In Iguazú, true luxury has a schedule: it begins when others depart. At late afternoon, buses head back, the viewpoints clear, and the Iguaçu National Park becomes a more intimate place, despite its grandeur. Facing the waterfalls, among the most spectacular in the world, remains a pink building with a tiled roof, shutters, and the appearance of a grand Portuguese country house. It is the Hotel das Cataratas, A Belmond Hotel, and sleeping here gives you something hard to buy even in destinations accustomed to luxury tourism: staying when everyone has gone.
It is the only hotel located inside the National Park, on the Brazilian side, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. From the property you can walk to the walkways that traverse one of the planet’s largest systems of waterfalls, formed by 275 falls spread between Brazil and Argentina. The advantage becomes evident at first and last light of the day, when guests can access the waterfalls outside the usual opening hours. More than a room with good views, which it does offer, here you pay for a different relationship with the place.
And it is worth clarifying: Iguazú is far from being a secret destination. It is one of the great natural hits of South America and receives travelers from around the world. Precisely because of that, walking along its trails before the daily flow of visitors begins completely changes the experience. The water continues to fall with the same violence, the coatis go about their business, and tropical humidity does not grant privileges, but much of the tourist choreography that inevitably accompanies a place of this magnitude disappears.
