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Brazil in 12 days: Bonito and the Amazon, day by day

Twelve days from the Serra da Bodoquena to the Rio Negro: the Gruta do Lago Azul, the 72 m abseil into the Abismo Anhumas, the river float at the Aquário Natural, the Teatro Amazonas in Manaus, the Meeting of the Waters and four days at a lodge in the Anavilhanas archipelago.

Compiled by Kylian Surget, updated on 02/10/2026

A squirrel monkey, a small primate of the Amazon rainforest, seen up close
  • 12 days
  • 38 places
  • 12 nights
  • sustained pace
Start
Campo Grande, on the day 21 flight from Cuiabá
End
São Luís, on the day 32 flight from Manaus
Main transport
Hire car out and back from Campo Grande for Bonito, a flight to Manaus on day 26, then boats on the Rio Negro and the guided outings of the Anavilhanas lodge
Recommended season
Set for a June departure: dry season in Bonito, when the rivers are at their clearest for the floats, and high water in the Amazon from May to July, the only season when the igapós can be entered by boat

What you get

  • The complete itinerary: 12 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel
  • The card of every hotel, with the address and a direct booking link
  • Quota tickets, fixed-date tickets and surcharges flagged in advance
  • The country quick guide: weather, transport, formalities, budget
  • A PDF file of 20 pages

What the price does not include

  • Flights
  • Hotel nights
  • Tickets and admission fees
  • Travel insurance
  • On-the-ground assistance during your trip

The travel book preview

The free day in full, with its hotel card. This is the sample.

Day 2

The caves of Bonito

Morning

Gruta do Lago Azul

An underground lake 90 metres deep at the bottom of a cave 100 metres below ground, a saturated blue when the shaft of sunlight comes in through the mouth. The time slot is fixed and in the morning only, between 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM depending on the season. Descent by 300 steps, guide compulsory.

Grutas de São Miguel

A dry cave explored along a walkway, with some of the most spectacular formations in Mato Grosso do Sul: stalactites, columns and draperies, soberly lit. The access trail crosses a dry forest inhabited by monkeys.

Gruta Catedral

Next door to São Miguel, it owes its name to the volume of its main chamber and its massive pillars. A short visit, often combined with the previous one in the same package.

Afternoon

Projeto Jiboia

An environmental education project run by a local biologist: an indoor talk on the region's snakes, their role and what to do in case of a bite, then a supervised encounter with boas. Late-afternoon sessions, very popular.

Aquário de Bonito

Clear-water tanks recreate the rivers of the Serra da Bodoquena, with good-sized dourados, pacus and piraputangas. A good introduction to what you will see while drift snorkelling over the following days.

Quadriciclo, Rota Zagaia

A quad-bike circuit on the tracks and pastures around Bonito, between fords and dry forest. It is the end-of-day activity, of no naturalist interest but effective for covering ground.

Evening

Briefing and harness trial, Abismo Anhumas

Training with the harness and descender must take place the day before the descent, at the end of the day, at the operator's office. It lasts about an hour: fitting the harness, rope abseiling technique and safety instructions. Without it, you will be refused the descent the next day.

Good to know

Gruta do Lago Azul: fixed morning slot, the only time the light reaches the lake. Swimming is forbidden and the descent is down a steep, damp staircase, so bring closed shoes.

Hotel · Night 2

Pousada Arte da Natureza

A charming pousada in Bonito, a few minutes from the centre and the street of agencies, with a pool and garden. Five nights in the same place: it is the base for all the Serra da Bodoquena excursions, which leave early in the morning.

Address
· Rua Santana do Paraíso, 1027, Centro, Bonito, MS, 79290-000
Website
· pousadaartedanatureza.com.br (new tab)
Check-in
2:00 PM · Check-out 11:00 AM
Book this hotel (new tab)

Buy this itinerary

€39 incl. tax

that is €3.25 per day of travel

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  • Available immediately in your customer account: online reading with clickable booking links, downloadable PDF for offline use
  • Method: what is checked, and when

A hotel in the itinerary closed or impossible to find, a place to visit permanently closed?

Within 12 months of purchase, email contact@etaperia.com

Itinerary corrected within 7 days, or refunded in full. Terms in article 12 of the T&Cs, on top of the legal warranty (new tab)

€39 incl. tax · 12 days

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A question before buying? Email Kylian, reply within 48 working hours.

