Where We Go
The Secret Serra
Introducing Brazil’s majestic, unheralded Serra do Espinhaço
2025 / 26
For our inaugural Collection of trips at GOGO, Elisa & I wanted to share the story of Brazil—the incredible, untold version that we fell in love with, about gracious people & bucolic backroads; Atlantic Rainforest and high savannah; colonialism and slavery, rural and urban ways of life, and strikingly diverse socio-economic conditions.
The majestic highlands surrounding Diamantina, in the state of Minas Gerais, gave us everything we needed—and more.
Once the epicenter of the global diamond trade, the Serra do Espinhaço was abandoned and largely forgotten by the outside world for nearly two centuries.
Today, it’s on the cusp of being recognized as one of the most spectacular places on earth.
trailhead, Sempre Vivas National Park Serra do Espinhaço
By the numbers
- 3 UNESCO Designations
- 2 Biodiversity Hotspots (Atlantic Rainforest & Cerrado)
- 19 Conservation Units
- 3,000+ species of plants (estimated)
- 7% of Brazil’s total biodiversity*
- 1,200 km² (roughly the size of the countries of Vanuatu, Montenegro, or the Bahamas)
* Brazil is the most biodiverse country on earth
WildflowerS in October
The Garden
More life than land. More urgency than time.
It’s difficult to overstate just how rich the Espinhaço is in terms of biodiversity. The range accounts for less than 1% of Brazil’s territory — yet harbors over 7% of its species, with more than 3,000 found nowhere else on earth.
The high-altitude ecosystem behind that miracle? The campos rupestres — a rocky, flower-strewn manifestation of the Cerrado (Brazilian savannah) so unique it may soon be formally recognized as the country’s newest bioma.
The savannah isn’t the only ecosystem to call the Espinhaço home, though. The range also cradles the westernmost remnants of the Atlantic Rainforest, making it one of the only places on earth where two critically endangered biomes meet.
It’s ironic — and tragic — that a landscape so rugged could also be so fragile. As it were, much of the range sits atop quartzite and ironstone — coveted by the mining industry, vulnerable to extraction, and extraordinarily slow to recover from impact.
The Espinhaço isn’t just overlooked by tourism, it’s in the crosshairs of never coming back.
Enjoy it while it’s here. Like this. Right now.
Vereda, Sempre Vivas NP
The Mosaic
A forgotten wonderland. And the stage for everything to come.
An unfathomably large (New Jersey-sized) swath of protected wonderland gushing with green mountain vistas, white sand waterfalls, cola-colored rivers, one of the highest concentrations of species endemism on the planet, a tantalizing lost network of historic trails… and virtually no tourism.
Welcome to the spectacular, undiscovered Mosaic of the Espinhaço: 19 adjacent conservation units totaling 5 million acres of protected Cerrado & Mata Atlântica — including a National Park, multiple State & Municipal Parks, and other reserves — with little to no tourism infrastructure.
For lovers of untouched wilderness, unadulterated culture, unbridled adventure, and (let’s just say it) life itself, this is the stuff of dreams.
vesperata! Diamantina
The City of Diamonds
A world traveler’s dream — hidden in plain sight.
UNESCO World Heritage City. Terminus of the Estrada Real. Bastion of Portuguese colonial architecture. Former diamond-mining capital of the world. Shining exemplar of the “diamond in the rough” cliché.
Somehow, little Diamantina (pop. 49,500) manages to be all this and more — a burgeoning college town, a musical capital, and a cultural crossroads — while remaining virtually undiscovered, even by Brazilians.
Add it all up, and you have a bona fide world traveler’s dream: a tourist mecca without tourists, smack in the middle of one of the most enchanting settings on earth.
Street Scene, São Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras
Colonial-era Villages
Welcome to the Serra do Espinhaço.
If it starts to feel like every other community in the Espinhaço is a mythic colonial-era mining hamlet, your math isn’t too far off. From magical São Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras to mysterious Inhai, festive Milho Verde to ruminative São João da Chapada, the region brims with storied, little-visited mountain settlements—each as unique and compelling as the next.
There’s magic in the air in these communities, and the locals know it. Few places are capable of bringing travelers into the enchantment of the Espinhaço quicker.
Guesthouse, Quarteis do Indaia
Quilombola Communities
Memory, resilience, and the road less traveled.
The discovery of diamonds in the Espinhaço changed the fortunes of Europe — and the fate of Africa. Today’s quilombola communities bear quiet witness.
Founded by formerly enslaved Africans or their descendants prior to the 19th century, these semi-autonomous settlements remain scattered across the Espinhaço and the Jequitinhonha River Valley — often tucked deep in the mountains or hidden along forgotten roads.
The region is home to more than 80 official quilombos, and many more unofficial ones. Sleepy, unpretentious, and almost always framed by stunning scenery, they offer a rare window into the cultural complexity of Brazil — and the quiet strength of community.
Spending time in the Espinhaço’s hidden hearts is always a profound — and profoundly enriching — experience.
On The trail, Sempre Vivas National Park
Sempre Vivas National PArk
Larger than Greater Los Angeles, with just a handful of residents (3, by our last count), a few dozen visitors per year (64 in 2022), thousands of endemic species, and no infrastructure to speak of, Sempre Vivas National Park is, without exaggeration, one of the wildest & most fascinating places in Brazil.
From the lush palm groves of the untamed eastern borderlands to the wind-swept campos of the west and the secluded flower-strewn gardens in between, Sempre Vivas is truly a universe unto itself; a labyrinth of nameless peaks, overgrown trails, and exuberant high savannah vegetation.
