Snorkling in the Rio da Plata River

Monday, Jan 13.

The town of Bonito is fairly surrounded by clear water rivers, springs, waterfalls and other similar tourist attractions catering to trekkers and “eco tourists.” Today we traveled about 50 miles South of Bonito to snorkel and swim in the Rio da Prata river. This attraction, owned by a local “farmer” who owns about 3000 acres, has a well developed facility catering to visitors, with a snack bar and curio shop, picnic facilities, and well developed trails to and from the river.

Sunscreen and bug repellent are not allowed, as they may contaminate the water, and the guide told us that the government strictly regulates the number of visitors daily and inspects frequently to insure that the ecology is maintained in its pristine condition.

Fortunately for us we arrived in a very dry period, with hardly any mosquitoes around. This is good because the trip starts with a 35 minute hike through the bush, while wearing a rubber wetsuit, to get to the river. It is an interesting hike and we saw some interesting trees, lizards, birds and so forth. The guide was quite knowledgeable describing the native flora and fauna and there were informative signs along the trail. It is also very hot and uncomfortable in the wet suits…and there were mosquitoes ready to pounce if we stopped for a minute.

Finally we reached the river, which begins as a cold, clear underground spring forming a jungle pond. We acclimated ourselves to the snorkel gear, and then floated, watching the fish, for 4 or 5 miles down the clear river. Dozens of species of colorful fish, some a few inches long, and some as long as 2 feet swam along side. At one point we had to clamber out and go around a small section of rapids to avoid injury. Usually the water was no more than 3 or 4 feet deep, but from time to time would pool in deeper areas, and ocassionally a spring was visible, bubbling up from the sandy bottom.

More information is available on the web at http://www.bonitoweb.com.br

The trip ended with a nice buffet lunch of traditional Brazilian fare, and a long dusty drive back to our hostel.

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