Alone in The Dark
I was by myself in Brazil. My friend had flown to Peru to meet up with his family, my other friend had flown home and I wasn’t supposed to meet up with someone else for a few weeks. I was a little nervous to be honest; I had heard many horror stories.
“Did you know that Salvador da Bahia is the most dangerous city in the world?” some people asked me. “You should NEVER take your camera out with you. If you take your camera with you, you will surely get mugged, or killed!”
“Make sure you try not to act like a tourist. They will rob you for sure.”
“You should never walk around at night, even WITH someone else”.
“You shouldn’t stay in the Pelourinho (the old town). It’s very dangerous.”
I had heard it all before....
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Bonito Mato Grosso do Sul
Bonito, one of the principal gateways to the region of Pantanal, is itself a city with huge biodiversity and one of the top eco-tourism destinations in Brazil. Just as the name says (Bonito=beautiful) the mother nature has created an amazing number of wonders in this region. The caverns and rivers with transparent blue waters form unique diving and snorkeling spots allowing you to admire this vibrant subacuatic world formed by fresh water springs.
Beside of snorkeling the diverse eco-tourism attractions of Bonito take you to the waterfalls and rivers. Adventure hikes reveal the richness of flora and fauna in this region. Thanks to the well-organized tourism sector, Bonito has conserved the beauty of its' attractions and avoided the negative impact of tourism by limiting a number of tourists visiting the sights. It's also worth remembering that the access to all eco-tourism sights in Bonito is allowed only with a qualifield accompanying guide.
LOCATION:
Bonito located in the southwestern corner of Mato Grosso do Sul state. The closest airport receiving national flights is located in Campo Grande, the capital of the state, approximately 280 km of distance from Bonito. The easiest and the quickest access to reach Bonito is by taking a private transfer, which takes you from Campo Grande to Bonito in about 3 hours.
BEST TIME TO VISIT:
Bonito can be visited at any time of the year, though often the rainy season in between December and March is said to be the best one, due to the green vegetation and animals coming out of their hides in search of alimentation.
WHAT TO DO:
Participate on excursions taking you to the shores of Formosa river, where many activities including snorkeling in crystal clear waters can be practised. Out of the shoreside destinations Balneário do Sol, Balneário Municipal and Praia da Figueira tend to be the most popular places to be explored. Visit also the cave of Gruta do Lago Azul, hike through the wild vegetation, practise horseback riding or feel emotions while rappeling in the middle of this beautiful nature.
Tourism attractions in Bonito
Bonito is one of the main ecological destinations in Brazil. Bonito has a rare combination of crystaline rivers and lagoons, caves and forests. There is a huge variety of colorful fishes, which can be observed very closely.
Places to visit:
Gruta do Lago Azul (Grotto of Blue Lagoon). This is a calcareous cave, with stalactites and stalagmites. The cave was found in 1924, and since 1978 it was declared National Heritage.
Inside the cave, 340 meters from the entrance, there is the Blue Lagoon; the Blue Lagoon is 70 m deep and 120 m wide, with waters incredibly blue.
Best epoch to visit the Groot is from November to January, from 8h30 am to 9h00 am; during this short time frame, the sun rays reach the entrance of the cave, illuminating the interior.
Notice: access is forbidden for children under 5 y.o. There is an entrance fee of R$ 25 (2005).
Floating. The rivers of Bonito have a high concentration of calcareous; this has two effects useful for nature admirers: it facilitates the boyance and gives the water a high transparency (up to 30 meters, in some points).
The practice of floating consists in, wearing mask, snorkel and neoprene suit, to float on the surface of the water while being carried by the stream. The vision is of rare beauty: colorful fishes (piraputangas, dourados, pintados, piaus) and the rich underwater flora.
Shops and tour operators rent water proof cameras.
Best period for practice of floating is between June and September, the dry season, when the waters become more crystaline.
Diving. Bonito is the main destination in Brazil for diving in rivers and lagoons (for diving in sea water, Fernando de Noronha is more popular). There are specific points for people with different levels of experience (basic, advanced, certified).
The flooded caves, like Abismo Anhumas and Gruta do Mimoso, are exclusive for the more experienced divers. For beginers, there are introdutory courses on the rivers da Prata and Formoso.
In any case, the diving trips must be intermediated by tour operators; equipment is available for rent.
There are several other activies in Bonito, all related to eco tourism. The parks around the city have trails for trekking, usually ending in a waterfall or other landscape to be admired. Many caves and lagoons are also visited by trekkers.
There are shops offering products crafted by the indians of the tribe kadiwéu, who live in the region.
Places to visit:
Gruta do Lago Azul (Grotto of Blue Lagoon). This is a calcareous cave, with stalactites and stalagmites. The cave was found in 1924, and since 1978 it was declared National Heritage.
