Want to visit Bonito, in the southern Brazilian Pantanal, but don’t know where to start? Come with me and I’ll share everything you need to know to finally make your dream of visiting Bonito a reality!
Imagine a destination where adventure and tranquility go hand in hand, where crystal-clear rivers wind through lush vegetation, and waterfalls flow into calm, emerald-green pools. Bonito isn’t just another stop on a Brazil itinerary; it’s the kind of place that stays with you.
With its stunning caves, both dry and submerged, impressive sinkholes, and dramatic rocky landscapes, Bonito offers scenery unlike anywhere else in the country. And the wildlife? You’ll feel like you’re on a safari, with the incredible variety of animals you can encounter across the Cerrado, the Atlantic Forest, and the southern Pantanal.
This part of the Pantanal is a vast flooded savanna, home to one of the richest and most unique ecosystems in the world — and visiting it adds a completely different dimension to your Brazil trip.
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How to make the most of your visit to Bonito, in Brazil
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– Bonito boasts one of the best tourism infrastructures in Brazil, extremely well organized and very professional. It’s one of those places that doesn’t fall short of any ecotourism destination in the world, so you’re unlikely to run into any hassle unless you go looking for it.
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– All of Bonito’s attractions are located in rural areas and are quite spread out. You’ll need your own rental car or a private transfer to get around. The roads leading to the attractions are dirt roads, but don’t worry, they’re well maintained, and even a regular car will get you there without trouble.
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– All tours in Bonito are guided in small groups, with a strong focus on safety and environmental conservation. Your guide’s instructions are key: leave only footprints and take only memories.
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– Booking your activities in advance is essential, so be sure to use a trusted agency or an online platform such as Civitatis, which offers a wider range of activities in Bonito than Get Your Guide.
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– The infrastructure at the tour sites is excellent: you’ll find bathrooms, changing rooms, Wi-Fi, snack bars, and even restaurants at many of them. However, don’t rely on mobile coverage — it’s weak and unstable, although you may get a signal in some spots.
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– Bonito is a great destination for traveling with children, especially those aged 7 and up.
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– You’ll encounter many international visitors in Bonito, and some guides are fluent in English and Spanish. So don’t hesitate to visit Bonito even if you are not fluent in Portuguese. During our visit, we met Germans, French, North Americans, and Japanese tourists, all equally captivated by Bonito’s beauty.
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– While Bonito is the best-known town with the most developed infrastructure, many of the attractions often associated with it are actually spread across nearby towns like Jardim and Bodoquena, in the area known as Serra da Bodoquena.
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When to visit Bonito, Brazil
Bonito is a destination you can enjoy year-round.
Located in the southern Pantanal in Brazil, it’s hot, very hot, throughout the year. Think maximum temperatures around 30ºC, with minimums that rarely drop below 20ºC.
In the winter months (from May to September), temperatures become a bit milder, but don’t expect it to be cold. The minimum might dip to around 14ºC, but the days are still warm. Be prepared for the heat, bring a hat, sunscreen, and everything you’d pack for a summer trip.
What really changes throughout the year in Bonito is the rainfall. In summer, especially from October to March, it rains a lot. January and February mark the peak of the rainy season. In winter, the rain takes a break, but you can still expect the occasional shower.
It’s usually recommended to visit Bonito during the dry season, from May to September, when the rivers are clearer, rain doesn’t interfere with your activities, and wildlife is easier to spot.
But if you, like us, aren’t afraid of a little rain (😂) or only have January and February to travel (🙋🏻), don’t think twice, go to Bonito even outside the ideal season. You won’t regret it.
We visited Bonito during Carnival, in mid-February, and it was perfect. It was my second time visiting Bonito during Carnival, and I have no regrets. The days were hot and cloudy, with just one night of rain, which didn’t affect our activities at all.
