If you follow any South American travel or nature-centric Instagram accounts you might have come across reels of brilliantly blue and crystal clear rivers gently carrying tourists as they float idyllically through nature. Far from the classic Brazilian tourist destinations like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, these rivers and natural springs are found just outside the small town of Bonito in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Although much of the land in this region of Brazil has been developed for cattle and farmland, many rivers, natural springs, caves, and waterfalls have been protected.

In the last few decades, ecotourism in Bonito has grown exponentially, transforming it into a top domestic travel destination for Brazilians. Slowly, and with the rise of social media, international travelers are also putting Bonito on the map.

The tourism infrastructure in Bonito is very impressive and organized. However, planning a trip to Bonito can still seem complicated to the non-Portuguese speaker or Brazilian. For instance, all tours must be booked through an agency but all agencies charge the same price.

Suppose the Instagram reels have caught your attention but you’re still unsure how practical it is to actually be one of those tourists lounging in the river? In that case, this article will help break down everything travelers need to know about visiting Bonito, Brazil!

Few people outside of Brazil have heard of Bonito. It’s not near any other major cities in Brazil and is a 4-hour drive from the state capital (and largest city) of Mato Grosso do Sul: Campo Grande.

While much of the famous Pantanal swampland is found in Mato Grosso do Sul, Bonito is located further south and just outside the defined Pantanal geography.

Most of Bonito’s main tourism attractions are located 30 minutes to 1 hour outside downtown Bonito.

Bonito’s ecotourism is centered around its strikingly transparent and vivid blue rivers and lakes. Images and videos of these famous waterways attract thousands of tourists every year!

So what makes them so blue and clear? And are they really that blue and clear in real life?

To answer the latter question, yes they are really that blue and clear! As to what keeps the water transparent, the answer is the limestone rock found naturally throughout the region.

The abundant presence of limestone causes all other masses floating in the waters to become heavy and sink to the bottom. This process naturally clears any debris or particles that would normally be clouding visibility.

The debris and particles eventually turn white like the river floor. When the sun shines brightly, the light reflects on the limestone rock creating a blue-green coloring that humans see in the water.

All guides at the rivers and springs are well informed on this process and are happy to answer further questions about why the water in Bonito is unique! To preserve the quality of the water and ecosystem, many tours ask that guests not use sunscreen or bug spray when swimming.

Getting to Bonito is the biggest hassle most tourists face when planning a trip here. The average visitor flies into the Campo Grande International Airport (CGR) in Campo Grande. From Campo Grande, you can rent a car or take the bus to Bonito, nearly 200 miles away.

There is a small regional airport in Bonito (BYO) with flights a few times a week on domestic airlines Gol and Azul. These flights only fly from two airports in Sao Paulo – Viracopos (Azul) and Congonhas (Gol).

Bus to Bonito from Campo Grande

If flying into Campo Grando and not renting a car, I recommend the bus company Vanzella. We had a positive experience with Vanzella for our trip to Bonito in 2023.

The bus ride is about 4.5 hours long. We stopped halfway at a traditional Brazilian highway convenience store and buffet restaurant where we had 25 minutes to use the restroom, purchase snacks, or eat at the buffet. This was convenient since we landed around dinner time and the Campo Grande airport doesn’t have many food options.

Vanzella seems to have a monopoly on the bus transit in between the two cities. On the way to Bonito, our bus was very large and comfortable. However, traveling back to Campo Grande we were transported in a van, which was less uncomfortable due to limited personal space.

Vanzella dropped us off and picked us up directly at our hotel in Bonito. They suggest travelers expect six hours of transit when planning around flight times. We chose to spend the night in Campo Grande and take the first flight to Sao Paulo the next morning. This plan alleviated any stress of having to catch a flight on the same day as taking the bus.

Their buses leave from Campo Grande Airport 5 times a day and 5 times a day from Bonito to Campo Grande

Reservations are necessary

Just about every tour in Bonito requires a reservation. There is no getting around it, you cannot show up to tourist sites like Boca de Onça or Rio Sucuri without one and think you can purchase an entry ticket the same day, onsite.

