Bonito

After leaving the Pantanal we soon arrived into our next stop in Bonito. The small town of Bonito in the southern Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul is perfectly located in a beautiful and unique area. The area's main attractions are the crystal clear rivers, springs and the stunning caves, not to mention the abundant wildlife, which includes monkeys, alligators, anacondas, over 30 varieties of fish and tremendous birdlife. Unsurprisingly, the town is often described as the "eco-tourism capital of Brazil". With 3 nights here we had lots of time to explore and I spent the evening by the pool, eating dinner at the hostel. Prior to us arriving there were 5 trucks here but it was just the other dragoman trucks when we arrived on their last night, so we just partied.

Thursday was an opportunity so see the abundance of fish life on a river snorkeling trip down the Rio Sucuri. I however somehow didn't make it to my room the night before and woke up in the hammock. After breakfast we took the short drive to the river where we had to put on a wetsuit for the activity. After a short walk through the jungle we arrived at this crystal clear river full of fish and we able to snorkel downstream, just letting the river flow take us. There were lots of fish and river plant life, although I didn't see an anaconda.

After the snorkeling we returned to the centre where a buffet lunch was provided, before returning to the hostel via town. In town I purchased a new pair of havaianas and accidentally brought an inflatable crocodile. I then spent the afternoon relaxing in the hammock. Come evening I went out for dinner where I shared this platter with someone, with the meats being caiman, capybara, and piranha, and an array of side dishes. It was really good. We then went out in town, checking out a few of the local bars before finally ending up at another hostel for a party. It was actually a really good night out although a slightly late one.

Come morning I woke up in the hammock again and after little sleep just decided to go out for the day. Surrounding Bonito there are many caves and swimming holes so I basically hired a bike and cycled out to this river which was effectively a municipal pool. When arriving there were lots of people there and I went swimming with all the fish of which there were loads! They even jumped out water when you put some bait on a stick. After relaxing here for a bit I had lunch which was just burger and chips.

After the river I cycled to this ecological museum with a cave tour. The museum had lots of stuffed animals and retro artefacts, and after having a nap in the hammock went on a tour of the nearby cave. It was full of stalactites and bats and the formations were very interesting. I even had a translater as the tour was in Portuguese. I then cycled back into town and returned to the hostel by dinner so it was quite a long day. I just had dinner at the hostel and had an early night as I was tired.