Expedition Leader / Country Guide + Translator

The bumper sticker on his ‘89 Toyota Bandeirante (Brazilian Land Cruiser) may read “Lost Texan”, but don’t be fooled: Dallas-born Eddie has dedicated himself to the study of Brazilian history, society, and geography for the better part of two decades. He first “rediscovered” the Serra do Espinhaço in 2018, and has spent nearly 6 years since documenting its labyrinth of lost trails & inhabitants, becoming arguably the region’s most well-versed foreigner in a century during the process. The only thing he enjoys more than exploring this spectacular & little-known part of the world is bringing it to life for other adventurous & culturally curious travelers.

Expedition Leader / Country Guide + Translator

The first time Elisa encountered the daunting “roads” of São Gonçalo do Rio das Pedras during a fateful weekend getaway in 2019, she swore to her mom she would never come back. These days, she can’t seem to leave the Espinhaço, having spent the better part of her life since then driving all manner of backroads—usually with various drones, satellite devices, emergency contacts, and communications equipment in tow—in a gangly leaf-sprung 4x4 named “Gaucha”. Bringing itineraries of this scope to life in this part of the world requires steadfast determination, impeccable planning, outstanding communication, and (lots of) patience. The rest of us just require Elisa.

Regional Guide + Naturalist

The difference between a good guide and a great one is the calling, and in Julio’s case, there was never a question. Passionate, dedicated, and bursting with the knowledge, energy, and conviction necessary to make the world a better place, he’s both a natural-born mountain guide & a natural-born man for others. You’ll get to witness him put both of these callings (as well as his degree in Geography) to use during your Journey. When the brush is thick, snakes abound, the sunlight is dimming, and there are still kilometers ahead, there’s no one on earth we’d rather have by our side.

Driver + Support Guide

The eldest son of Diamantina’s most celebrated 4x4 dynasty, Xaxau, like his brother Andre, is adventure nobility without the pretension. In addition to being one of the region’s most seasoned mechanics & welders, he happens to be an expert rider of horses, motorcycles, and (lucky for us) old 4x4s. You’ll see Xaxau & “Gaúcha” (our primary support vehicle) during your Journey as we cut long distances using the region’s labyrinth of dirt roads, but it’s the moments when you don’t see him—when he’s driving parallel to our route—that puts our minds at ease. In the unlikely event of an emergency, there isn’t anyone we’d rather have close by.

Driver + Support Guide

A soft-spoken, big city-loving motorcycle enthusiast born into (decidedly small town) Diamantina’s most celebrated family of 4x4 mechanics, Andre, like his brother Xaxau, is adventure nobility without the pretension. He’s also a remarkable motorcycle pilot, as well as a devoted part-time P.E. teacher(!). As the official dirt bike rescue driver of your Journey, we’ll hope to not see too much of Andre during our days on the tra,l but it’s his constant, reassuring presence along the roads parallel to our route that allows us to push forwards with confidence. In the unlikely event of an emergency, there isn’t anyone we’d rather have close by.

Support Driver (All Circuits)

A year abroad in Australia taught Michel—then a biology undergrad—the power of travel, and convinced him that his hometown of Diamantina deserved to be rediscovered by the world. Since then, he’s become one of the most renown photographers in the Espinhaço, documenting its storied history and sharing his striking portraits of its denizens & every day life through publications like The Guardian, National Geographic Brazil, and more. As a member of our crew, Michel gets to put his passion for both cultura mineira and vintage Toyota 4×4s—as well as his fluency in English—to use, teaching others about the wondrous region he calls home.

Overland Driver

When we meet at Tancredo Neves International Airport (the rendezvous point for all of our trips in the Espinhaço) on Day 1, you’ll be forgiven for thinking we’ve brought along a personal security detail. Towering, stoic, and probably wearing a sharp pair of aviator sunglasses, our Crew’s official overland Driver, Caio, was formerly a professional mixed martial artist in his hometown of Montes Claros. Now the proud owner of both a local taxi service and a small (but growing!) poultry farm on the outskirts of Diamantina, he is exactly the kind of serious, enterprising, and (most relevantly) punctual individual that this city—er, our Crew—needs. We’ll have the pleasure of riding with Caio to & from the airport to bookend your trip. After 2 weeks in a leaf-sprung, 35-yr-old Land Cruiser, we think you’ll be grateful we’ll be taking his vehicle.