Make a reservation

This part is super important! Reservations can only be made by a Bonito city-accredited tourism agency. Just as you can’t show up in person and purchase a ticket at the attraction, you also can’t call, Whatsapp, or email an attraction to buy a ticket.

Bonito requires that all visitors utilize one of the city’s many accredited agencies to serve as the middleman between the tourist and the attraction.

Tour Pricing

Another unique aspect of ecotourism in Bonito is that the agencies must all charge the same price for the same tours. There is no such thing as a “more expensive” agency in Bonito. All tours are offered at the same price! So when researching which agency to use, choosing your agency with the “best price or deal” is not a consideration.

Kind of cool, right? But you may be wondering, well then how am I supposed to pick from the 55 different city-accredited agencies in Bonito? Most of us use pricing as a filter at some point in our travel research.

Choosing an agency

This might seem like the most intimidating aspect of the Bonito planning process. With 55 agencies to choose from, many websites only in Portuguese, and the preferred format of communication being WhatsApp, a lot of international tourists might just say forget it.

But if you follow the below process, you’ll see that choosing an agency and working with them to build your dream trip to Bonito is the easiest and most fun part of the planning process!

These agencies are the experts! They know everything about the tours offered in Bonito. All you have to do is choose the tours that are of greatest interest to you and let the agency build the best schedule for you.

Step 1: Make a list of the tours you want and rank them by priority

Research what tours in Bonito you hope to do during your stay. 1-2 tours per day is a reasonable goal. Some tours are all-day tours while others only require a half day. Your agency will be able to organize which tours go together and on which days, so you don’t have to worry about that!

Want to know the best tours in Bonito? Check out my blog – Best Ecotours in Bonito: The Top 5 Can’t-Miss Tours. 

Step 2: Browse the agencies and choose at least 2 to contact

The city of Bonito provides a list of websites and contact information for all tourism agencies on its website. When researching online, be sure to cross-check the city’s list to make sure the agency you are looking at is accredited.

There are numerous Portuguese blogs but practically no English blogs that review the “top” agencies in Bonito. Referencing reputable Brazilian travel sites I’d used before to plan trips in Brazil, I started with their recommended agencies to help narrow down the options during our trip-planning process.

The agencies I found to be consistently recommended included:

Agência Viva Bonito
Águas Turismo
Acqua Viagens
Bonitour Viagens
Bonito Way
ABN

The agencies with over 300 Google reviews and 4.5 stars or more:

Passeios & CO.
Agência Viva Bonito
Bonitour Viagens
Bonito Way
ABN
Acqua Viagens
Agência H2O Ecoturismo
Agência Ygarapé

The agencies with English language option websites:
Araúna Tourism Agency
Bonito Way
Bonitour Viagens
Bonito ON
CSN Viagens
Galeria Artes
Impacto Bonito
Agência Ygarapé

When choosing the best agency for your trip, don’t forget to disregard comparing prices shown on their sites. All prices will be the same no matter the agency you choose.

For English speakers, I recommend browsing Bonito Way or Bonitour Viagens’ websites. Their English sites are easy to navigate and give good descriptions of the tours.

I started here before branching out to other agencies on these lists. It was helpful to have a strong understanding of what we wanted before researching agencies.

Check out my article on our favorite tours in Bonito!

Use WhatsApp to contact agencies
Just because a website isn’t offered in English doesn’t mean it isn’t worth WhatsApping the agency to inquire about assistance in English. You can also use the Google Translate option, although these automatic translations can sometimes lack accuracy.

I recommend contacting at least two agencies to inquire about the tours that interest you most.

Acqua Viagens – My preferred choice
I initially WhatsApp’d Bonito Way and Acqua Viagens and provided them with our travel dates and list of must-do tours. While both agencies responded very promptly, only Acqua Viagens provided details about the tours I had inquired about. Bonito Way instead was pushing tours and packages that we were not interested in doing.

Satisfied with our initial communication and the agency’s 4.8 stars on Google with nearly 1,000 reviews, we decided to go with Acqua Viagens!

