the wildlife wakes up
The night outing in Bonito shows the part of the day a conventional itinerary ignores: the wildlife that only moves after dark and a sky with almost no light po
Quad biking the Serra Trail, Bonito MS: relief, forest and a viewpoint
The Serra Trail is the quad bike route with the most relief around Bonito: it climbs the foot of the Serra da Bodoquena, crosses forest and ends at a high point
Eco Park Porto da Ilha, Bonito MS: every Rio Formoso activity in one place
Eco Park Porto da Ilha gathers on one Rio Formoso property the activities that are usually scattered around Bonito: rafting, river tubing, inflatable kayaks, st
Ceita Corê, Bonito MS: waterfalls and a zipline on a hill farm
Ceita Corê is a farm in the hills near Bonito with a waterfall trail, swimming pools and a zipline across the valley. It combines the contemplative side of a wa
Parque Ecológico Rio Formoso, Bonito MS: tubing, horse riding and a swim
The Parque Ecológico Rio Formoso combines activities that rarely sit together: tubing on the rapids, horse riding across open country and a swimming area on the
Cabanas, Bonito MS: a canopy course, ziplines and river tubing
Cabanas is the adventure park of Bonito: a high ropes course through the canopy, ziplines over the forest and tubing on the Formoso rapids. All on the same prop
Estrela do Formoso, Bonito MS: rafting, tubing and swimming on one river
Estrela do Formoso is a property on the Rio Formoso running the rapid activities — rafting and tubing — alongside a swimming and rest area. It is the day-use si
Formoso Adventure, Bonito MS: rafting the Rio Formoso rapids
Formoso Adventure is the raft descent of the Rio Formoso, with group paddling, a guide and swimming stops between the rapids. It is the most accessible adventur
Praia da Figueira, Bonito MS: a river beach that also runs the float
Praia da Figueira is a river beach on the Rio Formoso that also operates a guided snorkel float. It solves the problem of wanting both the guided activity and a
Aquário Natural, Bonito MS: snorkelling at the source of the Baía Bonita
The Aquário Natural sits at the source of the Baía Bonita river, minutes from Bonito. It is the most structured and the shortest float in the region, with a rai
Nascente Azul, Bonito MS: a float, a waterfall and a whole day in one place
Nascente Azul combines two things usually kept apart in Bonito: a spring-fed snorkel float and a day-use site with a waterfall, a trail and places to rest. It i
Buraco das Araras, Jardim MS: the sinkhole of the red macaws
The Buraco das Araras is a vast sinkhole in the municipality of Jardim, on the road to the Rio da Prata, inhabited by red-and-green macaws. The visit is a short
Rio da Prata, Bonito MS: the longest snorkel float in the region
The Rio da Prata is the longest and most cinematic float in the Bonito region of Brazil. It starts with a forest trail, enters a spring-fed river and ends in a
Abismo Anhumas, Bonito MS: abseiling 72 metres into a lake underground
The Abismo Anhumas is the strangest thing you can do in Bonito: the entrance is a crack in the ground and the only way to the lake below is to abseil down. It r
Caves and sinkholes in Bonito, MS
The same limestone that clears the rivers of Bonito, in Mato Grosso do Sul, hollowed out the ground beneath them. Some caves you walk into; one you descend into
Flotation in Bonito, MS: which river to choose
Flotation is what Bonito, in Mato Grosso do Sul, is known for: drifting downstream in a wetsuit and mask, carried by the current. The five rivers differ far mor