The area around Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil is a paradise for freshwater snorkeling in pristine waters, and The Adventure Kids® aka Debra C. Argen and Edward F. Nesta had a wonderful snorkeling adventure at Barra do Sucuri (Sucuri Falls) located 10.5 miles /17 km from the center of Bonito, where we not only saw a plethora of fish, we also saw Brown Capuchin Monkeys, Giant Otters, and exotic birds.
Brown Capuchin Monkey
On March 22, 2019, the last day of our trip to the Pantanal and Bonito area, we had enough time in our schedule to allow for one more adventure before we had to drive 4 hours to the Campo Grande International Airport (CGR) for our flight back to São Paulo, Brazil, and decided to experience snorkeling (flutuacão)at Barra do Sucuri (Sucuri Falls), listed on their website as the "third most crystalline river on the planet!" With an introduction like that, we knew that this was another adventure we wanted to experience before we left Bonito.
Edward F. Nesta – Trek to snorkel
As it turned out, Barra do Sucuri’s location proved to be as much of an adventure as the actual snorkeling, as we saw adorable Brown Capuchin Monkeys (macaco prego, Cebus cay) in the trees while we were walking to be fitted for our wetsuits and gear, which started our adventure off on an extremely high note.
Luxury Experience – Let’s Snorkel
Donning wetsuits, water shoes, masks and snorkels provided by Barra do Sucuri and storing our personal items in one of their lockers, we trekked a short distance through the tropical forest with our guide, where a boat awaited us to take us to Rio Sucuri where our adventure began.
The boat trip was equally exciting as we spotted more Brown Capuchin Monkeys jumping from tree to tree along the river’s edge, as well as spotted Giant Otters (Ariranha, Pteronura brasiliensis), which can reach up to 5.5 feet/1.7 meters in length, playing in the water. We also took in the tranquil ambience of the surrounding lush plant life with its sharp color contrast of bright green against the pretty blue-sky dotted with fluffy white clouds.
Floating Along
Slipping into the water, we saw a plethora of interesting fish and snails below us while snorkeling, as well enjoyed the fauna and exotic birds topside, including spotting several Cafezinhos (Jaçanã, Wattled Jacana), a small bird with webbed feet and is so lightweight that it appeared to "walk on water," all of which made for an interesting and enjoyable experience.
Cafezinho
Snorkeling completed, we climbed back into the boat for a final ride before trekking back through the tropical forest. After having hot showers, we donned our dry clothes, said good bye to the Barra do Sucuri team, and headed back to our renta lcar with fond memories of our experience there.
See you at Barra do Sucuri
Barra do Sucuri is open daily from 8:00 am until 2:30 pm.
Read more about our exciting adventure in the Adventures section.
Barra do Sucuri
Rod. Bonito/Faz América, Km 17 Zona Rural
Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul (MS)
Brazil
Telephone: +55 (67) 3255-3988
Email: sucuri@sucuri.com.br
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/BarradoSucuri
Instagram: @PasseioBarraDoSucuri
Read more about our experiences in Brazil in the Pantanal and Bonito in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Chefs’ Recipes, Gastronomy and Adventures sections.
Important Travel and Planning Information
How to Get There from São Paulo
Azul Airlines flies from Campinas (VCP) Airport to Bonito (BYO) airport. The flight time is 1 hour and 35 minutes. Note Azul Airlines only flies to Bonito on select days of the week. Check their schedule accordingly. Flight time 3 hours 25 minutes.
GOL Airlines and LATAM fly from Guarulhos (GRU) International Airportto Campo Grande (CGR). The flight time is roughly 1 hour 50 minutes. To get from Campo Grande, the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul to Bonito, you can rent acar. Drive time is roughly 3 hours 40 minutes.
Travel and Tourism information:
Agência Ygarapé
We used Agência Ygarapé for expert and professional tour information and booking our adventures. The agency has been providing high-quality, attentive service for tours, packages, accommodations, and transport services and more for over 20+years, serving Bonito and the Pantanal region.
Please visit their site for more information (site is available in English, Portuguese, and Spanish): www.ygarape.com.br.
Agência Ygarapé is open daily from 7:00 am until 9:00 pm (and until 10:00 pm during high season).
Agência Ygarapé
Rua Coronel Pilad Rebuá, 1853, Centro
Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul (MS)
CEP 79290-000
Brazil
Telephone: +55 (67)3255-1733
Cellular: +55 (67) 99213-7374
Skype: ygarapetour
Email: informacao@ygarape.com.br
Website: www.Ygarape.com.br
Facebook: www.facebook.com/agenciaygarape
Instagram: @agenciaygarape
Visit Brasil
For more information on Bonito and Pantanal, please visit: http://www.visitbrasil.com/en/destinos/bonito.html, http://www.visitbrasil.com/pt/destinos/bonito.html
Important Tips for Bonito and Pantanal
Bonito is focused on eco-tourism and as such they only allow a certain number of visitors to eco sites each day. Be sure to book your tours well in advance to not miss out.
For Water Sports (snorkeling), the sites request that you not use sunscreen, tanning lotions, or insect repellent to help keep the waters pristine.
Going hiking in the woods? Wear light colored clothing as dark colored clothing attracts mosquitos!
There are no ATMs, only banks: Banco do Brasil, Bradesco, Caixa Economica and Sicredi, so plan accordingly. Some small restaurants accept cash only.
Shops stay open late in Bonito usually until around 10:00 pm and most accept credit cards.
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