Things to do in Campo Grande
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Campo Grande
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best overall, dry and warm with cool nights, easiest trails and peak Pantanal wildlife, highest lodge prices.
Shoulder months, April has Expogrande, September is hot and dry, October is hottest and turns wet.
Wet season, hot and humid with afternoon storms, flooded Pantanal, green city, full waterfalls and lower prices.
What's on
- Expogrande April, about 10 days
Giant agricultural fair and concert series at Parque de Exposicoes Laucidio Coelho, hotels fill fast.
- Festas Juninas June
Neighbourhood June festivals with quadrilha dancing and corn based foods across the city.
- Festival de Inverno de Bonito Late July, 5 days
Music, theatre and arts festival in Bonito, worth building a combined trip around.
- Campo Grande City Anniversary August 26
Civic celebrations and shows in the best weather month of the year.
- Festival America do Sul Pantanal November, dates vary
South American culture festival in Corumba at the far end of the Estrada Parque, a trip extension.
Best things to do in Campo Grande
Bioparque Pantanal
The largest freshwater aquarium circuit in the world and the best preparation for reading Pantanal wildlife.
Parque das Nações Indígenas
Huge urban park with a lake, a 4km circuit and capybaras, coatis and macaws at dawn and dusk.
Museu das Culturas Dom Bosco
Strong indigenous ethnology collections that give essential context for Mato Grosso do Sul.
MARCO - Museu de Arte Contemporânea
Regional contemporary art showing how local artists picture the Pantanal, the border and indigenous life.
Feira Central
The Feirona night market run by the Okinawan community, best for soba, espetinhos and regional shopping.
Morada dos Baís
Historic Baís family house turned SESC cultural centre with exhibitions and courtyard concerts.
Museu José Antônio Pereira
Preserved founder farmhouse that explains how a cattle settlement became a state capital.
Memorial da Cultura Indígena
Community based indigenous memorial and craft centre in a living urban Terena neighbourhood.
Where to stay in Campo Grande
Altos da Afonso Pena, Santa Fe and Chacara Cachoeira
couples, families and first time visitors
Walkable to the park, Bioparque and museums, with the best malls, supermarkets and restaurants and quiet leafy streets.
Avenida Mato Grosso and Parque dos Poderes corridor
travellers with cars, birders and Pantanal transfer nights
Greener and quieter, with lawns and macaw palms, a short drive to the park and easy early departures.
Centro
budget travellers and visitors on foot using markets and transport
Cheapest hotels and closest to Feira Central and the municipal market, busy by day and quiet at night.
Think twice about
- Old bus station area in Centro at night
Deserted and neglected after dark, with rough feeling streets. Do not base there or walk there at night.
- Unlit side streets in Centro after business hours
Downtown empties in the evening and on Sundays. Stay on main lit avenues and use ride hailing door to door.
Best restaurants in Campo Grande
Ichiban Sobá
Classic Campo Grande soba in the Feirona, rich broth, pork, omelette strips and ginger.
Mercado Municipal Antônio Valente
Morning market for warm chipa, sopa paraguaia, pastel and sugarcane juice at local prices.
Regional Espetos
Espetinho plates with yellow cassava, rice, farofa and grilled cheese at true local prices.
Cantina Romana
Family Italian institution since 1978, loved for house pastas and long celebratory lunches.
Território do Vinho
Wine shop and intimate restaurant with over 500 labels and confident Italian leaning food.
Casa do Peixe
The city address for Pantanal river fish, pintado and pacu served in generous sharing portions.
Manura Churrascaria e Cozinha Árabe
Rodizio churrasco alongside a full Arab buffet, the best value big lunch in the city.
Churrascaria Nossa Querência
Traditional rodizio since 1980 with regional cuts and the celebrated linguica de Maracaju.
Outdoor things to do in Campo Grande
Parque Estadual do Prosa
Protected Cerrado remnant with guided trails, anteaters, monkeys and rich birdlife beside the big park.
Parque dos Poderes
Dawn birdwatching with a local guide among macaw nesting palms and a deep urban bird list.
Terras do Golfe
Dan Blankenship designed 9 hole course rated among the longest and most technical in Brazil.
Fazenda San Francisco
All inclusive Pantanal day trip with vehicle safari, chalana boat ride and piranha fishing.
Estrada Parque
Park road through southern Pantanal floodplain, best experienced on a lodge stay of two nights or more.
Morro do Paxixi
Solitary hill viewpoint with one of the widest sunset views over the Pantanal plain.
Cachoeira do Céu
Locally loved trail waterfall and swimming pool within reach of the city by car.
Sete Quedas
Waterfall and balneario day use with pools and barbecue kiosks, better with an overnight stay.
Best hotels in Campo Grande
Hotel Deville Prime Campo Grande
The city benchmark full service hotel near the park, with pool, gym and a strong regional restaurant.
Grand Park Hotel
Best located mid range hotel, opposite Shopping Campo Grande and a short ride to the park.
Novotel Campo Grande
Reliable international midscale with pool and family rooms, ideal for Pantanal transfer nights.
ibis budget Campo Grande
Clean budget sleep in the green corridor, smart before an early Pantanal departure.
Brumado Hotel
Well scored low price Centro hotel on the main lit avenue, close to markets and transport.
Hotel Vale Verde
Friendly value hotel in Centro with strong platform scores for its low price band.
Is Campo Grande expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | R$220 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | R$450 a person |
| Splurge | R$950 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Bioparque Pantanal: weeks ahead
- Parque Estadual do Prosa: a few days ahead
- Parque dos Poderes: a few days ahead
- Terras do Golfe: a few days ahead
- Fazenda San Francisco: weeks ahead
- Estrada Parque: months ahead
- Sete Quedas: a few days ahead
- Bonito: months ahead
- Book Bioparque free slots on the official site when they open Mondays at 8am local time
- Book Pantanal lodges and Bonito vouchers weeks to months ahead in dry season
- Reserve Cantina Romana and Territorio do Vinho for weekend dinners
- Phone Terras do Golfe ahead for visitor tee times and club hire
Is Campo Grande safe?
- Centro empties at night, use cars door to door after dark
- Park and Afonso Pena corridor are the comfortable evening walking areas
- Do not drive Pantanal highways fast after dark, animals use the road
- Use repellent at dawn and dusk, dengue risk peaks in wet months
Campo Grande travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not day trip both Bonito and the Pantanal from Campo Grande
- Anyone selling Bioparque tickets is scamming, entry is free
- No one can guarantee a jaguar on a one day southern Pantanal tour
- Eat river fish here, save ocean seafood for the coast
Getting around Campo Grande: public transport and more
- Use Uber or 99 between districts, distances are long and hot on foot
- Rent a car for golf, waterfalls, Paxixi and Rio Verde days
- Mato Grosso do Sul time is one hour behind Brasilia, check booking times
- Confirm Pantanal and Bonito transfer pick up points in writing the day before
Who Campo Grande suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Campo Grande your trip
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