Inside the cave, 340 meters from the entrance, there is the Blue Lagoon; the Blue Lagoon is 70 m deep and 120 m wide, with waters incredibly blue.
Best epoch to visit the Groot is from November to January, from 8h30 am to 9h00 am; during this short time frame, the sun rays reach the entrance of the cave, illuminating the interior.
Notice: access is forbidden for children under 5 y.o. There is an entrance fee of R$ 25 (2005).
Floating. The rivers of Bonito have a high concentration of calcareous; this has two effects useful for nature admirers: it facilitates the boyance and gives the water a high transparency (up to 30 meters, in some points).
The practice of floating consists in, wearing mask, snorkel and neoprene suit, to float on the surface of the water while being carried by the stream. The vision is of rare beauty: colorful fishes (piraputangas, dourados, pintados, piaus) and the rich underwater flora.
Shops and tour operators rent water proof cameras.
Best period for practice of floating is between June and September, the dry season, when the waters become more crystaline.
Diving. Bonito is the main destination in Brazil for diving in rivers and lagoons (for diving in sea water, Fernando de Noronha is more popular). There are specific points for people with different levels of experience (basic, advanced, certified).
The flooded caves, like Abismo Anhumas and Gruta do Mimoso, are exclusive for the more experienced divers. For beginers, there are introdutory courses on the rivers da Prata and Formoso.
In any case, the diving trips must be intermediated by tour operators; equipment is available for rent.
There are several other activies in Bonito, all related to eco tourism. The parks around the city have trails for trekking, usually ending in a waterfall or other landscape to be admired. Many caves and lagoons are also visited by trekkers.
There are shops offering products crafted by the indians of the tribe kadiwéu, who live in the region.
Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul
Bonito is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso da Sul. Its population was 17,275 (2007) and its area is 4,934 km².[1].Bonito is in the middle of a region which is being discovered as "Caribe do Centro-Oeste" (Caribbean of the Central-West) due to the unbelievable blue colour of its waters.
Owing to the enormous quantity of limestone in the ground, the water of these rivers passes through a real natural filter where impurities are deposited at the bottom of the river bed, leaving the rivers to be some of the clearest and most transparent in the world. A number of fish and plant species have adapted to this high calcium environment, so that all rivers teem with life. The government of the region has consciously aimed to promote tourism and develop infrastructure for receiving and directing tourists, while strictly controlling the numbers of tourists allowed. These limitations are aimed at preserving the rich natural beauty of the area, maintaining popular tourist sites as close as possible to their natural state.
There are more than 30 tours available in and around the Bonito area. The majority of the tours are based around exploring the ecology and natural environment of the area. Almost all of the tours need to be booked through an official tourist agency in the town and require an accredited guide, although this will be organised at the time of booking. Some of these most popular tours include:
- Abismo Anhumas (Anhumas Abism) -
- Rio da Prata (Silver River) - This award-winning snorkelling tour features crystal-clear water, lots of fish,a walk through the forest and a delicious lunch.
- Aquário Natural (Natural Aquarium) - The tour starts with a 25 minute walk through the jungle, followed by a 900 m snorkel, where you float with fish and appreciate the underwater vegetation. After starting the trek where you can see varieties of animals of the region, you can finish with a visit to the museum of natural history.
- Circuito Arvorismo (The trees circuit) - The adventure trek allows you to walk through the treetops on a suspended steel walkway installed in native trees such as Aroeira and Mahogany. The walkways have platforms fixed in the trees, varying in height from 10 to 20m.
- Gruta do Lago Azul (Blue Lake Cave) - The tour starts with a 10 minute walk to the entrance of the cave, which was discovered by a local Indian in 1924. In its interior, after descending 100 meters, it is possible to see the lake of crystal clear water and depth of approximately 90 meters, which makes it one of world’s biggest flooded caves.
Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul
The river water around the town of Bonito is startlingly clear. Depending on the light, the waters here can appear bright turquoise, and its clarity makes it easy to see the fish that make rivers such as the Sucuri River, their home. You might encounter diverse species such as the large round piraputanga and the tiny gleaming silver fish, aptly named 'shiners'.
The water is crystal clear because it filters naturally though the region's limestone rock. With snorkels and floatation devices you can drift along with the current enjoying the view of the vegetation and wildlife as you go, as the dappled sunlight brightens the river floor. There are a number of Brazil tours that enable you to enjoy Brazilian scenery in this way; most are comprised of a combination of overland trekking and underwater exploration.
Preserving the beauty of the area around Bonito is a priority for local people, so operators offering Brazil tours have to be registered and the number of visitors to the region is regulated. This means those who visit on holidays to Brazil are a privileged few.
Boca da Onca Waterfall
The Boca da Onca Waterfall is one of several falls near Bonito. You can find it in an area of forest that is lush and green. People enjoying their Brazil tours here will be invited to take a dip in the picturesque plunge pool at the base of the falls, where you can feel the rhythm of the water falling around you.
