Places to Explore

• Alto Paraíso de Goiás

  This city is known throughout Brazil as a center of unexplained phenomena. The remoteness of the region—paved roads arrived about 20 years ago—gave birth to many stories about flying saucers... (more)

• Bonito

  The hills around this small town of 15,000, whose name rightly means "beautiful," are on the southern edge of the Pantanal, not too far from the Bodoquena mountain range. The route to the Pantanal is longer... (more)

• Brasília

  The idea of moving Brazil's capital to the interior dates from the early days of the country's independence, but it wasn't until 1955 that the scheme became more than a pipe dream. Many said Brasília... (more)

• Campo Grande

  Campo Grande is the gateway to the southern Pantanal and to the water-sports-rich areas around Bonito. Nicknamed the Cidade Morena (Brunette City) because of the reddish-brown earth on which it sits, this... (more)

• Cuiabá

  The northern gateway to the Pantanal Wetlands, Cuiabá is also the southernmost gateway to the cerrado and the Amazon beyond. You can visit one of several museums while you're waiting for a tour... (more)

• Goiás Velho

  The city of Goiás, better known as Goiás Velho, was founded in 1727 by the bandeirantes (explorers whose initial goals were to enslave the indigenous peoples and, later, to capture African... (more)

• Miranda

  This tiny settlement on the Miranda River grew into a city after the construction of the railway linking São Paulo to Corumbá and on to Bolivia. In its heyday the railway was called Ferrovia... (more)

• Pirenópolis

  Settled in the 18th century at the height of the Goiás gold rush, Pirenópolis was abandoned by the early 19th century after most of its gold was mined. Some locals say the years of isolation... (more)

• Pixaim

  The hotels here are some of the closest to the Pantanal Wetlands. There are many well-trained guides in town, who have lived here all their lives. (Be sure to specify if you need an English-speaking guide.)... (more)