
Campo Grande is a modern, pleasant town of 800,000 (2007) that sits in the middle of Brazilian cattle country. The city serves as the main gateway to the southern part of the Pantanal. It is known in Brazil for as the brown city because of the local soil color. Its inhabitants are called campo-grandenses.
The culture of the city betrays a heritage of native Indians and diverse races (Italian, German, Syrian-Lebaneses, Japanese, Paraguayans, Bolivians, among others).
Campo Grande has an airport served by TAM [2], Gol [3] and BRA [4].
There are buses to numerous destinations, including Corumbá (5-6 hours, on the border with Bolivia), Bonito, Iguaçu Falls, São Paulo (13 to 15 hours) and Rio de Janeiro (20 hours).
When arriving by bus, watch out for the aggressive touts from the opposite Campo Grande Youth Hostel. Also note the couple of guys switching place in a wheelchair around the bus station. They have something fishy going on.
Campo Grande's center is small enough for walking around.
The tourist office bus or City Tour on the corner of Av. Alfonso Pena and Av. Noroeste can be very helpful and the staff speak English.
The local crafts are definitely what you go to want to go for here. Also try some typical fruits such as araçá and bocaiúva. Don't fail to stop by the House of the Craftsman and Barroarte Fair. Rua 14 de Julho is also a good option for purchases.