On our way out of Brazil, we made a quick stop at Bonito, a town to the south of the Pantanal that’s famous for its ecological experiences. Chief among them, (and the only place we had time to visit) is Rio da Prata, ‘Silver River’, where the combination of minerals means the water is astonishingly clear – with visibility of up to 30m. We donned wetsuits and snorkels, hired an underwater camera and floated for about 3km downstream along the surface. When we first went into the water, we had the slightly odd sensation of being nibbled by the curious fish, but we got used to it, and were soon gawping at the beauty around us. A detailed explanation by the guide in Portuguese was comically translated for us into the simple phrase “Look at all the fishes!”, and that’s exactly what we did! It was undoubtably one of the best things we’ve done in 7 months of travel, and we’d highly recommend it to anyone – thanks Cas for encouraging us to detour!

The photos do it more justice than I could ever manage with words alone.

Simon