Boca da Onça Ecological Trail

BRAZIL’S HIGHEST PLATFORM

The Boca da Onça Ecological Trail tour takes around 5 hours, starting with a nice lookout over the Bodoquena Mountain Range from Brazil’s highest platform. From this platform, you can rappel a 90 meters descent (you can add this on for some RS236 extra or book it separately for some RS430).

LEOPARD’S MOUTH

The hike is only four miles long, but will take you to many different beautiful spots including ten waterfalls. At five of these ‘cachoeiras’ you can bath or swim, among which the Boca da Onça waterfall (the highest in the state). When the waterfall was discovered, the explorers thought a rock at the waterfall looks like the head of a leopard (onça) and therefore called it leopard’s mouth (Boca da Onça).

BRING YOUR OWN SNORKEL GEAR

You also get the chance to swim in the Salobra River. Though the water in this river is not that clear, compared to the snorkel tours offered around Bonito, we do recommend bringing your own goggles to snorkel in this river. We saw a type of impressive fish here that we didn’t see elsewhere; a fish that looked similar to a Scorpion fish.

IMPRESSIVE HOLE IN THE ROCKS WITH WATERFALL

What amazed us the most, was a horizontal arch; a big hole in the rocks with a waterfall and pool, which you could get to by swimming through another natural tunnel. The forest, plants and wildlife are beautiful too. We spotted a nicely designed beetle along the track and at the luxurious Boca da Onça complex (fazenda) there are some elegant seriemas and other birds.

LOGISTICS & ARRANGEMENTS

There is only one tour a day, which starts around 09:20 with an introduction and security declaration after which you start the hiking around 09:40. As it is almost 90km from Bonito (closer to Bodoquena), the minibus from Bonito already picks you up around 07:00/07:40 depending on your pickup location (RS75 pp). Make sure you book the minibus ahead of time, if you don’t have your own transport. Upon arrival, you will be welcomed with coffee, tea, unnatural ‘juice’, cake, bread and crackers.

Our tour guide Luisa didn’t speak English, but was kind to speak Portuguese slowly for us.

After your five hour tour, you will be rewarded with a tasty lunch buffet, with seating inside or in the fantastic garden overlooking the forest. An hour before the lunch there is a short stop at a little kiosk where you could buy some water and snacks.

TIPS

Bring mosquito repellent, plenty of water and some snacks as you might get hungry before lunch time
Bring snorkel gear (there are beautiful fish that we didn’t see at any of the snorkel tours in Bonito)
Don’t wear sunscreen/foundation/cream on your face to avoid fogging goggles
Bring an underwater camera or rent one (GoPro RS78 per day at ABN)
Wear your swimwear and put some easy clothes on top (also for when your swimwear is wet) and bring extra (dry) clothes
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