Cordilheira: a house raised above the Pantanal

At Cordilheira, the important architectural decision happens beneath the rooms. Lucio Fleury raised the house above the vegetation, responding to a landscape shaped by water and seasonal change. The view opens towards a wooded ridge, the formation from which the villa takes its name.

WAYFARER’s July 2026 report placed the property inside Caiman’s 53,000-hectare ecological refuge in Mato Grosso do Sul. That figure describes the wider refuge, not an exclusive tract assigned to the villa’s guests.

Seven connected buildings

The account described seven 70-square-metre bungalows with terraces, accommodating up to sixteen people. A shared living room, bar, gym and infinity pool connected the accommodation to the social spaces of a house.

Claudia Gelpi worked on the interiors alongside the Klabin family, Caiman’s founders. Regional references gave the rooms the register of a Pantanal farmhouse rather than an imported resort aesthetic. The distinction matters in a place where the setting is already the main subject.

Leaving from the house

Dedicated guides and vehicles were part of the format described in the archive. Wildlife outings, walks and horse rides could begin from Cordilheira, giving small groups and families a different rhythm from a shared excursion timetable.

Caiman’s conservation context belongs in the account, but the size of a refuge alone cannot establish that a building has no environmental impact. Cordilheira’s more legible achievement is architectural: a low-density house whose structure acknowledges the terrain. The building offers a way into the landscape without claiming to replace it.

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Adapted from the WAYFARER Brazil archive, first published 2026-07-31. English adaptation: 6 October 2026. This is an archival account, not a report of a new visit. Exhibitions, collections and menu details are described in their original context, not as current availability.