Rappelling the Abyss in Bonito!

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We needed to make our way from Brazil to Bolivia and so we decided stop somewhere in the Pantanal before crossing the border at Corumba. On reading about the Pantanal we discovered that most tours were 3/4 days which was time we simply didn't have. Instead we discovered a lovely town close to the Pantanal and Corumba called Bonito.

Bonito is a small, pretty town which is famous for crystalline water snorkeling and rappelling. We stayed in a lovely hostel in the center of town which helped us organize tours, etc. Because we only had 1 full day to spend in Bonito we decided to go with the recommendation of the hostel and we booked the rappelling tour for the following day. The recommendation was spot-on!!! The rappelling tour involves absailing 74 metres into an underground abyss, snorkeling in the abyss looking at the underground rock formations and then rappel back up!

The only problem was we had to do training for the rappelling the evening we arrived.... not something we looked forward to given we'd been on a bus for over 24 hours!!! But that evening we went for training and collected our wet-suits for the snorkeling.

The following morning we were collected at 6am for our trip. When we arrived, we were suited up with our harness and helmet. I (Karen) was definitely nervous about the experience.... while Paul, who is so used to heights was as relaxed as ever!

Absailing down was pretty scary. Paul and I were attached to the same emergency rope.... so at least if one goes, the other follows in support :-) Paul was waffling away, not a bother on the way down, while I hung onto the rope for dear life and didn't look down :-)

When we arrived to the bottom of the abyss, we all boarded a small dingy and were taken on a short tour of the cave with flashlights in hand where our guide explained everything about the caves formations. After the boat trip we struggled into our very tight wetsuits and prepared for our scary snorkeling experience in the pitch black!! The snorkeling was a fantastic experience and surprisingly the wet-suits kept us pretty warm!!! We were both surprised at how much we could see in the water, although in some parts we could only see pure black directly underneath because it was over 80 meters deep!!

After the snorkeling.... the hard part!!! Rappelling back up 74 metres! It was really tough but the views were amazing and both Paul and I took our time, allowing us to soak up the surrounding rock formations.

If anyone is anywhere near corumba or the pantanal, Bonito is a must! The rappelling tour was an experience we will never forget :-)

Unfortunately it's good bye to crazy Brazil.... next stop Bolivia :-)

By Karen and Paul

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Photos

Rappelling time!!
No going back now. 74 metres down into the abyss!! Gets the heart going :)

The goin' down clan!
Me, Karen and Guy just before we set off underground. Spot the crazy guide behind us. :)

Rock formations
One of many formations 74 metres below

Skuba' Karen!
Karen gets ready to snorkel in the abyss.

Is it too late to change my mind!!
Looking into the water and seeing nothing but black is a bit scary. So glad we did it, it was amazing!!

Bring it on!!
After our snorkelling we felt we could do anything. That was until we looked up and realised we had to climb 74 metres up a rope!! :O

1 metre done - 73 to go!!
We didn't look so energetic at the top. It was extremely difficult but worth every second. The views were brilliant.

The climb to the top!
You can see the entrance of the cave and us on our way to it. It took a while to get there but it was a great feeling of accomplishment and the view back down was heart stopping. :)