Step 3: Select your agency and work with them to customize the itinerary

After deciding we would use Acqua Viagens to reserve our tours and transportation in Bonito, the rest of the trip planning was very easy! We spent one hour working with our agent via WhatsApp who was able to secure reservations for every tour on our list.

The agent organized the days and tours in the most efficient way possible to maximize our time in Bonito! Not all tours operate every day, some are only offered at specific times of the year, and others require a full day or only half a day so there are a lot of puzzle pieces to put together to create the best itinerary. This aspect of the service the tourism agencies provide in Bonito is much appreciated.

At the time of booking the tours, we were unsure if we would rent a car or hire a private driver. Acqua Viagens was able to give us quotes for both to compare. Acqua Viagens and most other agencies also have some level of relationship with hotels in Bonito and can assist visitors with reserving rooms too.

Step 4: Check-in with your agency upon arrival in Bonito

Most agencies require that clients stop by their office in downtown Bonito before your first tour. Clients will pay any remaining balance and receive your tour vouchers or QR codes for tours that require them. At this time, you will also be able to ask any questions.

Due to flight delays, we were unable to go to Acqua Viagens front office before our first tour at Boca de Onça. Our agent was able to adjust our Vanzella bus tickets and send us our tickets for our first tour via WhatsApp.

Don’t hesitate to contact your agency if any issues arise before or during your visit to Bonito. Acqua Viagens was super responsive and prompt during every WhatsApp interaction. Besides our delayed arrival, we made adjustments to our departure time from Bonito to Campo Grande and Acqua Viagens made these changes happen flawlessly as well!

Other things to note about the agencies and reserving tours:

• You can use multiple agencies to build your itinerary.
• Many hotels either have their own agency or partner with one and may offer lodging and tour packages.
• Agencies offer multi-day tour packets as well as build-your-own itinerary options.
• Some agencies allow you to make reservations directly through their website.

When to visit Bonito

Bonito can be enjoyed year round but weather conditions (wet and dry season) and crowds (low and high season) should be a consideration in your trip planning. Luckily the water temperatures remain stable throughout the year ranging from 69-75 F degrees.

Rainy Season – October to March

• These are the warmest months with daytime temperatures easily reaching above 85 F degrees.
• Rivers, rapids, and waterfalls will be fuller and at higher levels. The terrain will be more lush and greener.
• Expect mostly quick-moving showers and thunderstorms, but too much rain can reduce water visibility due to runoff.
• December, January, and February are summer vacation months in South America. Crowds and prices will be at their highest during this time of year.

Dry Season – April to September

• Travelers can expect cooler weather, highs between 75-85 F degrees.
• A stray shower or thunderstorm is still possible during the dry season.
• River waters will be very clear but water levels at rapids, waterfalls, and rivers will be reduced.
• July is typically the winter school vacation month in Brazil. Bonito will be more crowded this month than others in the dry season. Nearly the entire month falls into the “high season” category.

High Season in Bonito

During the high season, tour prices are more expensive. The city of Bonito publishes the high season dates on its website each year.

Our experience visiting in September:

We had two rainy afternoons with temperatures in the mid-70s while the rest of the time was hot (90 degrees) and mostly sunny! During this time of year, it seems normal to have several very warm, sunny days in a row, followed by 1-2 rainy, cooler days.

Most tours operate in the rain barring any lightning. Our rainiest day was also the same day we floated down one of the most famous rivers in Bonito – Rio Sucuri.

While the river remains very clear and calm, when the sun isn’t shining the water looks a little less magical. Snorkeling and floating down the river while listening to raindrops hit the water and thunder rumble in the distance still made for a special experience.

How many days in Bonito

For most visitors who travel by air to Bonito and then need to drive from Campo Grande, it is not the easiest “weekend” getaway. During trip planning, visitors should account for 1.5 to 2 days of travel time in their itinerary. Aim for at least 3 full days in Bonito to be able to do 3-5 different tours. This will make the long travel days worth it.

