Rio da Prata

South America Day 36 - Rio Da Prata

Bonito has many different water activities to participate in including where we'd been the yesterday.
Number 2 on our list was Rio da Prata. It was also the must do activity among the three we ended up doing.
The essence of the Rio da Prata activity was floating down a clear stream for 45 mins. It was so much more interesting than it sounds. I hired a dive camera and water proof case from the local Kodak shop in Bonito (the rest of the gang chipped in for it). I was designated as the camera man for the trip.

 There was a welcoming committee at the visitor centre.

We took a fairly lengthy taxi ride out to Rio da Prada. We were told not to put on any sunscreen, deodorant or perfume on before we went. The stream is pristine and with the large number of people floating down the river each day, the man made chemicals would upset the delicate ecosystem. The wet-suits weren't so much to keep us warm, but more to help us float (we weren't allowed to touch the bottom) and give us a little protection from sharp rocks.
They bundled us into the back of a decked out utility truck and took us to the head of a trail. We walked for about 10-15 minutes to the head of Rio da Prata. They have a timer to make sure that each group are separated by enough time to give allow everyone to stay apart and to give the animals a break.

We assembled in a small area next to a jetty. We were allowed to stand at this point (inside the ring of rocks you can see here), but nowhere else. They made sure everyone knew how to snorkel and we were ready to go.

We were sent off around this large pool which is the head of the river. It was full of fish & really clear.

Bonito is on the edge of the Pantanal area and is influenced by the huge amount of rainfall. Rio da Prata exists because the pressure created by the water table in the area is pushing water from underground into this river. This sink hole is one of a few points where the water comes gushing out from underground. The ground not only filters the water, but the minerals give it a blue tint before it appears through these vents.

After the lap around the pond, we re-assembled at the jetty and set of one by one. It was a narrow stream and the less other people around, the more fish we would see.

The scenery above and below the water was brilliant. The green jungle above the water and the tinted turquoise water below.

 

As you can see, Rio da Prata is absolutely teeming with fish and they're mostly species you see in your local pet store. It was like swimming in a giant aquarium! The yellow and red fish (Piraputanga) were the main species that were at the pools yesterday.

 

 

 

 

This is what I mean about swimming in your home aquarium. The tetras (fish) in this photo can be purchased at your local pet store for a few dollars.

 These Dourado are the apex predators in the river. They look a lot like the Piraputanga but have a big mouth with rows of sharp teeth.

 We continued to float along for quite some time. The stream would widen out for a bit then narrow again.

At one point the stream became very shallow so we had to get out and walk a little. We crossed the path that we had walked along initially. To get back into the river we had to jump into a rapids section. It was quite shallow and the rocks were very jagged & nearly bought me unstuck while I was taking some video footage (above).

Not far from the rapids the stream opened out into a fairly wide and deep pool. The springs pictured were probably responsible for the widening.

After the pool, the stream opened up and joined with another. I didn't want it to end and continued to float along until I was dragged out of the water. Special K, on the other hand, was done. She decided again that she hadn't signed up for this and jumped in the boat so she would be back on land as soon as possible. She's a strange one.

This is the point where I was made to get out of the water. This was what I saw when I looked back into the water. If you look close enough you can see a few Piraputanga right at the edge. I just wanted to go around again. I recommend the Rio da Prata trip to anyone who has even a slight chance of getting to Bonito.

Even the taxi trip back to Bonito had some interest. These burrowing owls had their nest between the dirt road and the barbed wire fence. I guess it's safe for them. The barbed wire keeps the cattle out and they were far enough off the road to avoid the cars.
This evening we had to go to a two story office where we had to do some climbing training for the activity we are going to do tomorrow.