Travelling to Bonito, Brazil from Asuncion by public transport

Bonito, on the southern edge of the Brazilian Pantanal area is a popular destination for eco-tourism, and is not too far from Paraguay.  It has world class attractions with world class infastructure (at world class prices) and is a worthy alternative to Florianopolis or Punta del Este for a holiday.  9-10 days will be required for this trip, as there is at least 5-6 days worth of activities to do in Bonito, plus the travel.

It is about 250km into Brazil from Pedro Juan Caballero, and in a car that has the paperwork to cross the border is a longish day or 2 easy days from Asuncion.

By bus things are a little different.  The main stumbling block is the entry into Brazil.  The Brazilian Federal Police office in Ponta Pora (Pedro Juan Caballero) that handles immigration is only open from 9am to 4pm Monday to Friday.

I bought my ticket to Pedro Juan from the NASA company as a requirement fo obtaining my Brazilian visa, and never gave any consideration to the departure or arrival times.  I made an assumption that the border crossing would be open 24 hrs.  We all know about assumptions:- They make an ASS out of U and ME, and they are the mothers of all stuff-ups.  Very true in this instance.

The NASA bus leaves Asuncion at 1.30pm and arrives in Pedro Juan at 7.30pm.  The Cruzero de Sur bus that goes to Bonito leaves Ponta Pora at 6.30am.  This means that it is impossible to legally enter into Brazil and catch the bus on the same day, and so two nights have to be spent in Pedro Juan/Ponta Pora.
The return trip is easier.  The bus from Bonito arrives in Ponta Pora about 7pm, and the NASA bus to Asuncion leaves at 11am, and another company leaves at 1.30pm, so border formalities can be done in the morning.

There is no border type crossing in Pedro Juan, just 2 sides of a wide street.  You can stay in a hotel on either side without formalling entering the country and cross and recross as many time as you like to shop or go to a restaurant.  Taxis cost 30,000GS ($7) for a trip of any length in Paraguay and 20Real($11) on the Brazilian side.

The Paraguayan Customs office is about 3km from the centre of town, and the Brazilian Federal Police are right in the centre.  Take a taxi out to the Paraguayan office and ask them to wait for you then onto the Brazilian Office.  Leave all your possessions in the hotel on whatever side of the border you are staying, no-one is going to inspect anything.

The Pedro Juan bus terminal is in the middle of town, but the Ponta Pora terminal is about 4km out of town.  You can buy your 47 real ticket to Bonito at 6am in the morning or pay another 40 real for a taxi out and back to buy it the day before.

One of the biggest and best shopping plazas in Pedro Juan is Shopping China, and it is near the Ponta pora bus terminal.  You could perhaps incorporate a trip there with buying a bus ticket to save money.

Bonito is worth the effort in getting there. 

If anyone is going to do the trip by car and has a Garmin car navigator with Brazil and Paraguay maps, I can send them a .gpx file with the locations of the customs offices and many of the attractions in Bonito.  All of the attractions in Bonito are 20km plus from the town.