Local Guide + Mule Driver (Serra Circuit)

A local legend on par with the iconic mountain that towers above his remote abode, Santo has become synonymous with the spectacular crossing from Bica d’Agua to Rio Preto State Park. Stoic & hardened, yet soft-spoken & graceful, his backcountry skills are second to none (and his camp grub isn’t half-bad, either). Should we opt to climb the Espinhaço’s highest peaks during your trip, it’s likely that we’ll have the privilege of spending at least one evening with Santo & his lovely wife, Dona Maria (known throughout the region for her wood-fired stove mastery), at their charming home in Bica d’Agua.

Local Guide / Horsemen (Serra Circuit)

Thoughtful, percipient, and humble, with stories to share (but only if you ask) and a serene wisdom honed by decades spent living far from Diamantina, Valdir is the embodiment of the ideal GOGO guide. We don’t always make the trek (or ride; or drive) to glorious Fazenda Santa Cruz do Gavião, the remote historic ranch that he’s tended to alone for the past 12 years, but when we do, it’s often simply to enjoy his company. Should you choose to explore the roads (& waterfalls) less traveled in our Serra Circuit, a visit to Valdir & Gavião are possibilities. There are few people we’d rather walk, ride or huddle around a wood-fired stove with.

Local Guide (Serra Circuit)

On expeditions as in life, you should always seek to surround yourself with resilient, kind-hearted souls who have done it themselves and want to see you succeed. This is especially true when summiting foreign peaks, and when said souls have the kind of legs capable of powering up & down said peak 1,000+ times per year for two decades. Hailing from a family of Itambé guardians, and now a full-time ranger in the State Park himself, it’s fair to say that Genésio knows Itambé better than anyone on earth. Should your Journey pass in the vicinity of the mountain, it will be a privilege to walk alongside him.

Local Guide (Garden Circuit)

Humble, self-educated, self-made, and as full of stories as he is as life, Barbosa grew up on the edge of civilization, in a tiny quilombo where the lush cerrado meets the river, the palms tower over once-diamond-rich sand banks, and money was (literally) unheard of. Today, he & his gracious wife, Lucia, reside in nearby Inhaí, where they’ve begun to receive the district’s first visitors and are sharing the incredible true stories of their upbringings. Should we find ourselves in the eastern borderlands of Sempre Vivas, we may well have the privilege of hearing those stories first-hand.

Local Guide + Boatman (Garden Circuit)

Few rivers on earth are at once as pristine, gorgeous, and little-known as the Inhacica Grande, and few know “The Inhacicão” or the serra that towers above it as well as Gomercindo. Gracious & soft-spoken, yet adventurous & fun-loving, the former miner turned prolific farmer has spent a lifetime on the river & its white sand banks, cultivating a unique relationship with it that only a benefactor and guardian could have. He also knows the eastern portion of Sempre Vivas like few others. Should we have the pleasure of visiting the eastern borderlands of Sempre Vivas during your Journey, it’s likely that Gomercindo will be with us.

Local Guide + Horseman (Sertão Circuit)

There’s an undeniable energy born from living out one’s dream, and Tau beams it in spades. Born & raised in quaint Curimataí, he spent decades as an entrepreneur in the big city rat race before finding his way back home. Today, he & his equally enterprising wife, Gilma, run our favorite pousada west of Sempre Vivas, where we’d happily find ourselves sleeping & (especially) dining should your itinerary call for it. An avid outdoorsman & expert horseman, Tau often guides those of us who hoof it along the sun-kissed sertão roads around the region.

Local Guide + Horseman (Sertão Circuit)

Stoic, courageous, courteous, and thoughtful, Alvimar is, in many ways, the embodiment of the idealized sertão man. A lifelong cowboy, he spent years fighting remote wildfires in Sempre Vivas National Park, ascending & descending the Espinhaço’s rugged western escarpment and criss-crossing the Park’s little-known campos by foot & horse. Today, Alvimar wears a different hat, tending to livestock & crops on his small ranch north of Curimataí. His familiarity with the sertão, knowledge of the Park’s western frontier, and expert skill with horses make him an incredibly welcome addition to our crew, should we find ourselves in his neck of the woods.

