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Westwards - To Brasilia and Beyond to the Pantanal
The long journey from Minas Gerais to the Pantanal. Diamantina, another mining village. Brasilia, the proud capital. Then thru endless agricultural land to Campo Grande and Bonito in the southern part of the Pantanal.
Belo Horizonte 2 Bonito
Diamantina, 7th March
We think we’ve covered all we wanted to see in Belo Horizonte. Of course, people addicted to towering buildings devoid of any charm might need a few weeks more to explore the town.
We’re en route to the next colonial mining town, Diamantina. It’s promised, the last 1 in Minas Gerais.
About 300km and a 4-h drive. The 1st part on a busy highway, followed by a rather deserted road over the mountains to Diamantina.
Diamantina – yet our last mining village. As its name suggests, it gained wealth in the 18th and 19th centuries thru vast diamond fields. Nowadays, it’s recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, despite its questionable history involving slavery in the mining fields.
A village with surprisingly few tourists sneaking around. And unfortunately, the hell a lot of traffic in its cobblestone alleys.
Brasilia, 10th March
Time to move on. The long leg to Brasilia, the country’s proud capital. Over 700km. Definitely two days to drive. So, let’s see where we’ll arrive this evening.
The road: Brazi quality – paved with the hell a lot of patches. Partly truck-infested. The landscape: mostly savanna. Reminds us of driving thru West Africa during rainy season. Not really the most interesting journey we ever had.
In the late afternoon, we arrive in Paracatu. We’ve driven 500km, that’s enough for today.
The town – not exactly everybody’s dream. Looks slightly rundown, without anything particularly interesting. Except the historic part around Rua Goiás and its churches. However, there’s 1 of Brazil’s biggest open-pit goldmine next to it. Still, it seems to have a very limited impact on the town’s economic situation.
Quickly, we find a remarkable sleepery. Really, it looks impressive. From outside and in the lobby. However, for all other aspects, you’ll feel immediately that the guys managing this place have no clue about what they do or what their guests might expect.
The next morning, from afar, a glimpse of the huge gold mine. Then we’re on the road to Brasilia. Just 200km and a 3-h drive. Landscape and road: the same as yesterday.
Entering Brazil’s proud capital, we definitely arrive in a different world. Huge 6 to 8-lane highways, lined by endless 3-5-storey apartments. True, they all have been very modern and futuristic some 60 years ago. Nowadays, visibly many of them cry for some maintenance and look a little bit out of time.
Yeah, we’re driving thru a wing of Brasilia with these Superquadros. Areas built to accommodate about 300,000 people. All are very logically subdivided and numbered. So, no need to remember street names or any other complicated stuff.
Later, when we sneak thru some of these squares, we even find 1 that’s not really mentioned in the official plan. No idea what has happened. Maybe it’s not nice enough.
You don’t have a big choice in which area to stay. They have designated a hotel sector where all sleeperies are clustered. During the week, it’s the playground for politicians and lobbyists of all stripes.
Fortunately, it’s the weekend. So, only a handful of tourists and a price drop of up to 75%. Great, isn’t it?
Upon arrival, Monika immediately discovers the only restaurant worth visiting. We have to get there the very best lunch we had so far in Brazil (according to her).
Then we’re ready to explore Brasilia. Sneaking along the famous Eixo Monumental, the monumental axes. Towards the memorial for former president Kubitschek. The guy who founded Brasilia in the early ’60s.
True, it’s a much longer walk than expected. About 4 km to reach the memorial. Passing all kinds of famous buildings. All slightly neglected.
Then the memorial: personality cult at its best. Any North Korean leader could learn from it.
Later we have an Uber to Santuário Dom Bosco with its crystal chandelier weighing more than 2 t.
Time to enjoy Brasilia by night.
The next morning, a Sunday, we have to experience all these famous government buildings that Oscar Niemeyer designed about 60 years ago.
To start with, we have an Uber to the Brazi’s National Museum.
True, not much to see inside. They’re rearranging the exhibitions.
On to the Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida. Famous for its avant-garde style – 1 of the symbols of Brasil’s proud capital.
As it’s quite busy on a Sunday, unfortunately, we’re not allowed to have a closer look inside the building.
