Brazil Travel Blog

Bonito is an eco-tourism destination quite popular among Brazilians and little known among foreigners. It is located in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, in the southernmost tip of the Pantanal region. There is an entry for Bonito on this blog, destination: Bonito. From the trip made in 2001 I uploaded a handful of snapshots (taken with a 1MP digital camera and with a reflex camera and then scanned at home) at Photo album: Bonito.

Now Emília, a Brazilian friend of this blog, has began her own blog: A Turista Acidental. Her first trip report is about Bonito, where she went recently. The entries of her blog are quite extense and filled with useful information and plenty of photographs. It is in Portuguese, though. No language skills needed to look at the pictures but you will need some basic linguistic skills to understand the texts.

Emília’s trip report begins at Bonito: Páginas Amarelas and going back in time takes us to Anhumas abyss, snorkelling on the rio da Prata, waterfalls on the rio Peixe, Acuario natural, Gruta del Lago Azul and snorkelling on the rio Sucuri.

If you needed more reasons to make up your mind whether to go to Bonito or not, now you have them. Emília loved it. I loved it too. Fun that does not harm the environment.

How do I get from Buenos Aires to Porto Alegre?

There are at least two companies going from Buenos Aires to Porto Alegre: Pluma Internacional and Flechabus.

Pluma has no prices nor timetables on its page (you have to call a telephone number), but the trip with Flechabus (company that provides information on its website) costs from AR$198. It’s a 17-hour trip.

[Don't forget there is a list of all the questions & answers published in the blog here]

rio, sao_paulo, san_pablo, angra, angra_dos_reis, pousadas

How do I get from São Paulo to Florianópolis?

There are two public transportation options to take you to Florianópolis, the plane and the bus.

The main airlines (TAM, Gol and Varig) fly to Florianopolis both from Congonhas and from Guarulhos airports in São Paulo. The cheapest fare available as I’m writing this entry is R$141, one way, airport taxes included, with GOL.

The bus trip last approximately 11 hours and the bus leaves from the Terminal Tietê in São Paulo (how to get from Guarulhos to the Terminal Tietê). One way tickets from R$71. Some companies going to Florianópolis are 1001, Catarinense end Eucatur.

[Don't forget there is a list of all the questions & answers published in the blog here]

florianopolis, camboriu, santa_catarina, bombinhas, rio, sao_paulo, san_pablo

Bonito is a very popular ecotourism destination not very well known outisde Brazil. The main reason for its relatively unknown status outside Brazil might be due to its remote location (see the GoogleMaps link below): Bonito is a village in the southernmost part of the Pantanal, 300 km away from the nearest major airport (Campo Grande).

WE LIKE THE MOST: the crystalline waters of the rivers around Bonito, snorkelling surrounded by fish, the apparent concern for the environment

WE LIKE THE LEAST: the big distances that need to be covered through dirt roads to get to the different attractions; the construction of large hotels and a landing strip; the expensive prices of the trips

HOW TO GET THERE: there are two options: by bus (from São Paulo, it’s a 15-hour journey) or by plane (to Campo Grande and from there a three-hour drive to Bonito)

CAREFUL WITH: anacondas in the Sucuri river (no, I’m just kidding; I mean, there are anacondas but you won’t come across them)

FAVOURITE PLACES: the Gruta Azul, the Sucurí river, the Rio da Prata, the Buraco das Araras

PIECE OF ADVICE:

• the different natural attractions have a maximum number of visitors allowed each day – the limit is strictly enforced. Don’t go anywhere without booking first
• take an underwater camera, even if it is a disposable one
• don’t forget to bring plenty of insect repellent with you
• don’t expect big emotions from the whitewater rafting at the Formoso river, there is just one exciting rapid, the rest is all calm
• if you buy a package holiday to Bonito, do find out which trips are included; the main trips are very expensive, from R$150 upwards

LINKS: Bonito Turismo (city council), Bonito Online

WEATHER FORECAST: The weather in Bonito for the next 10 days

GOOGLE MAPS: Bonito

PHOTOS: Bonito

SEE ALSO ON THIS BLOG: Bonito - trip report

[Don’t forget to check out the list of other destinations already covered in this blog, here]

brazil, travel

Exceptionally, this review covers not just one destination but several of them, in the vicinity of Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais. We are talking about the Cidades Históricas (Historical Cities). The best well-known are Ouro Preto (Unesco World Heritage Site), Mariana, São Jõao del Rei, Tiradentes, Congonhas and Sabará. The other jewel on the crown is Diamantina, far away from the others, which I will not cover here as I haven’t visited it yet.

WE LIKE THE MOST: the outstanding collection of colonial baroque art, the crafts, the food

WE LIKE THE LEAST: the alarming deterioration of the artistic heritage with the utter connivance of the authorities. Unesco have repeteadly expressed their concern with the state of Ouro Preto

HOW TO GET THERE: The Cidades Históricas can only be reached by road. You will need to you use a rented car, the public transport system, or embark on a one-day trip from Belo Horizonte.

CAREFUL WITH: it gets very cold on the mountain region during the Brazilian winter; the “comida mineira” (food from the region), as delicious as it is caloric; the notorious roads in the region, with one of the hightest accident rates for the whole of Brazil

FAVOURITE PLACES: Congonhas, the church of Nossa Senhora de Ó in Sabará, the steam train between Tiradentes and São João del Rei, Tiradentes, Mariana

PIECE OF ADVICE:

• there is plenty to see in Ouro Preto, you will easily fill a day visiting the town; Mariana is nearby, a couple of hours to visit the village will be enough
• São João del Rei and Tiradentes can be visited on the same trip, there is a steam train linking both places

LINKS: Associação das Cidades Históricas de Minas Gerais, Ouro Preto, Tiradentes, São João del Rei, Tiradentes, Conheça Minas pela Internet

WEATHER FORECAST: The weather in Ouro Preto for the next 10 days

GOOGLE MAPS: Cidades Históricas

PHOTOS: Cidades Históricas

[Don’t forget to check out the list of other destinations already covered in this blog, here]

noronha, fernando_de_noronha, brazil, travel