Local Guide + Horseman (Sertão Circuit)

Confident, charismatic, and cool in a way that only a natural-born cowboy can be, Pê & his lovely wife, Nica, have been housing & guiding our crew since the early days of our explorations in the Espinhaço. Born & raised in the tiny one-family outpost of Santa Rita, on the windswept southern frontier of Sempre Vivas National Park, Pê performed multiple tours as a Park firefighter before returning full-time to ranching, and is renown across the region for his riding acumen. Should we attempt to cross the spectacular Rio Preto River Valley during your Journey, we’ll likely have the pleasure of riding with Pê & his brother, Lu.

Local Guide (Garden Circuit)

The lone resident of a storied, abandoned ranch situated in one of the wildest stretches of cerrado in Brazil—a full day’s trek through untamed brush from his closest neighbor—Levi has become something of a living legend among the folks living in the borderlands; the mere mention of his name eliciting reverence, sympathy, gossip, and outcry in short order. He is a man with stories to tell, and precious few visitors to tell them to. Spending time with him, and sharing the story of our own journey to his home, is a highlight of any trip to the region, and the stuff that lifelong memories are made of. A day with Levi is a day for the ages.

Local Guide + Horseman (Berço Circuit)

There are only 3 are residents left in Sempre Vivas National Park, and (as one might imagine) all of them are remarkable for their resilience & courage. Of them, Dorico may be the most sage. Hailing from the “nearby” (60-minute trek) flower-picking village (and former colonial-era barracks) of Macacos (pop. < 20), he has spent the past 30 years living alone in his rustic pau-a-pique home at the foot of (gorgeous) Serra da Gamba. Humble, soft-spoken, and gracious, with a lightness of being, he carries himself. There are few men left like Dorico. Stories to tell. We treasure our moments alongside him, whether on the trail or by the campfire.

Local Guide + Horseman (Berço Circuit)

It is said that there are more former residents of Sao João da Chapada (pop. 2,000) living in a single suburb of Sao Paulo (pop. 22,000,000) than in Sao João itself, and we believe it. The creation of the Parks and subsequent prohibition of traditional ways of life—particularly, mining, hunting, and flower-picking—in their vicinity sent many able-bodied residents afar in search of jobs. All of which makes João’s decision to return to his rural life so fascinating. Humble, well-traveled, and wise, he’s lived a fascinating life, making him wonderful company on the trail. We look forward to his stories—and horsemanship—each time we’re near São João.

Local Guide (Berço Circuit)

Courageous, resilient, and endlessly energetic, Poliana is Quarteis’s touchstone to the outside world—a job she hardly applied for. Born & raised in that bucolic quilombo, her most pressing duties have long included raising four lively children and tending to local crops. In recent years, however, she’s been thrust into the role of an activist, drumming up support and generally doing everything possible on behalf of her community. After repeated fruitless efforts by our Crew to locate the historic trail leading from her hometown to neighboring Sao Joao, Poliana shrugged, threw on a pair of Havaianas, and took us herself. We’ll have the pleasure of walking with our newest Crew member should our itinerary bring us to her neck of the woods.

First-Mate + Porter (Garden Circuit)

In a remote farming community historically dominated by beans (with the occasional corn crop), Deraldo went a different direction: broccoli. His successful harvests have not only improved the diets of elementary school children across Diamantina, they’re disrupting long-held beliefs about his community’s agricultural potential. But Grade A broccoli isn’t the (only) reason that Deraldo is on our crew—having grown up along the banks of the Inhacicão, he knows the waterways like few do. He also happens to own the best outboard motor around, which we’ll happily employ should we elect to boat down the river during your Journey

Porter (Garden Circuit)

Despite growing up on the banks of the nearby Inhacicão, Edrah had never been to the fields atop Sempre Vivas National Park where his father (Gomercindo) was raised—nor had he ever hiked uphill with a pack on—until he accompanied our crew as a last-second porter in early 2024. He had his doubts as to whether he would enjoy the experience (and rightfully so: how much fun does a sweaty trek through the wilderness really sound to a 20-year-old?), and we had ours, too (how much weight can a rookie 20-year old really carry uphill?). Luckily, the experience was great for all of us, and we now have a pair of porters (including Gomercindo) in Sempre Vivas. In fact, rumor has it, he & his father may now become two of the Park’s newest guides…