Bonito's Voucher System: How Tours Are Booked and Why You Need an Agency

First-time visitors to Bonito, Brazil are usually surprised by one rule: there is no ticket office at the tours. You do not show up at the Blue Lake Cave, pay and walk in. Every tour is booked through a licensed tour agency, which issues a document called the voucher único, or single voucher.

This page explains why the system exists, how to use it and what it changes in your planning.

What the single voucher is

The single voucher is the document that gives you access to each attraction in Bonito. It is issued by an agency registered with the municipal government and carries your name, the tour, the date and the time slot. At the attraction’s gate, the voucher is checked and you go in.

The system predates mass tourism: it began in 1995 as a way to control how many people visited each attraction per day, and was formalized by municipal law in 2000. Each tour’s carrying capacity, meaning the maximum number of visitors per time slot, is defined and enforced through the voucher.

Why Bonito adopted this model

The answer is environmental. Crystal-clear rivers and caves with lakes are fragile ecosystems. Without a visitor cap, sunscreen, trampling and noise quickly degrade visibility and wildlife. The voucher ensures each attraction receives only the number of people it can handle, spread across time slots.

The positive side effect is the experience: you rarely find a crowd inside a Bonito tour, even in high season.

What it changes for you

Choosing an agency

Since the ticket price does not change, the choice of agency rests on other criteria:

• Transport included or optional. If you have no car, ask for the transport price per tour or per day. It is a cost that weighs on the budget.
• Itinerary planning. A good agency groups tours by area so you do not cross town twice in the same day.
• Service in other languages, which matters if you do not speak Portuguese.
• Flexibility to reschedule in case of heavy rain or a cloudy river.

Book ahead or book in town?

In low season, booking in town works and lets you adjust the itinerary to the weather. In high season (July, long holiday weekends, year-end), the most popular tours sell out weeks ahead. In that case, book at least the main tours before you travel.

Environmental Conservation Fee (TCA)

On top of the voucher, since 20 December 2025 Bonito charges the Environmental Conservation Fee (TCA): R$ 15 per person for each day with a tour (several tours on the same day count once). It applies to Brazilians and foreigners alike and is paid only on the city’s official website, turistapornatureza.com.br, before the voucher is issued. Children under 7, residents and people working are exempt, the fee includes personal accident insurance, and refunds are requested from the city hall, not the agency. In September 2026 the Mato Grosso do Sul Court of Justice reopened the lawsuit challenging the fee; for now it is still charged, but check before you travel. Details in Bonito environmental fee.

Cancellation and refunds

Cancellation rules vary by agency and attraction and are explained when you book; in high season the free-cancellation window can be 15 to 20 days, and no-shows are usually charged in full. Ask specifically what happens in case of rain, a cloudy river or a health problem. River snorkeling tours may be suspended by the attraction itself when visibility drops, and in those cases rescheduling is the norm.

How it appears in this guide

On each tour page in this guide you will find the reference ticket price, in Brazilian reais (BRL), and the date it was checked. Those figures come from the agencies and the attractions and can change without notice. Use them to build your budget and confirm when booking.