RAFTING AND BOAT SAFARIS

The rafting safaris are some of the more mild excursions in the area in terms of physical demands placed on the participants. You ride in a large inflated raft down a river and past a series of small cascades (nothing close to white water but a thrill all the same). The main attraction is the nature safari you get along the borders of the river. You’ll surely see monkeys, many kinds of birds, and caimans. A good trip is hosted by the Fazenda Segredo (10 km from Bonito, tel. 67/255-1872, www.pousadasegredo.com.br) and takes you down the Rio Formoso for about seven kilometers. Lunch is served at the fazenda afterward, and there are optional horseback excursions from there. Rafting and lunch are $50. The Hotel Fazenda Cachoeira (10 km from Bonito, www.hotelfazendacachoeira.com.br) also offers a trip down the Rio Formoso and a regional lunch afterward for R$50. Finally, Projecto Vivo (32 km from Bonito, tel. 67/255-3803, www.projectovivo.com.br) is a hotel-fazenda that has three rooms for guests, suspended trails, horseback excursions, and a boat trip down Rio Formoso. They allow day-use of their facilities for anyone to join. This package is R$50 with lunch. You can take your cameras on these trips as you won’t get very wet, but keep it in a plastic bag all the same.