Corumba

Corumba stands on a limestone rise above the Paraguay River, and in the late nineteenth century, when the river was the main route into the interior of the continent, it was one of the busiest inland ports in South America - which is why a remote frontier city has a waterfront of nineteenth-century commercial buildings and merchant houses, many now faded. It is the western gateway to the Pantanal, with boat trips into the wetland from the port, and a fishing economy built on dourado and pacu. The Bolivian border at Puerto Quijarro is a few kilometres west, and the crossing traffic shapes the city. The Forte Junqueira of 1875 stands above the water, and Carnival here is a large street event with samba schools.

What you actually see

• A nineteenth-century river port - commercial buildings from the boom years.
• The Paraguay River waterfront - boats into the Pantanal from the quay.
• Forte Junqueira - the 1875 fort above the water.
• A border city - Bolivian crossing traffic a few kilometres west.

When to go

May to October, the dry season. Two days.

Honest expectations

The city is hot, humid and worn, and the historic waterfront is only partly restored. It is a base for the Pantanal rather than a destination in itself. Border areas need normal caution. Flights are limited and road access from Campo Grande is long.

Nearby

The southern Pantanal is east; Ladario is adjoining on the river.