Visit Bom Jardim District in Nobres – Brazil

Have you heard of Nobres or Bom Jardim District? If the answer is no, I recommend you to stop everything and take a look at this place. Still very unknown by tourists, Nobres lies in the thick bush and not far from the capital Cuiabá! With attractions similar to those of Bonito but with much more interesting prices. The city does not yet have a tourist structure and with very few hotels. The hotels are also travel agencies and make the packages for the activities. But after all, is it Nobres or Bom Jardim? Bom Jardim is a district of the city of Nobres, and for that reason, Nobres takes the fame, but the attractions are in the Bom Jardim District.

Did you get excited to meet this beautiful and yet unexplored destination? Then sit down and I’ll tell you everything.

How To Get To Nobres

This is one of the most important parts of this post! First because although Bom Jardim is a district of the city of Nobre, the two places are far away about 60 Km by a dirt road. In addition, Waze or Google Maps identify the addresses of the hotels but send you to Nobres and from there, you would have to take the dirt road. Now I put “Estivado” on Google and it worked! Test this option and let me know if it works!

But the good news is that it’s very easy to get there following my guidelines here.

Arriving at Bom Jardim District from Cuiabá Airport

The best way for those who are in another state is to arrive in Cuiabá and rent a car at the airport. I know you’re going to find that’s expensive and there must be a cheaper way to get there. I always backpack and I will opt for the cheapest transport whenever I can, but unfortunately it is kind of complicated to go there in another way. And you will need to car to get around to the attractions once you are in Bom Jardim. I travelled with my sister and sister-in-law so it was not too expensive dividing between the three of us.

From the airport of Cuiabá, follow the signs “Chapada dos Guimarães” or put in the Waze “Chapada dos Guimarães” or even place the address of your hotel, it will recalculate later the right way.

You will arrive on the “Usina do Manso” highway. Keep following plates to “Chapada dos Guimarães”. There will be a first roundabout (about 5-10 minutes after you’re on the highway), and the GPS will tell you to turn left, but the plate to the “Chapada” would tell you to go straight. Do not obey the GPS and follow the sense plate. In the second roundabout, right after a police station (mark the police station, this is the best reference), then you turn left. After that you will drive straight for about 70 Km on paved road with a beautiful view of Chapada dos Guimarães until you reach the Bom Jardim district. There will be the “Welcome” sign and you’ll know it’s here. Don’t be alarmed if you don’t see any signs indicating, there is none. Anyway, after turning left at the police station, the GPS recalculates the route in the right way.

The wrong way…

It is obvious that I did not go in the right way! My sister and I arrived early at the airport but my sister-in-law could only catch a later flight that was still late. So, we went to get the car it was almost 10:30 pm. We ended up being afraid of not following the Waze and getting lost and decided to go for it. It was horrible, I swear. First, because the journey was much longer, but the worst was that after Nobres, we took the famous dirt road, but it had rained a short time ago. The road was sliding a lot and there’s no lighting and no houses, no one around. If our car got bogged down, we wouldn’t have any help getting it out. I was driving and really it was for God that this car did not jam, because it had too much mug… I was so scared that night!

On the way back we made the path I indicated up there and it was so easy and with such a good road! But everything worked out in the end and now I can pass this tip to you! Oh, to get to your inn, I don’t think there’s going to be much of a mistake, the city is basically a street about half a mile away. You’ll end up finding!

Best Time To Go to Nobres

I was there not in the best season and yet I fell in love! From October to February is spawning, and therefore the fish move to procreate. It rains a lot this time too! For this reason, the best time to visit and do a lot of fish fluctuations is from March to September!

How Long To Stay in Nobres

As I mentioned, Bom Jardim is still very small, with little tourist structure and still few attractions. I stayed three days and I think it was enough. I couldn’t make all the activities, but the main ones are the fluctuations and they’re kind of similar. I find the ideal place to do on a 3 or 4 day holiday or to mend with a trip to the Chapada dos Guimarães. By the little I saw on the road I was fascinated by this place and I really wanted to have joined these two trips. If you want to know more about a trip to Chapada dos Guimarães, this post from Gabi is very good (in portuguese): What to do in Chapada dos Guimarães | Trails and waterfalls

Where To Stay in Nobres

There are not many hosting options, but the city is growing fast. When I looked on blogs before I left, I read that there was only four hostels, and I counted about eight already. They probably have more hostels by now. The important tip is to stay in Bom Jardim! If staying in Nobres, you will have to travel a long distance every day!

I stayed at the Akaia Inn, which is a bit far from the city. Right in the middle of the woods, just the way I like it! I loved it, but for being farther away, I ran into some toads and frogs over there. I don’t care and I like this nature contact, but for those who do not like it is important to know. Other than that, the hostel was a grace, the rooms were very clean and organized. An amazing food (seriously, I ate a lot… It was too good) and the staff was very nice to us. They gave all the tips to us and they treated us very well. One day we didn’t have dinner there and when we got back we found out that there was pudding for dessert and we were super sad because we didn’t try it. The next day, they made pudding at lunch to please us! It was really sweet of them.

