Situated on the border between Mato Grosso do Sul and Bolivia, Corumbá MS is heavily influenced by the customs and traditions of its neighbour. As well as being one of the oldest cities in the state, it is also the third most populous and important.
In the old port of Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul, a number of old mansions recall the opulence of the early 20th century, when local merchants received products from all over the world arriving via the Paraguay River.
Built by the Portuguese in 1778 to fortify the colony’s western frontier, this quiet city of 100,000 is now best known as Mato Grosso do Sul’s main fishing destination.
Located 403 kilometres from Campo Grande, close to the Bolivian border, Corumbá welcomes thousands of fishermen each year who stay in riverside hotels or board hotel boats for a trip to Paraguay.
One of the city’s most important events is the International Sport Fishing Festival, held in mid-October.
Fishing is not allowed at the end of the fishing season, which lasts from November to February, due to fish reproduction.
For ecotourists, the region’s main attraction is the Estrada Parque, a 120-kilometre-long dam that cuts through a well-preserved area of the Pantanal and offers excellent accommodation in inns and farms.
Corumbá, which means ‘distant place’ in Tupi-Guarani, is linked to São Paulo by a railway called the ‘Pantanal Train’, which currently only carries freight, mainly iron ore and manganese from the Urucum mountain range.
However, there are plans to reactivate the passenger line, which has been very successful in the past.
On the Bolivian side, the notorious ‘Train of Death’ still runs between the border town of Puerto Quijarro and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. How to get there: From Campo Grande, take the BR-262 motorway.
Corumbá MS Tourist Attractions
Corumbá is the perfect place for tourists who want to explore Brazil’s natural diversity and learn about the history behind every tourist attraction, every detail.
Corumbá MS - Cidade baixa, Orla do porto geral, casario, prainha e o museu da história do Pantanal
Corumbá is full of history, which can be seen in old mansions, monuments, museums and viewpoints, such as São Felipe, from where you can see the whole city, the Pantanal and the Paraguay River.
The city was founded on wars, invasions and conquests that have left their mark on today’s culture.
- Historic houses in Corumbá
- Massabarro House
- Pantanal History Museum – Muphan
- Christ the King of the Pantanal
- Junqueira Fort
- General Harbour
- Cathedral of Our Lady of Candelaria
- Hotel Boats
- Coimbra Fort
- ILA – Luiz de Albuquerque Institute
- Shrine of Our Lady Help of Christians
- Independence Square
- Towards the Bolivian border
- Pantanal Park Road
1. Historic Houses
A century ago, Corumbá had one of the largest river ports in Latin America.
The imposing mansions on the city’s waterfront were built to house branches of international banks, large department stores and tanneries.
Although declared a National Heritage Site in 1992, the houses have fallen into disrepair, giving the so-called historic centre a decadent air, and it also has a serious prostitution problem.
Among the buildings that retain their charm are the modernist Casa Vasquez & Filhos (Ladeira José Bonifácio, 171, Centro), built in 1909, and the Wanderley Baís & Cia building, which houses the municipal tourist office (Rua Manoel Cavassa, 275, Porto Geral).
In 2006, work began on revitalising the area as part of the Monumenta programme, a partnership between the Ministry of Culture, Iphan and Unesco. During the restoration, Casa Vasquez & Filhos will be closed to visitors.
2. Casa do Massa Barro
This is the home of an artisan association that trains and encourages young people from Corumbá to work with ceramics.
Visitors to the Casa do Massa Barro can see the stages of the process and buy miniatures of animals such as jaguars and tuiuiú, as well as images of Our Lady of the Pantanal and St Francis.
The institution became famous thanks to the carnival designer Joãosinho Trinta, who twice took apprentices to decorate floats for the Rio Carnival. Rua Cacimba da Saúde, s/n.
3. Museum of Pantanal History – Muphan
The Museum tells the story of the human occupation of the Pantanal, exhibits the archaeology of the region, with characteristics that also serve as an attraction for ecological and cultural tourism, as well as ethnology, ethnohistory, history and social anthropology, with permanent and temporary exhibition areas aimed at regional, national and international audiences.
The museum currently only has a permanent collection. The building is divided into three floors, where there are exhibitions on the Ten Pantanais (flora, fauna, climate, relief, etc.), human occupation of the Pantanal, indigenous peoples, the Spanish conquest, Jesuit missions, Portuguese domination, the Great War in Southern Mato Grosso, the Pantanal train and the port of Corumbá.
The museum has a library, a film library, an auditorium, a meeting room and a classroom, as well as an area for temporary exhibitions.
