After more than a year of resumption with the cooling of the pandemic, tourism in Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul, seeks to instill confidence in travelers to catch the breath of other times. And its main attraction is an even more exuberant nature in the eyes of those looking for the city to discover its paradisiacal scenarios.
Due to the period without visits, the landscapes and waters that are the main attraction of the city have become even more transparent and beautiful, with the recovery of the flora, according to reports by the local responsible for tourism. Before the quarantine, in 2019, the city came to suffer from some places taken by murky waters.
A similar phenomenon in the world during the pandemic occurred in Venice, Italy. Due to its social isolation, the canals of the Italian city seemed cleaner.
During the pandemic, in the Pantanal, without the presence of tourists, the jaguars even approached and walked along walkways that were previously used only by the public in a hotel-farm in Miranda (MS).
Visitors will be able to admire scenarios such as the Gruta do Lago Azul, Bonito’s postcard, with a complete tour for R$130 in high season.
For those who cautiously prefer outdoor activities, the option is the floating points in the spas and the traditional floating services.
The most sought after is the Natural Aquarium of Bonito. For up to R$ 280, for children aged 7 and over, the tour starts with a 400-metre trail.
Tourists are impressed by the clarity of the water, where it is possible to float —along approximately 800 meters— with several species of fish and the great aquatic vegetation of the Baia Bonita River. At the site, it is possible to observe animals from the region on the animal trail, reel, waterfall and natural pool.
For those with breath, the option is the trails and waterfalls. For up to R$ 595, with breakfast and lunch included, visitors will have, throughout the day, a tour consisting of a walk along 6.5 km through the preserved forest. There, it is possible to discover the typical vegetation with 15 stops at waterfalls and nine bathing spots, including the Boca da Onça waterfall, the largest in the state, at 156 meters high.
For those who want to get to know Bonito in a more accessible way, there are more viable options, such as the Municipal Balneário, on the banks of the Rio Formoso, with admission at R$70, in addition to the aquarium (admission at R$50) and the Bio Park (R$ 90), natural shelters and places of preservation of the immense local fauna for visitation.
In gastronomy, the choice for those who want to experience life in the Pantanal are horseback riding with the option of lunch (up to R$162), where, at the end of the tour, on the banks of the rivers, the traditional rice carreteiro, a typical dish of the region, is served. state involving meat and cassava.
For those looking for a dish with exclusive ingredients from the land, the choice is the restaurants in the city center that offer sweet and savory dishes with guavira, a typical fruit of the Pantanal, and guariroba, a kind of palm heart cultivated by local indigenous tribes.
sanitary measures
The companies in the sector guarantee that they continue to comply with the protocols. There are attractions, such as the Gruta do Lago Azul, where there is limited entry of people at once, for example. But, according to those responsible for local tourism, there is adhesion of visitors.
For the resumption of tourist activities after more than a hundred days of suspension, the various sectors joined forces to create the biosafety protocols that are in force until today.
Entrepreneurs, in partnership with the government and institutions, implemented seven biosafety protocols with specific guidelines for the prevention of Covid-19.
“The sectorial protocols were formulated to preserve the health of visitors and employees on hundreds of tours, hotels, bars, restaurants, transport companies, shops and tourism agencies”, says tourismologist Janaina Mainchein, executive secretary of Bonito Convention & Visitors Bureau and coordinator of the Bonito Tourism and Events Observatory.
In addition to the protocols, the “Bonito Seguro” program was implemented, which provided free consultations on biosafety, developed in partnerships with entrepreneurs in the municipality.
Due to the effort in the biosafety actions adopted, Bonito received the international safe tourism seal “Safe Travels” created by the World Travel and Tourism Council, making Mato Grosso do Sul the first Brazilian state to win the seal.
“We united, closed, organized, helped the public sector, we even demanded dry law, curfew – however difficult and costly it was. This is a characteristic of those whose main activity is ecotourism. We depend on nature and we have to be on our own. bend to it and respect it”, says Silvia Schmidt, owner of the Hotel Paraíso das Águas and the Bonitense Hotel Association.
To speed up the full resumption of tourism, the Bonito city government points out that it carried out a mass vaccination of the population. The city has approximately 22,100 inhabitants, 18,2 thousand of which are of vaccination age, that is, over 12 years old.
Of the adult population, 99.18% received the first dose of the vaccine and 84.56%, the second dose or a single dose. “We have now started the campaign to apply the third dose to all people over 18 years of age. Among adolescents, 101.25% received the first dose and 54.53% are already immunized”, says Mayor Josmail Rodrigues (PSB) .
In the assessment of the Tourism Observatory, weekends and holidays have attracted a younger public to the city, seeking night entertainment such as parties and bars with live music.
This audience is more resistant to complying with the protocols. But trust in the protocols is based primarily on the fact that most activities offered are outdoors.
Data from the agency show that Bonito has been sought more by residents of neighboring states, mainly because of the possibility of access by car — a situation that should change in December, when commercial airlines will start operating in the city.
TRAIL AND WATERFALL
PARQUE DAS CACHOEIRAS WITH SPRING
A 1,700-meter trail along the Mimoso River, where 80% takes place on a wooden platform. Along the tour, it is possible to observe the local fauna and flora. On the way, there is a visit to the Mara spring and another seven waterfalls formed by limestone tufas, small caves and natural pools, one of which is seven meters high. The trail must be done exclusively in the morning period — after the tour, the farm offers a structure with an infinity pool and hammocks to relax.
Distance: 17 km. Duration: 3h30min.
Prices: adult R$159 (low season), R$189 (high season) and R$239 (super high season on New Year’s Eve and Carnival); child (six to 11 years old) R$129 (low season), R$154 (high season) and R$215 (super high season on New Year’s Eve and Carnival); best age (over 60 years old) R$144 (low season) and R$169 (high season).
Information
Site: www.agenciasurucua.com.br
Phone: (67) 3255-2500 (Fixed) / (67) 9 8468-4331 (Hi) / (67) 9 9838-8748 (Vivo) / (67) 9 9231-6185 (Of course) / (67) 9 9170 -6410 (Of course)
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