Snorkeling in the Aquário Natural at Baía Bonita

Imagine, for a moment that you are floating down a river full of schools of fishes, almost within reach, darting through the swaying aquatic plants. The riverbed is full of limestone which gives the river its clarity and reflects rays of light in shades ranging from blue to silver. The diversity of flora and fauna makes any guest feel as if they were simply one of the inhabitants of a huge natural aquarium.  The outing begins with a brief orientation on the use of the mask and snorkel at the pool followed by a short trek through diverse areas of scrublands, or cerrado as it is known in Brazil, closed forests, and riverine forests changing moment by moment.  Here at the end of the trail you will encounter the headwaters of the Baía Bonita River, which is popularly known as the Aquário Natural.   Here you will use you buoyancy of a neoprene wetsuit, mask and snorkel to float through the bay and a distance of about 900 meters down the river without touching the bottom or the plants to avoid clouding the water. If you don´t wish to snorkel, you may follow the group in the support boat that follows after the last snorkeler.

Afterwards you will enjoy a lunch consisting of regional food dishes in the restaurant. Here you will be able to appreciate the integration between buildings and nature that was of the first concern when tourist activities began.  Betweeen 1995 and 2003 the design of architects William Paoliello and Andrew Weiner and the landscape architect of Selma Robinson developed the project.  The reception centre and gift shop, located in a clearing away from the river resembles a large bird, the pool area has a huge decked area, an Olympic sized swimming pool as well as a heated Jacuzzi for hydro massage as well as dressing rooms with lockers for changing into the wetsuits for snorkeling.  The museum gives an overview of the geology, zoology, and botany of the region, and is used for lectures and cultural encounters.

Here at Baía Bonita three rivers meet: the Baía Bonita River, the Formosinho and the Formoso River, the largest and most famous of the region. In the deep waters of the Rio Formoso visitors can dive and play.... there is a water slide as well as a floating trampoline.   But the principle activity of the afternoon is the Animal Trail.

We like to think of the place not so much a veterinary clinic, but as a health spa for animals. The project addresses the necessity of the public, both Brazilian and foreign to better know the fauna of the Central-west Region of Brazil.  Who wouldn´t want to see a Maned wolf close up, know how they live, or what they eat?  And what do you say about a Marsh deer, a taper or an andaconda?  And what about a deer-Marsh, a tapir or an anaconda? These are all animals that are extremely difficult to observe in nature and interesting in their appearance and behavior.

All animals can be seen during the tour come from recovery projects, or zoos, none of them was taken from the wild. The idea is that they live as closely as possible to the way they´d be if living in the wild: the enclosures comprise vast areas of savannas and forests.  Visitors walk on tracks suspended seeing animals in their own habitat.

The visit of the "Trail of the Animals" is done in small groups always accompanied by a guide who specializes in fauna and flora. At the end of the journey the visitor has the opportunity to visit the Research Center with the Veterinary Laboratory, where keepers store and prepare meals for animals and where the vet gives needed medical treatment.

This tour lasts approximately an hour and a half.