The day-by-day rundown

10 stops, 4,100 km as the crow flies

  1. Day 1 To Bonito via the Buraco das Araras Buraco das Araras Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  2. Day 2 The caves of Bonito Gruta do Lago Azul Free
  3. Day 3 Abismo Anhumas, a 72-metre abseil Abismo Anhumas Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  4. Day 4 Drift snorkelling on the Rio Baía Bonita Aquário Natural Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  5. Day 5 Waterfalls of the Serra da Bodoquena Estância Mimosa Ecoturismo Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  6. Day 6 From Bonito to Manaus From Bonito to Manaus Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  7. Day 7 Manaus, the rubber city Teatro Amazonas Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  8. Day 8 The Meeting of the Waters, then Anavilhanas Meeting of the Waters Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  9. Day 9 Flooded igapós and primary forest The igapós of Anavilhanas Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  10. Day 10 Ribeirinha community and pink dolphins Ribeirinha community on the Rio Negro Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  11. Day 11 Trek and bivouac in dense forest Trek and a night in the forest Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  12. Day 12 From the Amazon to Maranhão Lagoa da Jansen Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF

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Country quick guide and logistics

The essentials of the country, scannable in ten seconds.

Weather and when to go

  • In Bonito June is in the dry season: the rivers are at their clearest, which is what the floats depend on.
  • In the Amazon the water is high from May to July: that is what lets the boats into the igapós, the flooded forests of Anavilhanas. From September to February it is sandy beaches that emerge across the archipelago.
  • Constant humid heat on the Rio Negro, 25 to 33 °C, with a few short showers likely. Strong repellent, long sleeves at dusk and a mosquito net for the night in the forest.

Transport and permits

  • Flight from Cuiabá to Campo Grande on day 21, one hour, then a hire car out and back until day 26, about 1,100 km. In Bonito the car is only for reaching the sites, as every visit goes through an agency.
  • Day 26 is a travel day: four hours by road from Bonito to Campo Grande, then a flight to Manaus via Campinas or Guarulhos, about eight hours door to door. Flight times are local, and both Mato Grosso do Sul and Amazonas run one hour behind Brasília.
  • The Anavilhanas archipelago lies about 180 km from Manaus, in the municipality of Novo Airão. Once there, everything is done by boat and on foot with the lodge guides; day 32 is the flight from Manaus to São Luís via Belém.

Formalities and safety

  • In Bonito nothing can be visited independently: each site issues a named voucher through an approved agency, with a time slot and a daily quota. The four days are planned in one go, before leaving home.
  • The Abismo Anhumas on day 23 is limited to sixteen people a day and is booked days, even weeks, ahead; harness training takes place the evening before. The Gruta do Lago Azul and the Aquário Natural only have morning slots.
  • Yellow fever vaccination is essential for the Amazon, at least ten days before departure. Malaria is present in the Amazon basin: discuss preventive treatment with a travel doctor.

Budget and meals

  • The Brazilian real (R$). Cards are accepted at the Bonito agencies and at the lodge; bring cash for guides, the river communities and the smaller sites.
  • The Abismo Anhumas costs R$ 1,598, a price set by the municipality and identical at every agency. The 90 m abseil at Boca da Onça on day 25 is also an extra.
  • The Anavilhanas lodge is full board with guided outings included. The seaplane transfer to Novo Airão and the dedicated guide for the night in the forest come on top. In Manaus, the guided tour of the Teatro Amazonas costs R$ 20, no booking needed.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly do I receive?

Your Étaperia itinerary, available immediately in your customer account after payment: readable online with clickable booking links, and downloadable as a PDF for the trip. Every day is sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening, with the hotel for each night, its address and its booking link, and timed-entry tickets flagged in advance.

How is this better than what an AI gives me?

A generative AI composes a plausible list in seconds, without saying what was checked or when. At Étaperia, every itinerary is compiled day by day, with the booking constraints spotted before it is too late to get them. The Method page says what is checked, against which source and on what date.

Can I adapt it to my dates and my pace?

Yes. The days are self-contained blocks: you can shift the departure, stretch a stage or skip a day without breaking what follows. Only timed-entry tickets require adjusting the dates accordingly, and they are all flagged.

What if a hotel or a place in the itinerary has closed?

Email contact@etaperia.com within 12 months of your purchase. If a hotel in the itinerary is closed or can no longer be found, or a place to visit has closed permanently, the itinerary is corrected in your customer account within 7 days, or you are refunded in full. A hotel fully booked on your dates, a seasonal closure or a change in opening hours or prices is not covered. This guarantee comes on top of the legal warranty of conformity; details in article 12 of the terms and conditions of sale.

Who is selling you this itinerary

  • Kylian Surget, sole trader, SIRET 927 587 709 00035
  • Consumer mediator: ANM Consommation
  • Payment handled by Stripe: Étaperia never sees your card number
  • Publisher, not a travel agency: you book flights, hotels and tickets yourself

In the same country

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