Our Trip Itinerary Summary: 2 travel days, 4.5 days in Bonito

Day 1: Travel to Bonito from Florianópolis, Brazil
Flight travel time: 11am to 4:30pm
Bus travel time: 5:30pm to 10p

Day 2: Full day in Bonito
Tour: Boca de Onça

Day 3: Full day in Bonito
Tours: Gruta lago Azul and Rio Sucuri Float

Day 4: Full day in Bonito
Tours: Lagoa Misteriosa Scuba Dive and Rio da Prata Float

Day 5: Full day in Bonito
Tours: Nascente Azul Float and Resort
Afternoon briefing at Abismo Anhumas HQ in downtown Bonito

Day 6: Half day in Bonito / half travel day
Tour: Abismo Anhumas cave tour
Afternoon bus to Campo Grande

Day 7: Half travel day
3:45 am flight to Florianopolis

We were able to do seven different tours during our 4.5 days in Bonito. If you only have 3.5 days to spend, it is still worth it! Anything less and the travel time might feel like it was half the trip. With more days to spend, there is much more to see and do in Bonito!

Where to stay in Bonito

There are A LOT of hotels in Bonito! Travelers won’t have any trouble finding the best hotel for them with options at every price point for families, couples, or large groups.

For a quieter stay in downtown Bonito, reserve a hotel that is a couple blocks off Rua Cel. Pílad Rébua. This is the busy main street in downtown Bonito where all the restaurants, bars, tourism agencies, and shops are located.

Recommended Hotels

• Pousada Águas de Bonito, ~$80 per night, 4.7 stars with +600 reviews on Google
• Pousada Girassol, ~$77 per night, 4.8 stars with +600 reviews on Google
• Pousada Arte da Natureza, ~$95 per night, 4.7 stars with +1,170 reviews on Google
• Pousada Surucuá, ~$90 per night, 4.8 stars with +380 reviews on Google
• Pousada Chalé do Bosque, ~$98, 4.8 stars with +100 reviews on Google
• Zagaia Eco Resort, ~$200 per night for 2 guests including breakfast and dinner, 4.6 stars with +2500 reviews on Google

Our experience at Chale do Bosque

We loved our stay at Chalé do Bosque! This quaint and peaceful pousada, referred to by locals as the Chalé do Morro because of its location on the hill overlooking Bonito, is a perfect retreat for couples or small groups after long days in Bonito.

Bosque means forest in Portuguese and it feels like you are staying in a forest at Chalé do Bosque. One morning at breakfast we saw four toucans flying around and hanging out in a nearby tree. Macaws, many other birds, and giant lizards are also common sighting on the property.

The rooms are very private and spacious. The beds couldn’t be more comfortable with plush mattress toppers – a rarity in hotels in Brazil! An extensive breakfast is included in the room rate and is made upon order each morning.

If staying at Chalé do Bosque, having a car is recommended due to its hilltop location and distance (1 mile) from the restaurants and shops in downtown Bonito. We didn’t have a car and walked 30 minutes each way every evening except the last night when we finally located the taxi stand in town! More on transportation below.

Where to eat in Bonito

Being a town built around tourism, there is no shortage of restaurants in downtown Bonito. A few of our favorites include:

Juanita – One of Bonito’s most visited restaurants, a great place to try freshwater fish, caiman, or other Brazilian specialties.
Boteco Juantia – Lively bar with live music and modern takes on Brazilian boteco food
O Casarão – Serves the local fare, recommend the pintado fish
Restaurante Varandas – Brazilian cuisine with an emphasis on local delicacies.
Casa do João – Feels like Bonito’s version of Crackerbarrel with an eclectic shop and laid-back atmosphere. Great places to try the Pantanal’s freshwater fish.
Restaurante Pantanal Grill na Brasa – Offers regional classics like caiman and piraputanga fish
Garajão BTO – Motorcycle-themed bar and restaurant, recommended by a local
Turquesa Árabe Natural – A reprieve from Brazilian food, Middle Eastern cuisine in a fast-casual setting
MS Burguer e Chopp – Inexpensive burger and beer joint, offering happy hour and live music
Pastel Bonito – A popular street food in Brazil that is similar to an empanada

Exotic Eats!

If you are an adventurous eater, there are a few plates you need to try while in Bonito!