So, we sneak on. Along the Esplanada dos Ministérios. A long row of huge cubicle buildings with the names of the respective ministries in front. At some point, they probably experienced a certain inflation of ministers. A situation that might be difficult to correct nowadays.
Finally, we arrive at the Palácio Itamaraty. The magnificent Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The office of the minister who graciously offered a lift to the Russian foreign minister Lavrov, because he couldn’t refuel his plane in Brazil during the G20 meeting in Rio.
Just a few steps further – Brazil’s congress. Niemeyer’s most famous building.
Of course, we plan to take a look inside. Since it’s a Sunday, there’s no dress code. We may stroll in with shorts’n’Havaianas. Just need to make sure the guys can properly identify us. And they know exactly what documents they want to see. And this is definitely not our old, expired driving licenses we got many years ago in Thailand. Poor Thais, better ignore that your all-important document is even not recognized by the Brazies.
So, we have to limit ourselves to a peek from the outside. Which is perfectly doable with a Thai driving license.
Finally, we reach Praça dos Três Poderes with the famous clothespin in the middle and the presidential palace, Palácio do Planalto, on one side. The palace is open for visits on Sundays, but only if there’s no rain and the president is absent. And if you have the tour booked in advance – months in advance. Just keep in mind that your identification seems to be of lesser importance at this place.
After that walk in the scorching heat and humidity, we’re more than happy to find an Uber driving back. To spend some time in a shopping mall – not because we want to buy something, just because it’s air-conditioned.
Well, that’s Brasilia, as we’ve seen it. For us, a city with residential areas that still look pretty artificial and unsociable – even after 60 years. Despite all the plans of the architects to create animated centers for daily life. Maybe we’re just a bit influenced by the not too successful European experiences with similar planed areas.
On the other hand, the modernistic government structures remain quite impressive. And definitely worth a visit.
Pirenópolis, 11th March
We’re en route to Pirenópolis. A small, picturesque town some 150km west of Brasilia. Sorry guys, it’s also a former mining town. We only visit it for a change to Brasilia’s concrete architecture.
Arriving in the early afternoon in Pirenópolis, it’s definitely not cold. Around 35°.
Still, we go for a stroll. There are just a few cobblestone alleys with their characteristic houses to admire.
Fortunately, in the evening it gets reasonably cool. Time to look for a cozy watering hole cum eatery.
Campo Grande, 13th March
If driving west of Brasilia, there aren’t many places to hang around, no real sights, and no beautiful landscapes for the next 1000km or so.
Thus, our next stop will be the Pantanal. We’ll reach its boundaries in Campo Grande, a 2-days drive away.
Initially, we planned to visit North Pantanal as well, including the famous cattle ponton ride from Porto Jofre to Corumbá. However, we do not trust weather too much. It rains every day and the Transpantaneira can get very, very slippery and muddy during rainy season. So, we limit ourselves to the south.
We’re up pretty early, to reach Jatai in the evening. A town in the middle of nowhere. 470km, and 7 h to drive.
A journey thru hilly agricultural land. Endless fields stretching to the horizon. Vast expanses of sugarcane, soya, and corn fields. Giving the landscape the appearance of a massive agro-industrial operation. In between some factories producing ethanol.
Of course, the most interesting part of the drive is passing thru Goiâna. The state’s proud capital. It seems they forgot to construct a bypass. So, we find ourselves on a sightseeing tour thru the town center. An endless stop’n’go, 100s of red lights, and 10,000s of unattractive buildings lining the streets. Or, maybe we missed the bypass?
Jatai: we don’t remember anything about this place.
Well, maybe except for the pizza we have in the evening. In a nice restaurant at a lousy mall.
The next day, another 500km to drive. Roads are getting smaller, and the landscape looks just the same like yesterday.
So, it takes the whole day to arrive in Campo Grande.
In the evening at Cantina Mato Grosso. The place where they produce their Bier Rein. A beer with a huge potential for improvement. But, a highly appreciated cervejaria (beer-watering hole) by the locals.
Bonito, 16th March
The next morning a visit to the Bioparque Pantanal. This cool museum’n’conference center opened in 2022 and is mainly dedicated to the underwater world of the Pantanal. Thus, a fishy issue, where you walk thru huge aquariums. And all for free!
