# Bonito: map, what to do and when to go

A town in Mato Grosso do Sul at the foot of the Serra da Bodoquena, with clear rivers to float down, caves and sinkholes, and visits controlled by voucher, a required guide and daily spots.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bonito/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Bonito: Direct flight or via Campo Grande?** Bonito Regional Airport (BYO), about 15 km from the center, gets direct flights from Gol, Azul and Latam, with less service; Campo Grande (CGR) has more flights and usually lower fares, and from there it is about 300 km and 4 hours by car.
- **Bonito: Can you buy the ticket at the attraction's door?** For attractions subject to Bonito’s municipal rule, no: booking goes through an accredited agency, which issues the voucher and sets the time, and the Environmental Conservation Fee, R$ 15 per person per day, is paid separately on the turistapornatureza.com.br portal, before you arrive.
- **Bonito: How many days should you stay?** I'd stay four days.

## Gruta do Lago Azul and Abismo Anhumas
In the morning, head to the Gruta do Lago Azul, 21 km away, in sneakers; it is about 300 steps down and the same back up.
- Gruta do Lago Azul
- Abismo Anhumas
- Grutas de São Miguel

## Rio da Prata and Buraco das Araras, in Jardim
Leave Bonito at least 45 minutes before the time booked at the Recanto Ecológico Rio da Prata, 45 km away on a paved road; prefer a morning time.
- Recanto Ecológico Rio da Prata
- Buraco das Araras

## Rio Sucuri and the Estância Mimosa waterfalls
In the morning, do the float of about 1,800 m on the Rio Sucuri, 19 km away, or the same route by boat.
- Rio Sucuri
- Estância Mimosa
- Balneário Municipal

## Gruta do Lago Azul
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bonito/#g-lugar-gruta-do-lago-azul
Bonito · One to two hours
Twenty-one km from town, the cave is Bonito's postcard: a limestone cavern with a lake more than 50 m long, lit by the circular entrance. Between September and February sunlight hits the water and turns the lake blue. The descent is about 300 steps, with sneakers required, and the lake is for looking only: diving is allowed only for research, which is how bones of giant sloths and saber-toothed tigers were found. The area has been protected since 1978, and the visit has a daily limit, so book in advance. The cave's website charges R$ 120 per person in low season and R$ 180 in high season, without transport (checked in October 2026). Takes half a day.
Check access

## Recanto Ecológico Rio da Prata
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bonito/#g-lugar-recanto-ecologico-rio-da-prata
Half a day or more
In Jardim, 45 km from Bonito on a paved road, the Recanto opened in 1995, has been a private reserve (RPPN) since 1999 and only accepts visits booked through a tourism agency. After a walk through the riparian forest, the descent starts at the spring of the Rio Olho d'Água, at 24 °C all year, and continues for about 1.7 km to the mouth, then about 600 m more along the Rio da Prata. The tour takes 4 hours and includes wetsuit, mask, snorkel and vest, plus lunch, served from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. It accepts children from 5 years old, and those under 12 go with their parents. Leave Bonito at least 45 minutes before your scheduled time.
Check access

## Aquário Natural
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bonito/#g-lugar-aquario-natural
One to two hours
Seven km from the center, on the road to Guia Lopes da Laguna, the reserve has the spring of the Rio Baía Bonita. After a trail to the spring, the float covers about 900 m in around 40 minutes, with a boat accompanying the group; the whole tour lasts two and a half hours on average. It is close enough to fit into a morning or afternoon on the day you arrive.
Check access

## Abismo Anhumas
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bonito/#g-lugar-abismo-anhumas
One to two hours
Twenty-three km from town, it is an opening in the ground through which you descend 72 m, by electric rappel, to an underground lake of crystal-clear water with submerged cones. At the bottom there is a boat ride, floating with a snorkel and tank diving: the introductory dive, from 12 years old and with no certification, goes to about 8 m. Groups are small and each group's time is set by the team the day before.
Check access

## Buraco das Araras
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bonito/#g-lugar-buraco-das-araras
Jardim · One to two hours
In Jardim, 55 km from Bonito, it is a sinkhole about 100 m deep and 500 m around, where red macaws live. A 970 m trail circles the rim, with two lookouts, and it is easy for any age; the place records 160 bird species. Takes half a day and combines with the Rio da Prata on the same day.
Check access

## Rio Sucuri
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bonito/#g-lugar-rio-sucuri
Mato Grosso do Sul · One to two hours
Nineteen km from town, the Sucuri float is about 1,800 m long and starts after an easy trail to the springs, with a support boat the whole way. Anyone who doesn't want to get in the water can do the route by boat only. Takes half a day.
Check access

## Estância Mimosa
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bonito/#g-lugar-estancia-mimosa
Bonito · One to two hours
Twenty-five km from town, the farm has forest trails that end at waterfalls. The regional lunch is served at the headquarters, near the lagoon, cooked on a wood stove. It is the waterfall tour for people who have already floated and want a different kind of day.
Check access

## Grutas de São Miguel
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bonito/#g-lugar-grutas-de-sao-miguel
One to two hours
Eighteen km from town, it is a dry cave with artificial lighting and lanterns, with stalactites and stalagmites. Access crosses a suspension bridge in the middle of the cerrado, at canopy height, with a bird-watching lookout. Takes half a day.
Check access

## Balneário Municipal
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/bonito/#g-lugar-balneario-municipal
Up to half an hour
Seven km from the center, along a stretch of about 200 m of the Rio Formoso, it has shallow areas for children and deeper ones full of piraputangas, and sometimes capuchin monkeys and macaws in the trees. It has parking, snack bars, a restaurant and kiosks with grills. Check the hours, and whether entry requires a voucher, with the Tourism Secretariat at (67) 99254-8990, or at the Tourist Service Center, open Monday to Friday.
Check access

**Bonito: Direct flight or via Campo Grande?**
Bonito Regional Airport (BYO), about 15 km from the center, gets direct flights from Gol, Azul and Latam, with less service; Campo Grande (CGR) has more flights and usually lower fares, and from there it is about 300 km and 4 hours by car.

**Bonito: Can you buy the ticket at the attraction's door?**
For attractions subject to Bonito’s municipal rule, no: booking goes through an accredited agency, which issues the voucher and sets the time, and the Environmental Conservation Fee, R$ 15 per person per day, is paid separately on the turistapornatureza.com.br portal, before you arrive.

**Bonito: How many days should you stay?**
I'd stay four days. With three, I'd cut the fourth, because the Gruta do Lago Azul, the Rio da Prata and the Buraco das Araras are the three tours I wouldn't swap; with fewer than three, the road eats the time for the rivers.

**Bonito: When is the best time to go?**
September to November: outside the rainiest months, December to March, and the July school holidays, and it is already the period when sunlight turns the lake at the Gruta do Lago Azul blue; the rivers can be visited year-round.

**Bonito: Can you visit the Pantanal in a day?**
Miranda, the gateway to the Pantanal, is about 130 km away, around 2 hours by car, and a round trip in one day uses four hours of road: to see the Pantanal properly, count on at least one night in the region and arrange the transfer with the Bonito agency.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 3 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/bonito/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/bonito/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/bonito.md