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Belmond Hotel das Cataratas Is the Only Hotel Inside Iguaçu National Park
Belmond Hotel das Cataratas, a pink colonial-style building on the Brazilian side of Iguaçu National Park, is the only hotel inside the park itself, giving guests access to the falls' trails before the day-trip crowds arrive.
By BigTravel.in Editorial Team · · 2 min read
Belmond Hotel das Cataratas sits inside Iguaçu National Park on the Brazilian side of the Iguazu Falls, the only hotel built within the park's boundaries. The building dates to 1958, a low, pink, colonial-revival structure with arched corridors and red-tiled roofs, set among the park's subtropical forest a short walk from the falls' main trail network.
A hotel with the park to itself
The falls, a UNESCO World Heritage site split between Brazil's Iguaçu National Park and Argentina's Iguazú National Park, draw large day-tripper crowds that arrive by bus once the gates open. Because Hotel das Cataratas sits inside the park, guests can walk the Brazilian-side trail to the Devil's Throat viewpoint before the gates open to outside visitors, and again after they close for the day, when the boardwalks empty out.
What the property looks like today
Belmond's restoration kept the original pink façade and colonnaded walkways while updating the rooms, a pool set against the forest, and a restaurant with a terrace facing the park. Some rooms look directly onto the falls' spray rising above the treeline; others face the internal gardens and pool. The hotel is set apart from Foz do Iguaçu's town centre, reachable in minutes from the airport but a deliberate remove from the city itself.
Getting there
Most visitors fly into Foz do Iguaçu International Airport on the Brazilian side, a short taxi ride from the park entrance; the Argentine side of the falls, with its own separate national park and entry, is reached via Puerto Iguazú across the border. Both sides offer different, complementary views of the falls system, and a stay based at Hotel das Cataratas makes the early and late Brazilian-side hours the easiest to use well.
Traveller tips
- Staying inside the park means early or late access to the Brazilian-side trail; ask at check-in about the earliest walking times before the general public entrance opens.
- Visiting both the Brazilian and Argentine sides means crossing an international border; carry a passport and check current visa requirements for Brazil and Argentina separately.
- Foz do Iguaçu International Airport is the most direct arrival point for the Brazilian side; Argentina's Cataratas del Iguazú Airport serves Puerto Iguazú for the Argentine side.
- Pack for spray and humidity on any trail close to the falls, regardless of season.
Where this is
Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
