Mato Grosso do Sul

Introduction

Bonito fish

© Flav-Greg

Mato Grosso do Sul is one of the 26 states of Brazil and is the southern counterpart of Mato Grosso. It was only created in 1979 because of a better way of administrating such a vast region, different from the northern part of Mato Grosso.

The state is famous for its natural beauty, and is a major destination for domestic and international tourism. The Pantanal lowlands cover 12 municipalities and presents an enormous variety of flora and fauna, with forests, natural sand banks, savannahs, open pasture, fields and bushes. The city Bonito, in the mountain of Bodoquena, has prehistoric caves, natural rivers, waterfalls, swimming pools and the Blue Lake cave.

The name Mato Grosso do Sul literally means "Thick Bushes of the South" in Portuguese, a name inherited from its northern neighbour state of Mato Grosso, of which it was part until the 1970s. It is not uncommon for people to mistakenly refer to Mato Grosso do Sul as simply "Mato Grosso". Other names that were proposed, at the time of the split and afterwards, include "Pantanal" (a reference to its best known geographical feature) and "Maracaju" (a reference to the Maracaju Mountain Range that crosses the state from north to south).

Geography

Neighboring Brazilian states are (from north clockwise) Mato Grosso, Goiás, Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. It also borders the countries of Paraguay, to the southwest, and Bolivia, to the west. The economy of the state is largely based on agriculture and cattle-raising. Crossed in the south by the Tropic of Capricorn, Mato Grosso do Sul generally has a warm, sometimes hot, and humid climate, and is crossed by numerous tributaries of the Paraná River.

Cities and Towns

• Campo Grande - the capital of the state
• Corumba - gateway to the Pantanal on the border with Bolivia
• Coxim
• Dourados
• Ponta Pora - border town with Paraguay
• Miranda
• Bonito - famous for the nearby crystal clear waters, good for snorkelling
• Aquidauana

Sights and Activities

Pantanal

Little Caymans, Pantanal

© Utrecht

The Pantanal is the world's largest continuous wetland with a total area of more than 200,000 square kilometres. Over half of the Pantanal is located in Brazil which also offers the best opportunities for a visit to this paradise full with animals. The Pantanal can be reached both from the north (Cuiaba) and from the south (Campo Grande), and both are equally rewarding and impressive. There are dozens of places to stay, from camping to 5-star luxury.For more details about visiting this amazing place read the Pantanal article.

Other Sights and Activities

• Bonito, great for freshwater snorkelling

Weather

Mato Grosso do Sul has humid subtropical and tropical climates. The average annual rainfall is 1,471.1 mm. January is the warmest month, with mean maximum of 34 °C and minimum of 24 °C and more rain; July experiences the coldest temperatures, with mean maximum of 25 °C and minimum of -2,0 °C and sun.

Getting There

By Plane

Campo Grande International Airport (CGR) is located just a 10 to 15-minute drive away from downtown Campo Grande, the main gateway by air to the state.

Five airlines serve the city, and only Gol Airlines justifies the fact that it is called an 'international' airport: they serve Santa Cruz in Bolivia. Domestic services with them are Cuiaba, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Manaus, Porto Velho and Sao Paulo.

Other airlines serve roughly the same domestic routes, plus services to Campinas, Maringa, Brasilia, Londrina and Rio de Janeiro.

By Bus

Regular buses make the trip to Cuiaba (10 hours, nine daily). There are also regular buses to Sao Paulo (15 hours, five daily), Rio de Janeiro (four daily, 23 hours), Brasilia (two daily, 16 hours) and Foz do Iguacu (one daily, 14 hours). Buses to the latter are more frequent with a transfer en route, taking just an hour more or so.

Getting Around

By Plane

TRIP flies between Campo Grande and Corumba.

By Bus

Regular buses connect Campo Grande with Corumba, the city on the border with Bolivia, taking around 6 hours. Some buses stop en route in Aquidauana and Miranda, the latter being a good base for shorter trips into the Pantanal. Buses
There are buses to Bonito (five hours, six daily). Frequent buses go to Ponta Pora (four hours, 21 daily) on the Paraguayan border.

External Links

• Official Website