MAY 1, 2015

- The crystal clear rivers of Bonito are teeming with marine life.

Located south of The Pantanal, Bonito is a small town in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. In the countryside around the city, underground springs feed clear rivers that hold an incredible blue color and contain some of the world’s most beautiful aquatic environments. This, combined with the green forested landscape full of wild animals, has made Bonito a popular tourist destination. I spent a long weekend here swimming under waterfalls, snorkeling in the clear rivers, and observing macaws, toucans, and monkeys in the forest.

- The incredible blue water at the source of Olho d'Agua river.

- Drifting along with the fish in the clear water of Olho d'Agua river.

- Water from an underground river network rushes up through the sandy river bottom of Olho d'Agua.

- A beautiful waterfall in Rio Mimoso.

- A brown capuchin monkey sitting on a tree branch.

- A blue-and-yellow macaw in the Estância Mimosa nature reserve.

- A hyacinth macaw in the Estância Mimosa nature reserve.

- Scarlet macaws on a bird feeder.

- Late afternoon sunlight at the Fazenda Cabeceira do Prata (Bedside Silver Farm).

- The Gruta do Lago Azul (Blue Lake Cave).