Bonito 5-Day Itinerary: With Jardim and Bodoquena, Day by Day

Five full days is the format that covers all three directions from Bonito, Brazil, without stacking tours: the classic circuit to the west, the Jardim day to the south and the Bodoquena day to the north. Compared with the 4-day itinerary, the difference is Boca da Onça, the tallest waterfall in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, which alone justifies the fifth day.

The itinerary assumes arrival the previous afternoon and departure on the afternoon of day 5 or the following day. The grouping logic is explained in the itinerary by region.

Before you travel

• Book through an agency, under the single-voucher system: the Blue Lake Cave in the morning, the Rio da Prata, Boca da Onça and, if you are doing it, the Anhumas Abyss. The rest can be booked in town outside high season.
• Boca da Onça and the Rio da Prata include lunch at the farm in many packages; confirm so you do not pay twice.
• Bring closed shoes that can get wet. They work for the cave, the waterfalls and the trails.

Day before: arrival

Arrival from Campo Grande in the early afternoon, confirmation of vouchers and an afternoon at the Municipal River Beach, 7 km away. In the evening, Projeto Jiboia, in the center.

Day 1: Blue Lake Cave and Sucuri River

Morning. Blue Lake Cave, 21 km away, in a morning slot to catch the light that brings out the blue of the lake. About 1 hour 20 minutes, with roughly 300 steps.

Afternoon. Sucuri River, 19 km away, same direction. Lunch at the farm and a snorkel of about 1 hour in highly transparent water. Back to the center in the late afternoon.

If it rains: the cave goes ahead. A suspended Sucuri becomes São Miguel Cave today and the Sucuri on day 5.

Day 2: Jardim, with the Rio da Prata and Buraco das Araras

Morning. Early departure for Jardim, about 50 km away. Rio da Prata: a trail, a practice session at the spring and about 2 hours of snorkeling in the longest river in the region and the richest in large fish. Lunch at the farm.

Afternoon. Buraco das Araras, a sinkhole where red-and-green macaws nest in the walls. An easy trail with lookouts, about 1 hour 20 minutes, best in the late afternoon. If you want more time in the water, you can fit Lagoa Misteriosa between the two, with a short snorkel in a sinkhole of blue water (open only from April to October); check the time slots with the agency.

If it rains: a suspended Rio da Prata becomes Lagoa Misteriosa (April to October), which clouds less. Buraco das Araras runs in light rain.

Day 3: easy waterfall and a second snorkel

Morning. Estância Mimosa, 25 km away: an easy trail past a sequence of waterfalls and pools, about 4 hours, lunch at the farm. A deliberately lighter day between Jardim and Bodoquena.

Afternoon. Nascente Azul, 32 km away in the same direction: a short snorkel starting from a blue spring, with facilities to stay on afterwards. Closer alternative: Aquário Natural, 8 km away.

Late afternoon, if you are doing the Abyss on day 5: rappel test at the operator’s base in the center, about 1 hour. The test is mandatory and must be done the day before or earlier; doing it on day 3 leaves day 4 free for Boca da Onça without rushing.

Day 4: Bodoquena, with Boca da Onça

Full day. Early departure for Bodoquena, about 60 km to the north, on a road that climbs into the hills. Boca da Onça is a farm with a forest trail that passes a sequence of waterfalls, with stops to swim, before reaching the main 156-meter fall, the tallest in Mato Grosso do Sul. The trail takes a few hours and the return is by a long stairway with hundreds of steps; if you like, you can swap part of the route for a platform rappel, quoted separately. Lunch at the farm, usually included. Back to the center in the late afternoon.

Effort: it is the most tiring tour in this itinerary. That is why it sits on day 4, after an easy day, and not on the last day.

If it rains: the waterfall runs fuller, which is a good thing. The trail stays open in light rain; only a storm closes the tour. The wet stairway calls for extra care.

Day 5: Anhumas Abyss or a short snorkel, and departure

Adventure version. Morning at the Anhumas Abyss, 23 km away: a 72-meter rappel down to the cave lake, snorkeling (scuba diving for certified divers) and the climb back up the rope. About 4 hours. Free afternoon to rest and leave, or stay one more night and leave the next day, which we recommend.

Easy version. Morning at Parque das Cachoeiras, 18 km away, a short trail with falls and pools, or river tubing on the Formoso River. Leave Bonito by 1 pm for an evening flight from Campo Grande.

If it rains: the Anhumas Abyss is inside a cave and runs in the rain; what may change is the visibility of the lake. The morning alternatives are São Miguel Cave or Formoso Adventure (Bonito Aventura), with a tree-top course sheltered by the forest canopy.

How much it costs

Reference prices quoted by agencies in September 2026, in Brazilian reais (BRL): this itinerary includes the two most expensive full-day tours in the region after the Anhumas Abyss, Boca da Onça and the Rio da Prata, both with lunch at the farm in most packages. Tickets are the same at every agency and vary with the season; each tour’s price is on its page, with the date it was checked. In the Abyss version, day 5 is the most expensive day of the trip.

Add transport per day (the Bodoquena and Jardim days are the most expensive because of the distance), lunches when not included, five nights of accommodation and the road from Campo Grande. Full estimate in Bonito travel costs.

What to bring

Beyond the basics of any Bonito itinerary (swimwear under your clothes, a towel, closed shoes that can get wet, flip-flops, sunscreen for out of the water, insect repellent, water, ID and voucher), this itinerary calls for attention on the Boca da Onça day: shoes with grip for the trail and the wet stairway, a spare T-shirt and a light snack for the middle of the trail, because lunch comes at the end of the route. For the Abyss, the operator provides the equipment; wear swimwear underneath and bring a dry change.

Adjustments by profile

• With children: swap Boca da Onça for Parque das Cachoeiras or Praia da Figueira, and the Abyss for Aquário Natural. See things to do in Bonito with kids.
• Without a car: day 4 is the most expensive for transport; arrange a package with the agency that includes Bodoquena. The rest follows the same one-direction-per-day logic.
• With more time: the 7-day itinerary adds a rest day and day trips.

Summary

To understand how the three regions formed and why the water is the way it is, read about the Serra da Bodoquena.