* * When planning your trip book your accommodation by our Booking link. You pay nothing more for this and help us with a small commission to keep the blog with quality. Enter here to make your reservation at the Hotel Akaia.

Where To Eat in Nobres

There are very few dining options there, but almost all the inns offer meals. I didn’t find it very cheap, but the quality was worth it! We ate super well these days!

Activities in Nobres

The main activities are the river descents with flotations. In the values of the activities, the equipment (vest, protective shoe, snorkel and glasses) are always included. It also has the options of waterfall and float cross.

* The values listed here are from November-2017. The prices are tabled among all the agencies by the city’s tourism secretariat, so you can set everything directly with your hostel, or by the agency they indicate to you:

• Cerquinha Waterfall: R$ 25,00
• Tubing in the Duto do Quebó: R$ 55,00
• Balneário Sítio Santo Antônio: R$ 10,00
• Flotation in the Vale das Águas: R$ 60,00
• Flotation in the Reino Encantado: R$ 75,00
• Flotation in the Aquário Encantado: R$ 75,00
• Balneário Estivado: R$ 15,00
• Flotation in Triste River: R$ 75,00
• Serra Azul Waterfall (with tyrolese): R$ 105,00
• Serra Azul Waterfall (with tyrolese): R$ 70,00
• Araras Lagoon: R$ 15,00
• Cerrado View Point: R$ 25,00
• Estância da Mata: R$ 40,00

I will detail the rides we choose to make:

Caves in the Akaiá Inn

Within the grounds of our hostel, there was still the option of visiting two caves. As it was raining in the morning, we chose to visit them with the guide of the Inn, the Alminha. Alminha is from Tocantins and very nice person. The caves were beautiful and very deep! It was nice. The cost was R $50.00 already including equipment (shin protector to protect from snakes and helmet).

Floating in Triste River

I consider this an unmissable ride. I really wanted to do it and didn’t disappoint me. We were worried about the rain, but it was not raining in the afternoon and we managed to do it. Even with overcast weather the water was very clear and we could see enough fish even for being spawning. But in this fluctuation, we have the possibility to see Stingrays, they stay deep and therefore there is no danger. We could see two. The stones at the bottom of the river are beautiful and the fluctuation was already worth it only for that.

Serra Azul Waterfall with Tyrollean

This waterfall is within SESC premisses. To get to the waterfall you have to climb many steps and then you can go down a Tyrollean. Waterfall water is pale blue and it is possible to do fluctuation there as well. You can’t go in without equipment, so no super dives. But we could enjoy a lot and see lots of fish! On the way back we made the Tyrollean and it was very worthwhile! It’s pretty big and it was really fun.

Cerrado View Point

We went for a bit and enjoyed in the pool for a while. The view is quite beautiful indeed. It’s worth it to take a chill in the pool and have a beer.

Flotation in Aquario Encantado

I also consider this attraction a Must Go. The flotation itself is less interesting than that of the Triste river, which has more things to see. But in the beginning, we can spend a half an hour in a lake of limpid blue water and full of fish, the famous aquarium. It’s too beautiful and it was super worth it! To get to the aquarium we have to go in a tractor and then walk a few 500m in the middle of the forest. The walk is also nice but be careful not to slip, because the whole trail is a wooden bridge that is very slippery.

Tubing in Duto do Quebó

I loved that activity, too. The duct is a very shallow river, so it’s pretty easy and calm to do the tubing. If you get stuck, just get up and take out the tub. The route passes through the middle of a completely dark cavern. It’s pretty cool, a little adrenaline, but not too much! I even saw little kids doing it!

Unfortunately I had a problem with my GoPro and I could not access these photos…

With regard to nightlife, the city is very small and does not have much to do. We had dinner at the inn and we were relaxing in the room or the hammock! We didn’t think about it, but some card games would go well in that situation hehe.

Costs

A trip to Nobres is not very expensive and has prices more attractive than Bonito. I just listed the costs of the activities. Remember that the values are per person and include all the equipment, but you need to commute to the sites where the activities are, so the car ends up being fundamental.

Overall, the other expenses were on average:

• Car Rental for 3 daily: R$389.00 (including everything) We rented in Localiza
• Gasoline: R$100.00
• Akaiá Inn: R$540.00 (3 days for 3 people)
• Meals: Breakfast was included; Lunch or dinner at the inn costed R$35.00 per person (all you can eat)
• Flights to Cuiabá: I bought the tickets with Miles, but my sister-in-law spent around R$300.00 return

This is a great place to schedule a trip in a short holiday this year.

Did you enjoy knowing a little more about Nobres? Have you gone and made other rides you liked? Do you have any other tips? Leave us here in the comments!

Posted by Liany Garves

Liany is a pharmacist that worked for years in a big company. She left her safe job and comfortable life in Brazil to live an adventure in the remote Kingdom of Bhutan and, nowadays, lives in Thailand. The passion for traveling runs to her veins and she loves spending time in the travel blog, helping other travelers with her experiences or planning her next trip.