Cassilândia (MS): Salto do Aporé and the waterfall region

Cassilândia lies in the east of Mato Grosso do Sul, on the border with Goiás, and is the town of the Aporé River waterfalls. The Salto do Aporé, the river's most famous falls, and the Cachoeira do Socorro are in the municipality, a few kilometers from the urban area. With about 21,000 inhabitants and an economy based on soybeans, it is a medium-sized town that pairs well with a trip to Lagoa Santa: hot water in the springs, cool water at the falls.

Town facts

A young town in the Bolsão

Cassilândia was created on August 3, 1954, split off from Paranaíba, and grew with the agricultural settlement of eastern Mato Grosso do Sul, a region known as the Bolsão. Today soybeans dominate the landscape around the town, with warehouses, cooperatives and truck traffic at harvest time. The town center has busy shops, well-kept squares and services that cater to the smaller municipalities around it, including on the Goiás side, such as Aporé.

What to see in Cassilândia

• Salto do Aporé. The river's best-known waterfall: the Aporé, which in Lagoa Santa flows between pools and rapids, here plunges over a wide drop surrounded by rock and forest. It is the municipality's postcard image and a weekend destination for the whole region. Ask in town about access, entrance fees and opening hours, which may vary with the season and the property.
• Cachoeira do Socorro. About 10 km from town, with a pool for swimming and a picnic area. Smaller and quieter than the Salto.
• Praça São José. The central square, with the church and shops around it; the town's meeting point in the late afternoon.
• Soybean roads. For anyone who has never seen grain fields on a large scale, the landscape between Cassilândia and Chapadão do Sul is impressive.

Why Cassilândia matters to visitors to Lagoa Santa

• A complementary outing. Hot springs in Lagoa Santa in the morning and a waterfall in Cassilândia in the afternoon is a feasible combination on a long day, or even better over two days with an overnight stay.
• The same river, another face. Seeing the Aporé as a waterfall helps you understand the river that flows gently past the Lagoa Santa waterfront.
• Shops and services. Supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations, banks and a municipal hospital for those in the western part of the itinerary; for more complex cases, Paranaíba remains the nearest point of reference to Lagoa Santa.
• Route. Cassilândia is on the way for travelers coming from Chapadão do Sul or from parts of inland São Paulo state on the BR-158, and on the axis toward Aporé and Chapadão do Céu, on the Goiás side.

How to get from Lagoa Santa to Cassilândia

The distance is approximately 130 km, with a travel time that varies with the stretch and conditions. There is more than one possible route, through Itajá and the Goiás side or entering Mato Grosso do Sul through the Paranaíba area; check your GPS on the day and prefer paved roads. Fill up in Itajá or Paranaíba, travel by day and take water. There is no direct public transport between the two towns.

Distances to other towns in the region are on Distances, and the access routes on Getting there.