The name Bonito (“pretty”, “beautiful” in English) actually says it all about the area we are heading to next. The area is mainly known for its pretty freshwater springs, which wind their way up through the limestone and flow into small streams. One of the main attractions is to float in the rivers armed with a snorkel and wetsuit and watch the fish spawn and feed. The area is also fully committed to ecotourism. All operators must be accredited and the price for a particular activity is then set by the local government and places can be booked through local tourist offices, all of which charge exactly the same price. Only the price of transportation from the accommodation to the activities (some of which are up to 45km away) is negotiable…

We spend 3 days in a hostel in the small town of Bonito, which unfortunately lacks any vibe. It’s nicely built and has its own travel agency, but unfortunately it’s completely off the beaten track and at the same time there’s just a bunch of boring weekenders from different parts of Brazil who prefer to keep to themselves. We only make the fleeting acquaintance of an Israeli, but that doesn’t last long either…

Well, as the hostel doesn’t have much to offer, we spend our time on two snorkeling tours, one lasting 4 hours and the other 1.5 hours, and a short hike into one of the local stalactite caves. Tobi would also like to go cave diving, but unfortunately the most interesting cave is closed until May due to excessive algae growth… However, we particularly enjoy observing the underwater world in this incredibly clear water and are annoyed that we haven’t bought a new underwater camera since Colombia :-/

After 3 days, however, we have had enough (and spent enough money, because the tours and especially the transportation are quite expensive), so we finally want to go to the Iguazu Falls. This turns out to be more difficult than expected, we have to use 3 buses, each taking 3-9 hours to reach our destination. The longest section from Dourados to Cascavel is particularly tiring, as we have booked a so-called “half sleeper” – something like Premium Economy on an airplane – but the bus doesn’t leave until midnight and, to make matters worse, is 1.5 hours late. So we’re already in a kind of trance when the bus finally arrives, we get on and fall asleep almost instantly. But it will be worth it…