Brasília and the West: Places to Explore

This city is known throughout Brazil as a center of unexplained phenomena. The remoteness of the region—paved roads arrived about 20 years ago—gave birth to many stories about flying saucers... Read more

The hills around this small town of 15,000, whose name rightly means "beautiful," are on the southern edge of the Pantanal, not too far from the Bodoquena mountain range. The route to the Pantanal is longer... Read more

The idea of moving Brazil's capital to the interior dates from the early days of the country's independence, but it wasn't until 1955 that the scheme became more than a pipe dream. Many said Brasília... Read more

Campo Grande is the gateway to the southern Pantanal and to the water-sports-rich areas around Bonito. Nicknamed the Cidade Morena (Brunette City) because of the reddish-brown earth on which it sits, this... Read more

The northern gateway to the Pantanal Wetlands, Cuiabá is also the southernmost gateway to the cerrado and the Amazon beyond. You can visit one of several museums while you're waiting for a tour... Read more

The city of Goiás, better known as Goiás Velho, was founded in 1727 by the bandeirantes (explorers whose initial goals were to enslave the indigenous peoples and, later, to capture African... Read more

This tiny settlement on the Miranda River grew into a city after the construction of the railway linking São Paulo to Corumbá and on to Bolivia. In its heyday the railway was called Ferrovia... Read more

Settled in the 18th century at the height of the Goiás gold rush, Pirenópolis was abandoned by the early 19th century after most of its gold was mined. Some locals say the years of isolation... Read more

The hotels here are some of the closest to the Pantanal Wetlands. There are many well-trained guides in town, who have lived here all their lives. (Be sure to specify if you need an English-speaking guide.)... Read more