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How long to stay in Bonito
What a tough question to answer! 😂 If it were up to me, I’d stay in Bonito indefinitely, until I either got tired of all the natural beauty (or ran out of money, which would definitely happen first).
But seriously, you can experience Bonito’s main attractions in just 4 days.
If you have more time, even better! A week would be ideal to explore the top spots in Bonito and the Serra da Bodoquena area. Just take a look at the post about the tours we did during our 4-day stay: there are at least ten more tours I wish I had done but didn’t have time for.
With 3-days in Bonito, you can see and do a lot. Take a look at our suggestions and check the details of each activity to choose your favorites. If you’re traveling with children, it’s also worth checking the minimum age for each tour to decide which ones are the best fit.
Only have 2 days to visit Bonito? It really depends on your situation, especially how long it takes to get there. If you’re nearby and won’t spend too much time traveling to and from Bonito, then just go and make the most of those two days.
Coming from other parts of Brazil and planning to fly into Campo Grande? In that case, the trip is worth it, in my opinion, if you have at least three full days to spend in Bonito.
To rent a car, I always use RentCars, where I usually find the best options, and with the DANAE promo code you still get an additional 5% off. Shall we go?
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How to get to Bonito, Brazil
Bonito is located about 260 km from Campo Grande Airport. If you’re visiting Brazil, you’ll likely start your trip in São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, the country’s major gateways.
From either São Paulo or Rio, you can catch a direct flight to Campo Grande (CGR), the closest major airport to Bonito. Once you arrive, the most convenient way to reach Bonito is to rent a car and drive. The journey takes around 3 hours and 30 minutes on well-maintained, clearly signposted, toll-free roads.
Depending on your flight schedule, you may be able to fit in a tour on the day you arrive or depart. For example, on our last day, we managed to do the Boca da Onça tour in the morning before driving back to Campo Grande for our flight on the next early morning.
Bonito does have its own airport (BYO), but it only receives a limited number of commercial flights. Currently, Azul offers flights from Campinas twice a week, and GOL has one weekly flight from São Paulo. If the timing works out for you, flying directly into Bonito can be a great option, saving you both time and the cost of the drive from Campo Grande.
For those considering a road trip, Bonito is also accessible by car from other locations. It’s 350 km from Corumbá (near the Bolivian border), 630 km from Presidente Prudente, and 650 km from Rondonópolis.
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How to get around Bonito and Serra da Bodoquena
In Bonito, all the tours take place in rural areas, and everything is quite spread out. You’ll need a car to get around, but you can also book a private transfer or join tours that include transportation.
To get to the attractions, you’ll start on paved roads and then switch to dirt roads. The ones we drove on were in good condition, and our small rental car (the cheapest available) handled it all just fine.
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Where to stay in Bonito
We stayed at the lovely Pousada Olho d’Água, a charming guesthouse with spacious rooms, very comfortable beds, a swimming pool, a beautiful garden, and plenty of hammocks. I can’t recommend it enough. The only downside is that it’s a bit far from the town center, so if you don’t have a car, you’ll either have a bit of a walk or need to call a taxi / Uber.
In the town center, you’ll find a wide range of places to stay. If you’re on a budget, Pousada Arte da Natureza is a great choice — some friends stayed there and absolutely loved it. For more budget-friendly options, Pousada Cheiro de Mato and Pousada Papaya also seem to offer great value for money.
More into resorts? Zagaia Eco Resort is the best in town. But if you want my honest opinion, staying in a resort is completely unnecessary in Bonito.
As for Campo Grande, if you need to stay overnight, whether for an early morning flight (as we did) or because your flight arrives at night, I recommend Aeroporto Plaza Hotel, a very basic, no-frills option that does exactly what you need it to do: a clean room and a bed for the night. It’s located right across from the airport, just cross the street and you’re in the departure hall.
