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Campo Grande is the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul in central-west Brazil, a green and spacious city famous for its large parks, the Bioparque Pantanal, the world's largest freshwater aquarium, and as the gateway to the clear rivers of Bonito and the wildlife of the Pantanal.
Founded in the late 19th century on the cattle plains of the region, Campo Grande grew with the arrival of the railway and became the state capital when Mato Grosso do Sul was created. Its population blends Brazilian, Paraguayan, Indigenous and Japanese influences, especially from Okinawa.
Visitors stroll through Parque das Nações Indígenas, tour the Bioparque and the Dom Bosco museum, and eat sobá at the Feira Central. Bonito, a few hours away, offers snorkelling in crystal rivers, caves and sinkholes full of macaws, while lodges in the Pantanal promise caimans, capybaras and jaguars.
Parque das Nações Indígenas is a vast urban park in Campo Grande, with wide lawns, walking and cycling tracks and a lake formed by the Prosa stream, where capybaras often graze. It is home to the Monument to the Indigenous Peoples, the Dom Bosco museum and the city's contemporary art museum.
Bioparque Pantanal in Campo Grande is the largest freshwater aquarium in the world, opened in 2022 on Avenida Afonso Pena beside Parque das Nações Indígenas. Designed by Ruy Ohtake, its tanks show fish of the Pantanal and rivers from around the world. Entry is free but must be booked in advance.
Parque dos Poderes is a large park in Campo Grande that holds the offices of the Mato Grosso do Sul state government within a reserve of native cerrado. Coatis, armadillos and small foxes live in the woods beside the roads, and at weekends the park fills with walkers and cyclists.
Morada dos Baís is one of the historic buildings of central Campo Grande, on Avenida Noroeste, once known as the Pensão Pimentel guesthouse and named after the Baís family. Restored as a cultural centre, it hosts art exhibitions and events, and its elegant facade recalls the city's early days.
Museu das Culturas Dom Bosco in Parque das Nações Indígenas, Campo Grande, was founded by Salesian priests and opened in 1951. Known locally as the Museu do Índio, it holds a renowned collection of Indigenous tools, ceramics, feather art and crafts, along with archaeology and fossils.
Memorial da Cultura Indígena stands in the Marçal de Souza urban Indigenous village in Campo Grande, said to be the only one of its kind in Brazil. Built of treated bamboo with a palm-thatched roof, it displays and sells crafts made by local Indigenous artisans, and workshops are held upstairs.
Feira Central is Campo Grande's lively evening market, run with the city's Okinawan community, whose noodle soup sobá has become a local favourite. Stalls also serve grilled skewers with cassava, and sell crafts and regional produce. It was declared part of the city's cultural heritage in 2017.
Mercadão Municipal is the central market of Campo Grande, where stalls sell fruit, cheeses, herbs and the cups and metal straws used for tereré, the cold herbal tea drunk across Mato Grosso do Sul. Snack bars serve pastel and other local treats, and it is busiest on weekend mornings.
Gruta do Lago Azul is a cave in Bonito, about 300 km southwest of Campo Grande, protected as a natural monument since 1978. A trail of steps leads down past limestone formations to an underground lake of intense blue, lit by sunlight from the cave mouth. Visits are guided and must be booked.
Buraco das Araras is a giant sinkhole near Jardim, close to Bonito, about 500 metres across and over 100 metres deep. Pairs of red-and-green macaws nest in its sandstone walls and wheel over the forest below, while caimans live in the lake at its bottom. Early morning is best for birds.
Rio Sucuri near Bonito is one of the clearest rivers in Brazil, fed by limestone springs, and visitors float downstream with snorkels over beds of green water plants. Shoals of fish swim around you in the transparent water. Trips are guided, numbers are limited, and sunscreen is not allowed.
The Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland in the world, and Campo Grande is a main gateway to its southern part. Lodges along its rivers and flooded plains offer safaris to see caimans, capybaras, hyacinth macaws and, with luck, jaguars. The dry season from July to October is best for wildlife.
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