This article was first published on the 15th of October, 2020 by Patrick Carpen.
Last updated: June 10, 2022 at 19:21 pmThe city of Campo Verde is located in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. It is home to about 50,000 people. Satellite cities include Rondonopolis, Cuiaba, and Primavera. Surrounded by hectares upon hectares of corn, cotton, and soya bean fields, the city had its humble beginnings as a farming community in the late 1980s, but has quickly transformed and urbanized into one of Brazil’s most impressive cities. That’s right! As of the year 2020, Campo Verde is just about 32 years old!
I first visited the small, beautiful, peaceful, and relatively unknown city of Campo Verde in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil in the year 2013. And I must admit that this city was a sight for sore eyes! I stood in awe and admiration of this small community of people clustered away in the mountaintops of Mato Grosso amidst beautiful houses and impressive buildings of exquisite architectural design.
At that time (2013), the city of Campo Verde was much more developed than the average Brazilian city. Beautifully paved roads, an impeccable drainage system, a few parks, a tower – yes a 40 meters high tower that allowed for sightseeing across the city…and many more amenities embroidered the glamorous city.
When I told my friends in neighboring Rondonopolis that I was going to visit the city of Campo Verde in Mato Grosso, Brazil, they replied, “it is a very developed city. You will like there.” And they were right.
What was responsible for Campo Verde’s extreme development as of the year 2013, I am not sure. However, when I returned about 7 years later – in the year 2020 – not much had changed. The city was still just as beautiful, organized, and peaceful, but I had expected to see more “proportional” development. Yes, there were a few new buildings, housing communities, stores, and paved roads, but the city seemed relatively frozen in time. It sort of reminded me of the moon landing story: we launched our first rocket in 1969 and within 50 years haven’t improved the moon trip much. In fact, we never went back.
I asked the residents of Campo Verde how come the city didn’t advance much in the last seven years, but they didn’t seem to know either. One person ventured to suggest that the Mayor was to be blamed and that they are expecting a new Mayor!
But it gets worse! I was told that the soya bean factory has been shut down and is being offered for sale. Well that sure might have put a spoke in the wheel of development here!
But aside from the beauty and tranquility of the city, there are a few more factors that I’d like to highlight about the city of Campo Verde, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
Safety – Unlike many other cities in Brazil, Campo Verde is one of the safest places on earth both in the day and night. In fact, I wonder why people even have locks on their gates! I guess that’s a double layer of “redundant” security!
I’ve literally strolled the roads with my eyes focused on my cellphone in the dead of the night and no one attempted to snatch the phone. There seems to be no thieves or robbers lurking in the streets of Campo Verde – as is the case in so many other cities around the world.
Further, on several occasions, I went to the ATM at midnight and withdrew money and walked home. No one followed me or attempted to rob me. No one even looked at me or seemed to have noticed. And that is how it is in Campo Verde. Crime is almost non-existence.
There are no favelas near to the City of Campo Verde. Favelas in Brazil are those poor, run down, drug infested, and crime ridden communities where people survive in small shacks for houses. Where favelas are, there are likely to to be dangerous criminals. Brazil is strewn thick with favelas, but there are no favelas within a 100 miles radius of Campo Verde.
When I first planned my trip to Campo Verde, my friends from the neighboring city of Rondonopolis told me: “it’s a very developed city and lots of rich people live there.” The fact that lots of rich people live in Campo Verde coupled with the fact that there are no favelas near to the city are both contributing factors to it being a safety zone.
Courtesy – Aside from the friendly and helpful nature of the people of Campo Verde, the courtesy of drivers on the roadways is exemplary. Just put your foot on a pedestrian crossing and the vehicles stop mechanically to let you pass. But please don’t take this rule for granted: be alert for that “one in a hundred” idiot driver!
Beautiful Weather – Yes, the city of Campo Verde has one of the most beautiful climates of the world. The distance from the equator combined with the altitude of the city result in a cool and moderate climate. The sun is never too hot here (in my opinion) and the wind is never too cold. Sometimes the temperature goes down as low as 10 degrees Celsius and you have to put on a weather jacket. But this only happens once every two months or so, and for most people, it is a very tolerable – even somewhat enjoyable – temperature.
Campo Verde only has two seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. The rainy season starts around October each year and lasts for six months. Around April, the dry season starts and the weather can get really hot on some days. But even in the dry season, there is 95% beautiful, cool weather and only 5% of those extra hot days. And it does rain occasionally in the dry season.
I noticed that the month of September and the first few days of October were the hottest since I came here. I arrived in May 2020.
During the first week of October, people were complaining about the heat. I was at the restaurant and the waitress and I were having a chat. She told me that the extreme heat of the last few days caused the bushes around the nearby waterfalls to burn and it is now a horrible sight. “But,” she said, “the weather station announced that the rainy season is expected to start tomorrow (October 8).” She was right. The next day, whistling through the city above the rooftops, heavy winds ushered in the rainy season which would last for the next six months.
As you can see in the video below, the rainy season in Campo Verde, Mato Grosso is very beautiful with lots of wind.
What happens during the rainy season? There is rain almost every day or every other day for six months! Sometimes it pours and sometimes it just drizzles. Sometimes it lasts a few minutes and sometimes for hours! But with it comes very cool and lovely weather. To summarize it, I can say that throughout the year, Campo Verde experiences very beautiful weather and just 5% of the year the weather is a little bit too cold or a little bit too hot.
Cleanliness – Aside from the clean roads and walkways, there are no mosquitoes or flies in most parts of the city. And if there are – they are very few. You won’t need repellents or a mosquito net during your stay in Campo Verde.
Conveniences – Since I’ve been here, there has been no power outages and no water shortages.
Here are some of the key highlights of the city of Campo Verde. It is an embodiment of:
Peace
Safety
Beauty
Friendly People
Beautiful Weather
Cleanliness
If you are looking for a place to calm your mind…if you are looking for a place to relax…if you are looking for a safe and peaceful community…if you are looking for beautiful scenery…go to Campo Verde. Spend a few months there. Experience a piece of heaven on earth.
Tourist Attractions in Campo Verde
There are not that many exceptional tourist attractions in Campo Verde, but there are quite a few nice things to see if you go there. Here are some ideas.
Visit the tower.
Go to the nearby falls.
Sit in the park.