Check availability and rates here:
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What to do in Bonito in four days
This itinerary includes a bit of everything the southern Pantanal has to offer: floating tours, caves, easy hikes and waterfalls, and it’s exactly what we did during our 4-day trip to Bonito:
Day 1: Floating on Rio da Prata & Buraco das Araras (Macaw Hole)
Day 2: Gruta do Lago Azul (Blue Lake Grotto) & Eco Park Porto da Ilha for a boat trip on the Formoso River
Day 3: Grutas de São Miguel (São Miguel Caves) & Floating on the Sucuri River (alternatively, you can visit Aquário Natural or Nascente Azul)
Day 4: Hiking and waterfalls at Boca da Onça
Feel free to rearrange the days to suit your preferences.
Want more details? I’ve covered each of these tours in this post, along with our impressions and other suggestions.
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Map of what to do in Bonito, Brazil, in four days
On this map, you’ll find everything we did during our 4-day trip to Bonito, including the tours we took, where we stayed, the restaurants we enjoyed, and other useful points around the region. Click on the markers to see more details for each location. You can zoom in, move around the map, and explore the different areas to help plan your own itinerary.
How to use this map: Click the menu tab in the upper left corner of the map to access different layers, including points of interest and routes. You can toggle layers on and off by checking the corresponding boxes. To see details about specific locations, click on the icons on the map.
To save this map to your Google Maps account, just click the star icon next to the map title. To access it later on your phone or computer, open Google Maps, tap the menu button, go to “Your Places”, select “Maps”, and you’ll find this map saved there.
Where to eat in Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul
Don’t miss Juanita Restaurant. The must-try dish here is the Pacu na Brasa (grilled pacu fish), simply divine. Even if there’s a long line, it’s totally worth the wait, trust me.
One night, we dined at Pantanal Grill and really enjoyed it.
For a quick meal between tours, we stopped at Quintal Pantaneiro, a pay-by-weight restaurant with great value for money.
For pizzas, we tried Zapi Zen Pizzeria and Venus Pizzeria. I preferred the second one, but the first is very popular, with some nice sidewalk tables.
Casa de João also came highly recommended, but when we tried to go, the line was too long, and the kids were too hungry to wait.
Here are the websites I always use to plan my trips:
– 🛌 Accommodation: Booking
– ☀️ Tours & activities: Civitatis & Get Your Guide
– 📱 eSIM for mobile data: Airalo e-SIM – use promo code DANAE2375
– 🚗 Car rental: RentCars – use promo code DANAE
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All our posts about traveling in Brazil, be sure to check them out before planing a trip to my home country:
- Brazilian Amazon – How to visit the Amazon Rainforest
- What to do in Alter do Chão: Exploring amazonian beaches and rainforests in Brazil
- What to do in Chapada dos Guimaraes, Mato Grosso
- The best tours to do in Bonito, Brazil, in 4 days
- Ultimate Guide to Bonito: Exploring the Southern Brazilian Pantanal’s Hidden Paradise
- Complete guide to visiting Lençóis Maranhenses: Tips and essential itinerary
- Chapada das Mesas – Complete itinerary: what to do, where to stay, how to get there
- What to do in Pirenópolis: ecotourism and history in the interior of Goiás
- Chapada dos Veadeiros – Complete guide: best waterfalls, accommodations and many tips.
Check out all our posts about traveling in Central and South America:
Colombia
- What to do in 3 days in Bogotá
- What to do in Cartagena de Indias – Colombia
- How to visit Tayrona National Park – the most beautiful beaches in mainland Colombia
- The best of Colombia – 12-day itinerary
Argentina
- Northern Argentina: a 10-day itinerary through Salta and Jujuy
- El Calafate and Perito Moreno Glacier – the best of Argentinan Patagonia
- The best of Ushuaia: a 4-day itinerary for spring and autumn
Chile
Belize
- One week in Belize: a perfect itinerary for first-time visitors
- What to do in Belize: the best of San Ignacio, Caye Ambergris and Caye Caulker
Guatemala
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