Bonito itself isn’t much of a looker but is blessed with some of the most extraordinary natural attractions in the surrounding countryside. So what can you do? Well, there are crystal clear rivers to take a snorkelling safari down, ancient caves you can abseil into and take a dip in underground lakes, view hundreds of macaws as they soar up from their nesting ground in a huge crater, or simply swim with the fishes at the local outdoor pool (also a crystal clear river!) There are several local rivers with pristine waters, so we chose the most famous (and hopefully the best), the Rio Prata. I’ve snorkelled before in some amazing places but it is quite something else to do it in a shallow river (some places you had to suck your tummy in as the current washed you over rocks and sunken trees), lined by mangroves and surrounded by Piranhas! To be fair, not the flesh eating variety but part of the same family; ten times the size and purple, definitely my favourite. There were so many fish just hanging out against the flow, it was surreal to join a shoal for a while. Other top underwater spots were a sea-snake (particularly rare due to a good camouflage) and a half-metre catfish. We also dived down to grab some bubbling sand where springs burst from the river bed. To finish off the trip, the landing point was awash with hundreds of butterflies to welcome us ashore. A truly great morning.
On the cave front, we were too chicken to abseil (well and it cost too much!) so opted to climb down a few hundred steps into a different cave, where we found an azure lagoon protected by thousands of stalactites, waiting to fall like daggers and punish anyone who even dips a toe in the forbidden waters. It was impressive and we did get to wear silly hairnets under our climbing helmets; although to be honest, if you’ve seen one blue cave, you’ve kind of seen them all! The real highlight of our time in Bonito had to be having a South American dairy cow named after me; yes, little Angela is also a fine, good-looking brunette except she has unfortunately long ears (unlike me, before anyone tries that one!)
Bonito itself isn’t much of a looker but is blessed with some of the most extraordinary natural attractions in the surrounding countryside. So what can you do? Well, there are crystal clear rivers to take a snorkelling safari down, ancient caves you can abseil into and take a dip in underground lakes, view hundreds of macaws as they soar up from their nesting ground in a huge crater, or simply swim with the fishes at the local outdoor pool (also a crystal clear river!) There are several local rivers with pristine waters, so we chose the most famous (and hopefully the best), the Rio Prata. I’ve snorkelled before in some amazing places but it is quite something else to do it in a shallow river (some places you had to suck your tummy in as the current washed you over rocks and sunken trees), lined by mangroves and surrounded by Piranhas! To be fair, not the flesh eating variety but part of the same family; ten times the size and purple, definitely my favourite. There were so many fish just hanging out against the flow, it was surreal to join a shoal for a while. Other top underwater spots were a sea-snake (particularly rare due to a good camouflage) and a half-metre catfish. We also dived down to grab some bubbling sand where springs burst from the river bed. To finish off the trip, the landing point was awash with hundreds of butterflies to welcome us ashore. A truly great morning. 
On the cave front, we were too chicken to abseil (well and it cost too much!) so opted to climb down a few hundred steps into a different cave, where we found an azure lagoon protected by thousands of stalactites, waiting to fall like daggers and punish anyone who even dips a toe in the forbidden waters. It was impressive and we did get to wear silly hairnets under our climbing helmets; although to be honest, if you’ve seen one blue cave, you’ve kind of seen them all! The real highlight of our time in Bonito had to be having a South American dairy cow named after me; yes, little Angela is also a fine, good-looking brunette except she has unfortunately long ears (unlike me, before anyone tries that one!)
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