Rio da Prata: Bonito

Just a halves day drive from the Pantanal we arrived in Bonito, small village with one street supposedly the capital of all ecological town in Brazil. I didn’t quite understand what they ment with an eco town as there was garbage everywhere and the massive pickup trucks sputtered out a thick black cloud of smog when they accelerated through the streets. The town was quite touristy and a bit of a hole in the middle of nowhere. Nonetheless, we did have some good nights out while we were there; enjoying a big juicy Picanha steak as well as the local cachaça. The liveliest bar of the town, Taboa, had a fantastic live band that played all three nights that we were there. Everything in this bar was clobbered with ink. You name it, from the walls to the tables and even the menu itself. People had left their names or other artworks making the bar have an unusual ambience. The bar also made excellent fruit smoothies. I had one with umba (a fruit from the north of Brazil) and guavira (a local fruit from Bonito) which tasted a little sour, but quite different than I had ever experienced. As well as a smoothie with pineapple and cashews which was sweeter and also unknown to my taste buds. Brazil is probably one of the best countries for consumption of fresh fruit. For example, at home I don’t like to eat melon but here the flavor is so much more intense and has a more developed body that I like eating it, funnily enough I also have this for bananas.

I did one of the activities, of many, available to us and that was snorkeling in the Rio da Prata, the silver river. We were pickup at our hostel and went as a group of six to the place which turned out to be a beautiful resort with tidy cut lawn, singing tame macaws and fantastic clean facilities. (all part of the price you had to pay) The resort had an excellent buffet of local dishes such as Arroz com Feijao e Carne, rice with bean stew and meat, and manioc, a type of sweet potato. It was delicious!

From left to right: Peter, Jasper, MJ, Helen (Hands), Me and Dan

We then hopped into our wetsuits and boarded the van that would take us to the beginning of the Rio Ojo Agau. (river of eye water, because it’s so clear) The Rio Ojo Agau flows into the Rio da Prata.

After a short walk we got to the starting lagoon. When I walked into the water for first time with my goggles on and looked underwater I was like WOW!!!! The water was crystal clear with small fish swimming everywhere. Looking left and right you saw bigger fish where it got a little deeper. It was a sea of color and glistening under water. That moment I realized that it had all been worth it. It was so beautiful. Simply stunning. I have never experienced anything like it. All the fish were very tame and would swim maybe 30 centimeters in front of your goggles!

The rules were simple: don’t touch anything and float on top of the river. It was an epic 2 and a half hour journey of just floating through the river. Silence was all I heard along with my rhythmic breathing through the snorkeling tube. It was incredibly relaxing, something I definitely needed after a busy travelling schedule. The juxtaposition, thank you Mrs. Stienstra, between the world under water and above water also came to a surprise. Every now and then you would look above the water and see that you we just swimming through a rainforest. Furthermore, what was going on above the water didn’t cast a shadow enough underwater for me to see what was above the water. I would get my snorkeling tube stuck in over hanging canopy from time and gag on the accidentally swallowed water.

If you ever get the chance to go to Bonito, it’s definitely worth the visit. It’s just a sea of color flashing in front of your eyes along with peace and quiet. You are constantly discovering new fish as you float down the river. It’s an unforgettable experience and must be tried by everyone before they kick the bucket!