INCREDIBLE BLUE GRUTA DO LAGO AZUL

Incredible blue!

BLUE LAGOON CAVE PUT BONITO ON THE MAP

‘Gruta do Lago Azul’, which translates as ‘Blue Lagoon Cave’, was discovered by a Terena Indian in 1924. This natural wonder is the place that made Bonito touristic. In 1972 the government bought the land around this cave from the farmers in order to protect it. One of the treats to its conservation were cowboys shooting at the stalactites!

NATURAL MONUMENT

Gruta do Lago Azul is considered a Natural Monument. This title was given in 1978 by IPHAN (Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage) and guarantees its preservation. Therefore, access is strictly controlled by the government and since 1992 it is no longer allowed to access the water, in order to preserve it better.

The lake is 80 meters deep and 120 meters wide. A trail and a staircase of 300 steps lead inside the cave. You will be able to see the unbelievably blue lake from different viewpoints while your guide explains more about the formation of the beautiful stalactites, stalagmites, and rock formations in the shape of a ballerina and so on. There are also fossils of a giant sloth, snails and other animals.

TOUR & TIPS

Our guide Clarissa Martins spoke English. She is one of the few out of 100 guides who speaks English, together with Luiz Eduardo, Antônio and André. The first tour on any day starts at 7:00 a.m. and only at this hour the tour is for free for Brazilians (only). Otherwise, the price is only BRL50 (one of the cheapest tours in Bonito) and absolutely worth it. We didn’t expect that it actually would be as colourful as on the pictures.

It is very rare to have direct sunlight hitting the water in this cave. It only happens from around November to January and only some 20 minutes per day. When we were there (on 18 November 2016), the time to see direct sunlight into the water would require a tour starting time at 07:40 or 08:00 a.m. Unfortunately, we didn’t know this before our arrival at 11:00 a.m. (also a good time, as the sunlight is strong), but nevertheless it was absolutely incredible.