4. Christ the King of the Pantanal
Made by the artisan Izulina Xavier, Christ the King of the Pantanal is located at the top of Morro do Cruzeiro, in the upper part of the city.
At a height of 293 metres and with a 360º view, you can see Corumbá, Ladário, Bolivia and the Pantanal.
One of the most beautiful sights is the Pantanal sunset. The route to Cristo Rei is also a special attraction. Along the way, sculptures by Izulina Xavier represent the 14 stations of the Passion of Christ.
5. Fort Junqueira
It was built shortly after the Paraguayan War (1871) in a privileged location overlooking the Paraguay River and the Pantanal.
The fort’s 12 75mm cannons were made by the British company Fried Krupp around 1872 and were never used.
The fort’s walls are made of limestone and are three metres thick.
It is part of the 17th Hunters Battalion.
It was named in honour of the Minister of War, José de Oliveira Junqueira, who died in 1887. Visits are allowed.
6. General Port
The Port of Corumbá is a testimony of great achievements. It is made up of centuries-old buildings that were the commercial centre at the beginning of the last century.
Its commercial importance is reflected in the fact that it was the third largest commercial port in Latin America. The port is home to tourist agencies, restaurants and craft shops.
This port area is one of the main tourist attractions and is particularly popular at weekends. The Casario do Porto complex is listed as one of the material heritage sites of the municipality.
7. Cathedral of Our Lady of Candelaria
The Cathedral of Our Lady of Candelaria is one of the oldest in the State. It was built by Brother Mariano de Bagnaia in the 19th century and was declared a Historical and Cultural Heritage Site of Corumbá in 2017.
In 2021, it was listed by the state government as a Material Historical Heritage of Mato Grosso do Sul.
The church was built with elements of eclectic architecture in front of the Praça da República, where the heroic recapture of Corumbá took place during the Paraguayan War (1864-1870).
Its altar bears the coat of arms of the Portuguese Crown, a sign of the European influence on the property, and also houses an image of Our Lady of Candelaria, the city’s patron saint.
8. Hotel Boats
The dream of every angler who frequents the Paraguay River is to travel on a hotel boat, a large vessel with conventional hotel services – always on a full board basis – and with all the necessary structures for fishing.
The most comfortable ones are standardised, with very few variations between them: the biggest differences are in the number of cabins and the configuration of the beds.
All have en-suite facilities and air conditioning.
Packages are generally sold to closed groups who choose the length of the trip and pay for the number of nights, although some hotel-boat operators offer fixed-duration packages.
Fishermen are provided with a speedboat with pilot, included in the daily rate, and a cold room for their catch. Some of the hotel boats have a radio system integrated with the telephone.
Although most of the people on these boats are fishermen, it’s also a great option for eco-tourists who will be enchanted by the beautiful starry skies. A word of warning though.
It is not uncommon for these boats to be the target of the local prostitution industry, where girls are included in the tours.
More information can be found in the Hotels, Restaurants and Services section, in the pages dedicated to the cities of Cáceres, Poconé, Porto Murtinho and Corumbá.
9. Coimbra Fort
Coimbra Fort is located on the right bank of the Paraguay River, near the tri-border region of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. The fort was built in 1775 by the Portuguese Crown to defend the western border of the colony from attacks by the Spanish and the Paiaguás and Guaicurus Indians.
Coimbra’s real test came in 1801, when it was attacked by Spanish forces.
Despite being outnumbered, the Portuguese heroically withstood four days of bombardment until the Spanish squadron surrendered. In 1864, during the Paraguayan War, enemy troops occupied the fortress.
Today, the site is home to a Brazilian army border base and a military hotel that welcomes tourists. The building is situated on a slope, which gives a good view of the Paraguay River and the surrounding plains.
The best view is from the cannon viewpoint. The fort has a museum with photos, texts and historical objects.
The Coimbra Fort can be reached by boat from Porto Mortinho, on the BR-262 bridge over the Paraguay River.
There are speedboats that make the trip daily in two hours, and an army boat that makes the trip every two weeks in about six hours.
10. ILA – Luiz de Albuquerque Institute
The Luiz de Albuquerque Institute is located in a building built in 1871 to house the Luiz Albuquerque School Group, in honour of the founder of Corumbá.
In 1978, it became the headquarters of the Luiz de Albuquerque Institute, a regional centre for research and culture, with the aim of contributing to the integrated development of the Pantanal micro-region.
In 1997, it became the House of Culture, under the responsibility of the Cultural Foundation of the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. Today, in addition to the cultural activities that take place there, it is also the headquarters of the Municipal Superintendence of Culture.
