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Half above, half below: a crystal-clear river with water plants over a sandy bed, and green banks above, on the Rio Sucuri near Bonito

Sample journey · 8–10 days

Glass-clear rivers and red cliffs: Bonito and the Chapada dos Guimarães

Campo Grande, Bonito, the Blue Lake cave, Buraco das Araras & the Chapada dos Guimarães

Photo: Azzedine Rouichi / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Bonito is a small town in Mato Grosso do Sul whose surrounding rivers are among the clearest in the world: limestone binds the sediment, leaving water so transparent that as you float downstream in a mask you see every fish, every plant and every ripple of sand on the bed. Around it lie caves of blue water, waterfalls and a sinkhole where macaws nest. Everything here is carefully protected: visitor numbers at each site are limited, which keeps them peaceful, and every outing comes with a guide.

After Bonito, a flight north to the Chapada dos Guimarães National Park near Cuiabá, where red sandstone cliffs rise above savannah and forest and waterfalls drop from their edges. The journey is for families and active travellers who want adventure without great challenge: walks are short, the water is warm and the evenings are quiet. Stays are welcoming guesthouses or farms with a pool and a garden visited by birds at dusk. The Pantanal, which features in another journey, isn't repeated here, but it's easy to add.

The route

The journey

  1. Campo Grande
  2. Bonito
  3. The Sucuri & Prata rivers
  4. The Blue Lake cave
  5. Buraco das Araras
  6. Cuiabá
  7. Chapada dos Guimarães
  1. The Bioparque Pantanal aquarium building with its circular tower, seen from the air in Campo Grande

    01Days 1–2 · Campo Grande

    An aquarium in a savannah city

    A flight via São Paulo or another hub to Campo Grande, capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, and one night here to shake off the journey. The next morning, before heading to Bonito, the Bioparque Pantanal, one of the largest freshwater aquariums in Latin America. Its tanks hold the same river fish you'll see in the wild a few days later, so it's a great introduction for children: they learn to recognise dourado, pacu and piraputanga before they even get in the water. After lunch, about four hours south-west through pastures and soy fields. On the way, flat-topped hills appear in the distance, and in the evening you reach Bonito, a quiet town with one main street, ice-cream shops and restaurants serving river fish.

  2. Fish above a submerged wooden step and water plants in the crystal-clear Rio Sucuri near Bonito

    02Days 2–4 · Bonito's rivers

    Downstream through liquid glass

    Four nights in Bonito or on a farm nearby. The defining experience is the 'flutuação': in a wetsuit, mask and buoyancy vest, you drift silently downstream on one of the spring-fed rivers, such as the Sucuri or the Prata. The water is so clear it feels like gliding through air: water plants sway beneath you, spring water bubbles up through the sand, and shoals of silver and golden fish, entirely unafraid of people, swim around you. You float slowly for an hour or two, without touching the bottom, so the water stays clear. Beforehand comes a short forest walk, where monkeys or toucans sometimes appear. The next day, waterfalls on the Rio Formoso or on a farm, with natural pools for swimming and rocks to jump from, which children remember for a long time.

  3. The vivid blue underground lake beneath a ceiling of stalactites in the Blue Lake cave near Bonito

    03Days 4–6 · The Blue Lake cave & Buraco das Araras

    A blue lake underground and macaws in a sinkhole

    In the morning, the Blue Lake cave: steps lead down into a vast limestone chamber, at the back of which lies an astonishingly blue underground lake ringed by stalactites. It's at its most vivid when sunlight through the entrance reaches the water, usually on summer mornings. In the afternoon, about an hour by road to Buraco das Araras, a vast sinkhole whose red walls drop more than a hundred metres. Red-and-green macaws live here: from viewing platforms on the rim you watch them glide down in pairs to nests in the rock, and as the evening light fades they return, calling. The last day in Bonito is free: another float, bikes, or for the bolder, a rope descent into the Anhumas Abyss and snorkelling in its underground lake (adults only, with experienced instructors).

  4. Red sandstone cliffs above a forested valley under a clear sky in the Chapada dos Guimarães

    04Days 6–8 · To the Chapada dos Guimarães

    Red cliffs above the savannah

    Day six is the longest of the journey: about four hours back to Campo Grande, a short flight to Cuiabá and about an hour more up into the hills. The next morning you wake in a completely different landscape: the Chapada dos Guimarães plateau ends abruptly in red sandstone cliffs, with forest and savannah spreading below. Four nights here. The first day is for the viewpoints on the rim: from one you see the Véu de Noiva falls dropping almost ninety metres like a white ribbon into a green valley, from another the plains of Cuiabá far below. A lookout nearby marks what locals call the geographic centre of South America. At sunset the cliffs glow fiery red, and macaws and vultures circle above them.

  5. A forested canyon between flat-topped sandstone cliffs in the Chapada dos Guimarães

    05Days 8–10 · Chapada dos Guimarães

    Waterfalls, caves and a city of stone

    The remaining days are on foot with a guide. The waterfall circuit in the park passes several falls with pools for swimming: the trail is short and good for children, and the water is refreshing even on the hottest day. The next day, the City of Stone, where wind and rain have carved the sandstone into towers and arches that look like ruins, or a longer outing to a huge sandstone cave with a small blue lake at its foot. The savannah here is rich in wildlife: rheas, armadillos or toucans sometimes appear, and in the evenings, clouds of bats. The last evening is quiet, in a garden looking out at the cliffs. On the tenth morning, about an hour to Cuiabá airport and the flight home, or, with a few more days, around four hours south into the northern Pantanal.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Floating downstream

    Drifting quietly in a mask down one of the world's clearest rivers, among shoals of fish and swaying plants.

  2. 02

    The Blue Lake cave

    An underground lake of a blue that's hard to believe at first sight.

  3. 03

    Buraco das Araras

    Red-and-green macaws gliding down into a sinkhole more than a hundred metres deep.

  4. 04

    The cliffs of the Chapada

    The Véu de Noiva falls, swims in waterfall pools and sunset on the red cliffs.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • With younger children

    Shorter floats and farms with natural pools, more rest days, and the one long transfer split with a night in Campo Grande.

  • With the Pantanal

    From Bonito or after the Chapada, a few nights on a Pantanal ranch: caimans, capybaras, hyacinth macaws and, with luck, a jaguar.

  • Choosing the season

    In the dry season (roughly May to September) the rivers are usually at their clearest and the trails dry; summer is greener and hotter, and after heavy rain rivers can cloud for a while.

  • With Iguaçu

    From Campo Grande it's easy to continue to the Iguaçu Falls, with two or three more nights by one of the world's great sights of water.

Practical considerations

  • Visitor numbers at Bonito's sites are limited, visits are always guided, and places must be booked in advance through local agencies. Some activities have age limits, which we check as we plan.
  • Rivers are usually clearest in the dry season (roughly May to September), and can cloud for a while after heavy rain. From May to August nights can be cool.
  • To keep the water clean, sunscreen and insect repellent aren't allowed when floating, so a long-sleeved top is worth bringing.
  • We check current entry requirements for Brazil before you travel, and suggest speaking to a travel health clinic for health advice.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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