The water drops from a height of about a hundred metres, cascading in several sections, rounding and smoothing the rocks into curved shapes. There are steps in the pools and caves in the walls of the gorge that you can swim through.
Once again, ecological concerns mean that visitors on holidays to Brazil are asked to take a shower before they enter the pools because some chemicals in sun cream can be poisonous to fish and local wildlife. If you're lucky, you might see vultures, toucans, armadillos or anteaters in the area surrounding the falls.
The Blue Lake Cave (Gruta do Lago Azul)
A hundred metres underground you can see the Blue Lake Cave, which is filled with water to a depth of a further ninety metres. When undisturbed, the surface of the lake provides a magical mirror image of the rock formations above. Stalactites and stalagmites bedeck the sides and ceiling of the cave in straw-like, feathery or bulbous shapes left by deposits over thousands of years. There are great opportunities to take some stunning Brazil holiday photos here.
The best time to visit the cave is in the morning. At this time of day, the sunlight will shine through a hole in the grotto's ceiling to show the true colours of the water, with hues of sapphire or topaz. Scuba divers on archaeological expeditions have discovered the bones of prehistoric animals in the cave. Although home to animals for aeons, the cave was not discovered by man until 1924, and now its beauty can be enjoyed by visitors on holidays to Brazil.
Bird Watching Prospects in the Amazon Rainforest
Once you catch bird watching fever, the completion of your life list will become a dream. In that dream, there is little doubt that you will see the famous Amazon Rainforest.
Bird Watching Prospects in the Amazon Rainforest
Encompassing about 1,500 species in the land where the world's second longest river flows, the Amazon Rainforest is a unique birding habitat . This region of South America from the Peruvian Andes to the South Atlantic in Brazil is known as Amazonia.
The Amazon River and shoreline is a major destination for bird watchers with 4,000 miles of shoreline. It is estimated that about 15 percent of all known bird species in the world have their habitat here, which represents only 4 percent of the planet's land surface.
The Amazon Rainforest is a 7 million km square (1.2 billion acres) moist broad leaf forest from 9 nations, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Brazil, the country which encompasses 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest. The range of nations and the characteristics of the forest contribute to making this region home of the world's tiniest hummingbirds. The area includes such rare species as the hoatzin, toucan, and the umbrella bird.
Amazonia forest also represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests, one of the few areas where bird watchers can find such life list necessities as exotic parrots, umbrella birds and trogons. The high diversity of Amazon species includes resident species, wintering in, migrating birds, or just passing though the region.
Few of the species are found throughout the vast rainforest. Instead, each has particular habitats in particular areas. Species at the base of the Andes are far different than those found closer to the vast Amazon River basin. In short, one has to have a thorough knowledge of specific species before simply heading down to South America on a birding expedition.
The Amazon Rainforest represents one of the last great ecological environments on our planet. Alas, humanity is encroaching on it every day, slashing and burning acre after acre. While it is nice to imagine this destruction will soon stop, it is best to pursue any birding trip in the next ten years or so. After all, the planet is changing and they think there may be trees growing on Antarctica in the next hundred years or so!
Pantanal
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| Tuiui (source) |
We were hoping to see an anaconda and a giant anteater and a jaguar...or an anaconda eating an anteater and both of them being eaten by a jaguar... but it was not meant to be. We did see an anteater named Phillipe when we got to the border town of Corumba. It was really cool. He was really big and has no teeth but will suck on your fingers and lick you with his weird tongue. He does have large claws, but is basically like a big funny looking dog. (pics will be put online later)
Now we are in Bolivia. We just arrived today after a long (23 hours) 
ride on the Death Train, which goes from Quijarros (the border) to Santa Cruz. The ride was good, although long, and we did not have any scary situations. The reason it is called the Death Train is because apparently in the 80s they used to carry a lot of contraband in the inside of the train and the people would ride on the top. The train used to derail a lot and many of the people on the top got killed. Hence the name. But now it does not derail as much and I did not see anyone riding on the top (or any contraband *wink, wink*)
ride on the Death Train, which goes from Quijarros (the border) to Santa Cruz. The ride was good, although long, and we did not have any scary situations. The reason it is called the Death Train is because apparently in the 80s they used to carry a lot of contraband in the inside of the train and the people would ride on the top. The train used to derail a lot and many of the people on the top got killed. Hence the name. But now it does not derail as much and I did not see anyone riding on the top (or any contraband *wink, wink*)Next stop, the Jesuit Mission Circuit, which is a few hours East of the town of Santa Cruz, where we are now. We are excited to be in Bolivia, but it is going to be hard to adjust to the temperature after being in the warmth of Brazil for so long! Where we are going in the next couple weeks, it gets way below freezing! Oh and now that I finally learned a few words in Portuguese, I have to switch my brain back to Spanish! Oh mio dios...