Should we decide to cross the Park during your trip, you should expect long days of bushwhacking, canoeing, and/or off-roading, and unforgettable evenings in rock shelters, makeshift flower-picker shelters, and hauntingly isolated ranches. Pointy grasses, ticks, snakes (including several deadly species), and lack of shade are harsh realities of the trail here—as are large felines.
Few places on earth manage to feel this magical, this wild, and this overlooked.
View of Itambé from the Chapada do Couto
Pico do Itambé
A mountain. A monument. And a milestone.
The region’s undisputed icon, Pico do Itambé (2,052 m) towers over the range like a watchful citadel — living up to its billing as “the roof of the Espinhaço.” Rising 1,102 meters above the surrounding peaks, it marks a hard divide between the Jequitinhonha and Doce river basins — and a softer one between the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado.
Taking in the view from atop after a challenging climb is one of the most satisfying & memorable moments to be had anywhere in the Espinhaço, rivaled only by a golden hour descent.
Rock Quarry-turned-swimming hole
Agua… Everywhere
The waterfalls (rightfully) steal the scene, but agua pulsates everywhere—and permeates everything—in the Espinhaço. From crystalline streams, bright emerald lagoons, and cola-colored rivers, to palm-strewn wetlands, flowery bogs, and even oasis-like “hot” springs, the region wouldn’t be the natural paradise it is were it not for the pristine water coursing below & across its landscapes.
Three of Brazil’s most important rivers, the Rio São Francisco, Rio Jequitinhonha, and Rio Doce, take shape here, with the latter two springing forth from the Espinhaço’s high plateaus.
The Jequitinhonha River, scarred But Beautiful.
The Jequitinhonha River
A chance to touch time.
The peaks and Parks may get more glory, but nothing shaped this region — or its fortunes — more than the rivers that run through it. And none more so than the Jequitinhonha.
Solemn and dignified, even after centuries of extraction and neglect, its diamond-rich waters once ran strong enough to buoy a distant empire and cradle a nation.
Even today, scarred and overlooked, it sustains more than half a million Brazilians living downstream.
In theory, we cross enough rivers, creeks, and streams during our trek for it to “get old.” There’s something about gazing on the Jequitinhonha from its banks, though — then stepping into it — that will always feel special.
The Waterfall of Lost Time
Waterfalls
The Espinhaço’s answer to sun, sea & sand.
Take it from us: attempting to count the waterfalls of the Espinhaço is an exercise in futility. Just as futile: trying to spend more than a day or two on the trail without bathing in one.
We typically cross paths with at least one named falls per day during trips — from soothing, cola-colored cascades to show-stopping, white sand-beach masterpieces, and everything in between.
Whether you’re the take-it-all-in-from-a-comfortable-rock type, the tip-toe-and-wince type, or the cannonball-and-cold-plunge type, it doesn’t get better than this.
“Ice-cold” has never felt so good.
Dona Maria, São João
Mineiros
Prosa, carinho, and cafézinho.
Minas Gerais is Brazil’s heartland, and mineiros (its denizens) play the part of heartland hosts to a T.
Easygoing, down-to-earth, and famously chatty, with a well-documented love of food and drink — especially comida mineira, café, and cachaça — they are to friendly what paulistas (residents of São Paulo) are to fast-paced, and cariocas (from Rio) are to carefree.
No one stays a stranger for long in Minas — and even less so in the Espinhaço.
Generally speaking, you won’t find a kinder or more welcoming bunch anywhere in Brazil.
View of the Rio Pardo Pequeno, from the pontilhão.
The Green Line
The way it was.
A series of tiny settlements that time forgot, strung along a former railway leading westward through lush mountain vegetation. From dusty, rough-around-the-edges (but only the edges) Conselheiro Mata (pop. 200) to lonesome Mendes (pop. 2) and serene Barão de Guaicui (pop. 50), this microregion’s unique—and uniquely diverse—residents, crystal-rich inselbergs, fertile soil, and location halfway between Diamantina & the lowlands to its west make for a fascinating case study in regional cultural identity.
Nowhere else do ambitious miners, idealistic mystics, hardened flower-pickers, and rowdy cowboys unite around watering holes (and waterfalls) with such conviction.
Spring Scene, Near Conceição do Mato Dentro
Bonafide Mountain Weather
Situated inland primarily between 1,000 - 1,600 meters (about 3,250 - 5,280 ft) above sea level, the Espinhaço has some of the most temperate, pleasant weather in Brazil, and the occurrence of 4 relatively distinct seasons means there’s an ideal time for just about all types of travelers.
The summer storms typically tapers off in March, making April & May two of the most beautiful months to explore the region: gushing waterfalls, exuberant vegetation, plentiful springs, and crossable rivers.
June & July are mild & dry, with near-perfect hiking conditions: warm, sunny days and crisp, cool mountain weather in the evenings, with hardly a cloud in the sky.
The dry winter reaches its zenith in late August to September, making both months wonderful for exploring the region by foot: the savannah landscape is parched, dotted by colorful bouquets of flowers & cactus fruit, with gently-flowing waterfalls & easily crossable rivers.
October & November are unpredictable, but beautiful: the Cerrado is in full bloom, with daily storms creating wet & wild trail conditions and turning the landscape a thousand shades of green.
EAstern Entrance, Sempre Vivas National Park.
Trips Into the Story of Brazil
From deeply immersive private journeys for adventurous solo & duo travelers, to ambitious small group expeditions and (new in 2025) bespoke treks, horseback rides, and overland tours.
Our trips aren’t for everyone, but if you’ve read this far, they might be for you.