Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EATING
The best restaurants in Corumbá are on
Rua Frei Mariano
, though there are plenty of cheap snack bars throughout town,
especially on
Rua Delamare
west of the Praça da República, serving good set meals for less than R$20. Being a swamp
city, fish is the main local delicacy, with
pacu
and
pintado
among the favoured species.
Avalon Grill
Rua Frei Mariano 499
T
67 3231 4430.
This smart, welcoming restaurant dares to be different,
offering slightly more experimental dishes than its
competitors. The coconut prawn risotto comes
recommended, and the beef jerky pizza is surprisingly
tasty. There are also plenty of pasta options, and of course,
local fish.
Daily 11.30am-3pm & 6.30-11.30pm.
Laço de Ouro
Rua Frei Mariano 556
T
67 3231 7371.
A
favourite among locals, this
churrascaria
offers the classic
meat
rodizio
as well as à la carte options that include good
fish dishes. Also has pleasant outdoor seating and
occasional live music.
Daily 10am-2am.
Peixaria do Lulu
Rua Dom Aquíno 738
T
67 3232
7855.
Set in an old house in the centre, this traditional
family-owned restaurant serves a range of regional fish -
try the fried
pacu
. The decor is simple and rustic, but the
food is very good.
Mon-Sat 11am-3pm & 6-11pm.
DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
You'll find bars all over town, though with few exceptions they're spit-and-sawdust joints, rough-looking and a little
intimidating at first. The town is not safe at night, so you do need to take care and try to avoid walking the streets
after 10pm. The more relaxed bars are those down on the
riverfront
- where you can usually get a game of pool
with your drink.
7
Petiscos Bar
Rua Frei Mariano 812
T
67 3231 0620.
Laidback bar in the centre with outdoor seating. Serves
local snacks (
petiscos
) and native freshwater fish such
as
pintado
. There's live music most weekend nights.
Tues-Sat from 5pm.
Vivabella
Arthur Mangabeira 1
T
67 3232 3587.
Restaurant-bar with wonderful views of the river, serving
ice-cold beer and
caipirinhas
to locals who mainly come for
the quality live music. Get there early on weekends as it
gets pretty busy.
Mon-Sat 6pm-3am.
SHOPPING
Casa do Artesão
Rua Dom Aquino Corréa 405
T
67 3231 2715.
Housed in Corumbá's most historic
edifice - the old prison, dating from 1900 - the Casa do
Artesão is a great place to track down some local craft work
(especially made of wood and leather), as well as local
liquors and
farinha da bocaiúva
, a flour made from palm-
tree nuts and reputed to be an aphrodisiac.
Mon-Fri
8-11am & 2-5pm, Sat 8-11am.
DIRECTORY
Consulates
Bolivia, Rua Antônio Maria Coelho 852
(
T
67 3231 5605); Paraguay, Rua Cuiabá (
T
67 3231 4803).
Hospital
Clinica Samec, Rua Colombo 1249 (
T
67 3231
3308).
Laundry
There's an expensive same-day laundry service at
Apae, Rua 13 de Junho 1377.
Money and exchange
You can change cash at the
casa de
câmbio
at Rua 15 de Novembro 212 (Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm).
Otherwise, there's a host of banks (some with ATMs) including
the Banco do Brasil, Rua 13 de Junho 914 (10am-5pm).
Post office
The main post office is at Rua Delamare
708, opposite the church on Praça da República
(Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 8-11.30am). There is a smaller
office near Praça da Independência on Rua 15 de
Novembro (same hours).
Taxis
Ponto Taxi (
T
67 3231 4043; taxi rank at
southeast corner of Praça da Independência); Mototaxis
(
T
67 3231 7166).
Forte de Coimbra
80km south of Corumbá • Daily 8.30-11.30am & 1.30-4pm • Free •
T
67 3231 2701,
W
18bdainffron.ebe.mil.br,
E
comsoc18bda@hotmail.com
Apart from the Pantanal, the most interesting place to visit around Corumbá is the
ruin of the eighteenth-century Forte de Coimbra, 80km to the south. Theoretically,
the fort can only be visited with previous permission from the Exercito Brasileiro in
Corumbá, although visitors unaware of this fact are sometimes allowed in: call or email
for authorization.