Later we’re on the way to Bonito. The tourist hotspot south of the Pantanal.
Arriving there, looking for a sleepery, we’re definitely slightly astonished when we learn how little they offer for the price. Shame on you.
Of course, you don’t visit Bonito for its bustling city vibes, nightlife, or outstanding gourmet temples. You’re in a small Brazilian town and tourist hotspot. People flock in to experience the surroundings of Bonito. The crystal-clear waters of some jungle rivers, the caves, and the numerous faciendas where you can relax for a day and savor some local delicacies.
For tourists eager to visit the area, a particular system has been introduced.
To begin with, they declare all tourists incapable of doing anything on their own. Not because they suppose the scorching heat has fried everyone’s brains out of their heads. No, of course not. It’s simply because all sights are on private land, and the landowners want to maximize their profit from tourism. So, tourists have to pay entrance fees. In addition, many prefer to book their trip in advance and to have it organized by a travel agent. That led to countless travel agencies in town offering all kinds of tours. Yet, neither the landowner nor the travel agents seem to have cared about the protection of the sites. They all just tried to optimize profits.
Finally, the municipality had to enforce law’n’order. They justify it with environmental caution. To save the planet – at least locally – they limit the number of persons on each site – well, to quite a large number. Then, they ensure that neither the travel agents nor the land owners nor tourists abuse their system. Thus, they introduced a central voucher system to precisely control the flow of visitors. To keep the travel agents happy with this new system, all vouchers are sold by them. Forget about internet booking or anything else. And the landowners seem to be pretty aware of the many years they could spend in jail if they accept visitors without official vouchers.
And what about the poor tourists? They pay the hell a lot for all of that. Some money for the landowners, probably a hefty commission for the travel agent, and surely quite a lot for the municipality to maintain the system. Thus, everybody is happy and earns the amount they deserve – or not.
After having understood their system we limit our visits to a snorkeling tour and a place where we should see a lot of Aras. This way we can still spend some money on beer in the evening.
Early the next morning, we’re on our way to a fazenda about 50km south of Bonito. For the Recanto Ecológico Rio da Prata Tour.
Upon arrival, they check our vouchers and have us sign a lengthy form stating they’re not responsible for anything that may occur in the world. Afterwards, the 9 participants of our tour are provided with the equipment – a snorkeling mask, shoes, and a wetsuit.
We receive an introduction to all the dangers we may encounter along the way. Of course, in Portuguese. Then a short walk thru an orchard, followed by a ride on a pick-up to a nearby forest. Finally, a 10′ walk in our wetsuit along a forest trail to reach the river.
Once there, we get introductions on how to use the mask and snorkel. And for non-swimmers a compact survival training.
Certainly, all these activities have to be managed very precisely by our tour guide/ watchdog/ dive master. Every 30′, there’s another tour. So, each precedent tour has to disappear exactly when the next 1 arrives. Otherwise, tourists might perceive it as a mass tourism event.
Whatever, now we’re ready to explore the wonders of the underwater world of 1 of the clearest rivers in the world on a length of about 2000m. Only a few times we have to bypass some rapids on land.
After 3h in the water, we’ve seen all. Time to head back to the farm. There we enjoy a lunch – and that’s it.
The question remains: is it worth investing in this tour? We believe so. It’s a unique opportunity to experience the underwater world of a river in the jungle. You see quite a lot – and it’s all organized in a way that you might forget that it’s just mass tourism.
In the afternoon, we need to use our 2nd voucher: Buraco das Araras. This sinkhole where you’re supposed to see numerous of these parrots.
Upon arrival, we’re required to wear closed shoes. Then we are assigned to a guide, and along with 2 other visitors, we hike thru the forest for a few meters to reach the 1st observation point. Then on to the 2nd.
After about 1h, it’s over. Well, it’s 43°, maybe it’s too hot to stay any longer. Perhaps we’ve simply seen enough for today.
Regardless, we don’t believe this tour is worth the expense of $30 per person. Especially, since you only see a few Aras. The very same you can see somewhere else.
After that, back to Bonito. To sip our well-deserved beer in a street-side bar.
Dear readers,
That’s it for today. More of the same, but very different the next time. Promise.
Cheeeers
Monika’n’Martin