Carne do Jacaré or Yacare caiman meat
Restaurants in Bonito serve Jacaré in many different ways. In a pastel at Bonito Pastel, fried like a chicken strip, ground like a burger, or a filet of Jacaré. We had it as a burger at Ms Burguer e Chopp. Its taste was savory and reminded me of chicken mixed with fatty pork.

Freshwater fish

• Traíras or wolf fish are found in Central and South America
• Pirarucu fish is native to the Amazon and is one of the largest known freshwater fish
• Pintado fish is Brazilian catfish

What to bring to Bonito

Bathing Suits: Pack enough bathing suits so that you don’t have to wear a suit back to back days in case it doesn’t dry overnight. I brought a bathing suit for each day we were in Bonito.

Cover-up: Bathing suit cover-up to wear to and from tours. Sun Shirts and loose fighting clothes are a good option to protect yourself from the sun. Rain jacket or poncho. 

Dinner outfit: Casual, warm weather clothes for the evening in downtown Bonito

Sneakers: Some tours require that you wear sneakers or closed toe shoe with a hard sole like Abismo Anhumas and Gruta Lago Azul

Sandals with strap: My Chacos were perfect for the Boca de Onça which requires sandals with a back strap (Crocs work here
too)

Casual sandals: Havaianas for days when you don’t need sneakers or sandals with a back

Pants or leggings: If you plan to do any of the rappelling activities like Boca de Onça and Abismo Anhumas

Warm clothes: If visiting during the winter, bring a warm fleece to wear after float or scuba tours

Sun hat and sunglasses: Sunscreen isn’t permitted in some of the rivers and lakes, so rely on hats and sunglasses to protect yourself from the sun

Dry bag and quick dry towel

GoPro Camera

Waterproof iPhone pouch

What you DON’T need to bring because they are already provided by the float tour operators: Mask, snorkel, water shoes, fins, and wet suit

How much does a trip to Bonito cost for 2 people?

Flights from Florianópolis, Brazil: $750

6 nights of hotels: $570

7 Tours in Bonito: $1,500

• Boca de Onça with Rappel (breakfast and lunch included): $172pp*
• Gruta do Lago Azul: $32pp*
• Rio Sucuri Float: $63pp*
• Lagoa Misteriosa Scuba Dive: $95pp*
• Rio da Prata Float (lunch included): $87pp*
• Nascente Azul Float + Resort access: $50pp
• Abismo Anhumas Rappel and Float: $269pp (This is the most expensive tour offered in Bonito)

Transportation to and from Campo Grande and to all tours within Bonito: $400 (We did not rent a car)

*High season pricing due to Brazil’s Independence Day holiday on September 7th.

Other tips for visiting Bonito

Cell service and wifi

Cell service is only readily available in the city of Bonito. The further outside the city you go, the weaker the cell signal. Just about all tour sites have free wifi available for visitors to use. If you are driving yourself to and from tours, be sure to know the route ahead of time because you won’t have service for most of the drives once outside of the town.

Mato Grosso do Sul is in the “Amazon” time zone and is one hour behind Brazil’s major cities like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Transportation

There is no public transportation available to and from tours. Options are rental car, car service, personal vehicle, and tour bus.

In downtown Bonito there is a taxi stand in the main plaza, Praça da Liberdade, in front of the Mercado Ariane grocery store. It costs R$25 to go from the plaza to Chalé do Bosque (1.7 miles).

We were told Bonito had Uber by a local pharmacy worker, but every time we checked, there were no drivers available.

Safety

We saw no homelessness or people pandering for money while there. We felt very comfortable walking 30 minutes in the dark to and from the downtown area and the hotel staff reassured us that it was a safe walk for tourists. More than one tourism industry worker told us there is little crime in Bonito because everyone has a job.

That said, I’m sure some petty crime can happen from time to time as it does anywhere in the world. Always be aware of your surroundings and don’t leave personal items unattended in busy downtown areas.

Bonito is perfect for travelers seeking adventure and nature and also want to come home to a nice hotel room and restaurant dinner. Need more information about tours in Bonito? Check out my post that features Bonito’s best tours here!