11. Shrine of Our Lady Help of Christians
Built in 1899, the shrine houses a life-size wooden sculpture of Christ on the Cross, created by local artist Burgo, who was a friend of Pablo Picasso at the time. It was declared a National Historic Monument in 1992.
12. Independence Square
Independence Square was officially inaugurated in 1917 with four Carrara marble sculptures representing the four seasons. The stones were donated by an Italian count visiting the Pantanal for hunting.
The square also has an octagonal music pavilion and a paving mosaic from Germany.
13. Towards the Bolivian border
Corumbá is only 20 kilometres from Bolivia. The two nearest Bolivian cities.
Quijarro and Puerto Suárez are free trade zones. Their shopping centres and street markets sell electronics, cosmetics, clothing and Andean handicrafts, among other things.
Each person is allowed to buy one hundred and fifty dollars worth of goods tax-free. Brazilian tourists wishing to cross to the Bolivian side of the border must carry a recent photo ID.
Foreigners should check the agreements between their country of origin and Bolivia to see if an entry visa is required.
To and from the border and the free zone in Quijarro, taxi drivers charge around 20 reais (including waiting time for purchases).
Quijarro is the starting point for the famous “Train of Death”, a nineteen-hour journey between the city and Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
The line is used by backpackers travelling from Santa Cruz to Cuzco and Machu Picchu in Peru.
Tickets range from $6 to $15: the more expensive option offers a bit more discomfort, while the cheaper option puts tourists in carriages that are often overcrowded.
14. Pantanal Park Road
The route of the so-called Pantanal Park Road corresponds to the route opened by Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondou (1865-1958) at the beginning of the 20th century for the transmission of telegraph lines.
Until the opening of the BR-262, it was the only land access to Corumbá.
After a period of neglect, it was revived as an ecotourism route and given its current name.
Its 120 kilometres – connected by 87 precarious wooden bridges and only passable by four-wheel-drive vehicles during the rainy season – cut through a beautiful and wild area of the Pantanal.
In addition to the scenery, you can see many animals, including a great variety of birds.
The first 50 kilometres from Corumbá, where it is advisable to refuel the vehicle, pass through the Urucum mountain range, a massif whose rocks are reddish due to the high concentration of iron ore.
At the end of the mountain range is Porto da Manga, a fishing village on the banks of the Paraguay River, which can be crossed by ferry. Continue for 18 kilometres to Curva do Leque, a junction.
Turning right, after 42 kilometres you reach Passo do Lontra, the most populated area in the region, where there are a number of fishermen’s inns and a petrol station.
The Park Road then passes through some farms (there are branches that can be impassable) and ends at km 664 of the BR-262, in the town known as Buraco das Piranhas.
It’s worth noting that the Park Road is one of the few places in the Pantanal where visitors can enjoy independent tourism.
History of the MS Corumbá
Corumbá is a name of Tupi-Guarani origin, meaning “distant place”. This was the last name to be given to the place, after all the others that have occurred throughout history. Another name given to the place was Arraial de Nossa Senhora da Conceição de Albuquerque, which was kept until the city grew further south in the Pantanal and became an important military centre. When it became a settlement, the Portuguese explorer Aleixo Garcia travelled to the Corumbá region, arriving at the Paraguay or Miranda River in 1524.
As mentioned above, what attracted the Portuguese to the area was the presence of precious stones and metals, which until then had been used as ornaments by the indigenous people who already inhabited the region. This led to conflicts between the two peoples. Nevertheless, European interest in the Pantanal became a common reality when, a few years later, in 1537 and 1538, two Spaniards travelled up the Paraguay River in search of gold. On this journey, they took over Puerto de los Reyes, also known as the Gaíva Lagoon.
The capital of the Pantanal was officially established in 1778 and became the main trading post in the region. This title allowed the passage of boats on the Paraguay River for commercial transactions. Between 1864 and 1870, Corumbá was the scene of one of the greatest battles of the Paraguayan War. It was occupied by Solano Lopez and almost destroyed.
After the Paraguayan War, the city was retaken and rebuilt, and soon new European immigrants and people from South America arrived to support and boost Corumbá’s economic development. This arrival gave the capital the third largest port in Latin America.
At the beginning of the 20th century, with the construction of the North-West Railway, Brazil’s commercial axis shifted from Mato Grosso do Sul to Campo Grande, and Corumbá’s focus shifted to agriculture, rural activities and mineral extraction. Because the city already benefited from the biome, it is still known as the “ecological sanctuary” of the Pantanal. All tourism, and especially Pantanal ecotourism, began in the city of Corumbá at the end of the 1970s, when the city was revitalised and its historic buildings restored.
