Nobres + Lagoa das Araras, Mato Grosso

   

The town of Nobres lies northwest of Cuiabá and has approximately 12,000 inhabitants. Nobres is a historical town with many ancient houses and is situated in the midst of a rocky wooded plateau. It was founded in 1719 by prospectors. There is also a reservation of the Santana Indians (an indigenous people) nearby.

The surroundings of Nobres stand out: mountain ranges, woods, rocky caves, waterfalls and grottos (Lagoa Azul). Sometimes one can still discover old Indian rock paintings in the grottos. This is an ideal place for hiking and snorkelling.


You can also go on a boat trip on Rio Nobres. The grottos and lagoons in the vicinity of Nobres are very similar to those in Bonito (Mato Grosso do Sul); unfortunately, Nobres is not as well-known as Bonito and thus barely developed in terms of tourism. Right now, however, the Grotta Azul has been locked down by the IBAMA (Brazilian environmental authority); this affair involves corruption and financial interests. If you go to Nobres you can save yourself a trip to Bonito; this place is definitely worth a visit.

We are always interested in a gentle, ecologically sound kind of tourism. The Grotta Azul in Bonito and its surroundings (southern Pantanal, near Campo Grande) have in large parts already been irrevocably damaged by tourist crowds. Nobres, however, stands in stark contrast to the completely overrun, mass tourism-oriented Bonito. The authorities here place great value on an ecologically sound tourism that helps preserve the natural beauty in the region, instead of exploiting it with mass tourism and ruthless fincancial interests.


Lagoa das Araras (1 km from Bom Jardim):


On tour 12 an overnight stay in Bom Jardim is planned (including an excursion to the Lagoa Azul). In the afternoon we drive to Bom Jardim (approximately 30 km) to the Pousada Reino Encantado, where you will spend a night or two. The highlight here is the Lagoa das Araras, where from the early morning hours you can find hundreds of blue and yellow macaws, hyacinth macaws, parakeets and parrot species. A unique natural spectacle that you should not miss under any circumstances. A visit to the Lagoa das Araras is included in Tour 7 and Tour 9, but can also be individually incorporated into any tour with at least 6 overnight stays.

 

Note:

On our tours the Lagoa Azul is reached via Chapada dos Guimarães (about 120 km off, 40 km on non-asphalted road). Due to the bad road condition the drive can be very exhausting. After the visit to the Lagoa Azul it's another 30 km on non-asphalt street to the Pousada Reino Encantado. We ask you to take this into account upon planning your trip.

The photos and texts on this page are copyright-protected:
© Photos by Günter Stysch