This photograph shows the view of Itatiaia National Park that we had from the pool area of our hotel, the Hotel do Ype. Itatiaia was established in 1937 and is the oldest national park in Brazil. It is located on the border between the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. The park is surrounded by the Mantiqueira Mountain Environmental Protection Area which provides an ecological buffer zone. Our hotel was located at an elevation of 3,500 feet and surrounded by forest and lush vegetation. We had excellent views of both the upper and lower slopes of the park.