Mato Grosso do Sul is located in the southwest corner of Brazil and has unique places of interest for tourists. Mato Grosso do Sul's capital Campo Grande has a cultural heritage of churches and provides travel information on the surrounding areas; Bonito and the Pantanal offer splendid adventure trips to natural scenery, while Corumbá is a colonial town with tourist attractions like boat trips or sport fishing.
Campo Grande – Travel Information on Mato Grosso do Sul's Places of Interest
Campo Grande is the perfect place to obtain travel information on the state's tourist attractions and to arrange tours to Bonito or the Pantanal. Most travel agencies are located around the bus station and the Tourist Information is situated downtown [Avenida Alfonso Pena, opening hours: Mon-Fri 9am-8pm].
Campo Grande has several places of interest, among which a variety of churches and markets. The latter are excellent to try local dishes – "sobá", a Japanese noodle dish, is highly recommended.
Tourist Attractions in Bonito – a Snorkelling Paradise
Thanks to a rich limestone soil Bonito is a paradise of crystalline rivers and lakes. It is one of Brazil's ultimate locations for snorkelling and scuba diving, and has become one of Brazil's main tourist attractions. Due to [too] many visitors the fragile natural surroundings deteriorated quickly and as a result all places of interest have to be visited with a guide. Vouchers for each tourist attraction can be bought at one of Bonito's travel agencies and either the agency provides a guide, or a guide will be present at the particular destination.
Tourist Attractions in Corumbá – Boat Trips and Sport Fishing
Corumbá is also called "White City" because of the large quantities of calcium in the region. The city was founded in 1778 and one of its places of interest is Forte Coimbra, which was the Portuguese strongpoint to fight off the Spanish. Forte Coimbra can be visited on a boat trip. Another tourist attraction is a fishing trip into the Pantanal, either in a four-person open boat or a luxurious yacht.
To obtain travel information about Corumbá and the surrounding area, visit the Secretaria de Turismo, which is located at Rua 15 de Novembre 659. The town has two museums and its atmosphere is pleasant enough to hang around the waterfront for a couple of days.
Tourist Attractions in the Pantanal – Wildlife Trips and a Stay at a Fazenda
The wetlands of the Pantanal yearly attract thousands of visitors from Brazil and abroad. It is one of the world’s richest ecosystems and can be visited independently or organised. Arrange an overnight stay at a fazenda to learn about the traditional way of cattle ranching, which has existed here for over two hundred years.
The wetlands of the Pantanal are a twitcher’s paradise and offer plenty of opportunities of watching wildlife like caimans, capybaras and giant otters. Fazendas as well as travel agencies in Campo Grande offer day-trips or multiple-day Pantanal tours.
Mato Grosso do Sul - Culture and Natural Scenery
Mato Grosso do Sul in west Brazil has a variety of places of interest for tourists. Bonito's major tourist attraction are its crystalline waters, suitable for snorkelling; the Pantanal offers wildlife watching trips; and Corumbá is a place of interest for those who enjoy sport fishing. Campo Grande is a good base to organise trips to all these tourist attractions, thanks to the availability of travel information and travel agencies.
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
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