Bom Jardim

Bom Jardim, the enchanting paradise 

Bom Jardim is an ecological paradise with snorkelling in crystalline blue rivers, bathing in neotropical waterfalls, mysterious caverns and an enormous variety of resplendent fishes birds and wildlife in an area of transition between the Brazilian Savanna and the Amazon Rainforest. In addition to the natural attractions, there is a growing number of options for adventure tours such as zip-line and rafting. Bom Jardim is located 150 km north of Cuiaba not far from the Pantanal Wetlands and Chapada dos Guimaraes. An area with extensive limestone formations that create an environment with crystalline blue rivers and limestone caverns, Bom Jardim is to Mato Grosso and the Northern Pantanal what its more publicised and established sister Bonito is to Mato Grosso do Sul and the Southern Pantanal.

Location and Weather

The location became known as Nobres because this is the name of the municipality where many of the attractions exist, but the attractions are located around the Village of Bom Jardim, which lies some 65 km (40 miles) from the urban limits of the city itself. Actually, if you were to look deeper, some of the most prominent attractions are in the neighbouring municipality of Rosario do Oeste and in the even smaller villages of Nobres such as Roda d’agua and Quoqueral and the Cerquinha Cave District. A little over a decade ago due to poor conditions and limited infrastructures such as hospitality the pioneers of tourism based their tours out of the Nobres and made excursions into Bom Jardim by van service or 4 x 4. While still in its infancy, the village of Bom Jardim, not only has the road connecting the village to the city of Nobres been paved, there is also a newly paved highway passing along a scenic route connecting Bom Jardim to Chapada dos Guimaraes, another of the most popular tourist destinations in Mato Grosso.

Getting there

We offer several options for tours in Bom Jardim. For foreigners, we recommend one of our package tours with transport and a bilingual guide departing from Cuiaba. For those who speak Portuguese or who are up for a linguistic adventure, an economical option are the open group day-use tours departing from Cuiaba each Friday and Saturday at 08h00, or the two-day one-night tour that departs each Friday at 08h00. Public transportation is not a practical option for visiting Bom Jardim. Remembering that the village of Bom Jardim is 65 km from the city of Nobres, there is only one bus that goes from Cuiaba to the village per day. A larger problem is that the taxi services are based in the city of Nobres, not the village, and the attractions are located as far as 24 km or more from the village along dirt roads that are not heavily travelled.

Tourism is organized according to a system known as the voucher único (single voucher system) wherein the reservations for the attractions are purchased through an authorized tour agency for a specific date and time and can’t be purchased at the attraction itself. This system helps to control the quality and safety of the experience. For independent travellers, we also offer self-drive tour packages where you can rent a car at the airport. The packages include an itinerary with vouchers for the attractions accompanied by local Portuguese speaking tour conductors at the attractions, accommodations, and some meals. However, keep in mind that services in English are almost inexistent in the area. Package tours should be booked as far in advance as possible to ensure availability of the attractions and lodging. It is difficult to arrange a bilingual guide on arrival in the region as the tours are generally for private groups. Our packages are just suggestions we are always happy to create bespoke tours with tailor-made itineraries according to your interests. Additional savings can be achieved by bundling our tours in Bom Jardim with our packages for the Pantanal and Chapada dos Guimaraes

Accommodation

They`re no hostels in town. Those restricted to a tight budget; the cheapest option in town is to bring a tent and go camping in the garden of Pousada Bom Jardim. There`s a separate bathroom for people camping and the price (R$40 p.p.) is including a feast of a breakfast. They have a kitchen, if you make friends you`ll be allowed to cook up some simple meals.* A bit more flexibity in the budget? The rooms at Pousada Bom Jardim are really nice. There`s a big garden with hammocks, chairs, veranda`s to chill out. There`s also a fish pond and numerous plants and flowers to enjoy.