An Interview with Márcio

Few explorers have contributed more meaningfully to exploration, adventure, and journalism in Brazil than Márcio Bortolusso, whose decorated career as a writer, filmmaker, and expedition leader began in the 1980s. In 2022, when our work on Diamonds/Wild Tales + Lost Trails was still in its infancy, we had the honor of walking, driving, learning, and laughing (constantly) alongside him for 14 days.

In October of 2024, he was kind enough to participate in an audit we commissioned to help us understand Gift of Go’s place in the international travel & tourism industry, and to help us improve our service as an operator. The interview below has been edited for clarity & readability.

Pico do Raio. Day 4

“I’ve been all over the Americas as an explorer, a photographer, and a traveler, from Patagonia to Alaska. This place (the Serra do Espinhaço) doesn’t lose a single thing to those big names. It’s really that incredible.”

You are a man of many talents; a wearer of many “hats”. How do you describe what you do for a living?

Since 1995, I’ve worked in numerous areas of audiovisual and outdoor recreation, focused on adventure, nature, and regional culture, among other themes. To simplify my response, I [usually] introduce myself as an “Expeditionary Documentarian.” In practice, though, I alternate between photographer, filmmaker, journalist, writer, historian, researcher, graphic designer, public speaker, and consultant in the segments mentioned above. At the same time, I work professionally with climbing (especially Big Wall, but also many other modalities), canoeing (oceanic, whitewater, rock gardening), diving (free, scuba, caves, etc.), SUP, canyoneering, etc. — especially with exploratory expeditions in remote areas.

Editor’s note: Márcio’s work as a photographer & journalist can be seen at Photo Verde, which he runs with his wife & fellow explorer/photographer Fernanda Lupo. The duo recently also run the adventure site 6HardXpeditions.

sunrise over the Jequitinhonha . Day 8

pre-climb breakfast with the crew. Day 2

What trips have you done?

It would be impossible to list—even if we were just talking about the best ones. I grew up in a family that moved around & traveled a lot. My father was an engineer who worked on several of Brazil's largest projects (things like the Trans-Amazonian Highway, several major hydroelectric plants & highways, the first national subways, etc.). Above all, though, he was a grand adventurer in the old sense of this (now overused) word. Thanks to him, I visited countless regions and lived in 20 cities across Brazil during my childhood alone, and as a teen, I’d already seen more of the country than most Brazilians. Quick example: just days before I was born in Rio Grande do Sul in the extreme south of Brazil, my father was working in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, thousands of kilometers away in the extreme north of the country.

As a teenager, I starting having my own adventures (bike trips, hitchhiking, or exploring famous long-distance trails), and due to my profession, for the past 29 years, I’ve traveled to places of high natural (scenic & biological) and cultural value. During the first decade of my career, I traveled as a guide for some of Brazil’s leading ecotourism agencies and produced articles for major magazines in the segment. Since the 90s, I’ve been involved in over 1,000 mentions, articles, or actions published in over 650 media outlets—most of which involve travel, and many of which are about exploration in isolated areas.

I’m passionate about my country, so my focus has always been on Brazil’s traditional and/or remote areas. However, I’ve occasionally traveled and worked in other regions, not as a tourist but with some depth—like days of self-sufficient ultramarathons along Uruguay’s ocean coast, little-known parts of Patagonia for several years (including long, human-powered crossings of 500 to 700 km via new and unknown routes through the Andes, from Chile to Argentina), Monument Valley with special permission from Navajo coordinators to access and bivouac in prohibited zones, climbing high mountains in Bolivia (and of course, also visiting traditional tourist routes), historical trails, and adventure racing routes in the French and Italian Alps (as a Filmmaker-Athlete), and traditional locations like the Grand Canyon, the Netherlands, etc. But as I mentioned, much of my life has been dedicated to knowing & exploring the most protected corners of my “continental” Brazil.

“I’ve traveled all over Brazil. Outside of a few specific communities, though, I’d never heard a peep about this region. Now that we’ve done what we’ve just done, I can’t understand how that’s possible. This place deserves to be known by adventurers from every part of the world. It has so much to offer.”

What made you decide to go there the first time?

In 2013, I met Eddie here in Ilhabela through a mutual photographer friend. After years of a “limited” virtual friendship (editor’s note: Márcio & his wife, Fernanda, are rare loyal & enthusiastic fans of Eddie’s music, an unexpected development that deepened their friendship over the years), we developed a personal connection, and one day he invited me to explore the itinerary that GOGO was developing in the Serra do Espinhaço, hiring me to produce images for promoting their trips in this region, which some specialists consider the only true Brazilian mountain range.

While I was incredibly busy at the time—raising my newborn daughter, finalizing a project that had lasted more than a year, and even turning down other professional offers—I accepted GOGO’s invitation for two reasons. First, because I’m passionate about the Serra do Espinhaço. As a child, I lived in Ouro Branco (in the 1970s), the southernmost city of this vast 1,000-km mountain range. If climbing became part of my profession, it’s undoubtedly related to childhood memories of my father climbing the mountains for family waterfall baths while trying his luck panning for gold. In the following decades, I was privileged to carry out numerous climbs, hikes, bike rides, waterfall and canyon explorations, diving, and rappelling in caves in other beautiful parts of the Espinhaço, especially in the paradisiacal and popular Serra do Cipó and Chapada Diamantina. Most of this happened while producing articles for Adventure and Ecotourism media. Secondly, because Eddie and Elisa convinced me they were developing a truly differentiated, authentic, selective product in the most sustainable sense, with a sentimental value far beyond just another incredible itinerary in one of the thousands of ecological paradises on Earth.

Approaching Itambé. Day 1

We don’t always begin our trips with a summit of Itambé, but when we do, it tends to be a momentous day. Márcio lost 6 toenails (5 on one foot) after our summit on Day 2. Not only did he joke about it nightly over the course of the next 12 days, he seemingly recovered quicker each day on the trail—despite resorting to socks & flip-flops at times. It was an awe-inspiring performance.

Did you book with a group? If so, how many other travelers accompanied you?

Yes and no. I accompanied GOGO on a trip that I believe was a preparatory one for their final product, where they were still finalizing logistical details before commercially operating with paying clients. I went only with Elisa, Eddie, and [GOGO naturalist & trail guide] Júlio. Even knowing that their itinerary wasn’t 100% ready (as they had made it clear to me), with them still adjusting the route, clearing certain trail sections, finalizing details with local partners (food suppliers, accommodations, etc.), it was still one of the most surprising, remarkable, and magical trips of my life—an experience to be remembered until my last days.

Casa do Mozart. Day 8

Have you ever used any of GOGO’s competitors? How does GOGO Compare?

More than 99.9% of my trips and adventures are self-sufficient, and although I’ve traveled dozens of times with ecotourism agencies & operators since 1995, I’ve always gone as a guest, for work (photographing, filming, writing articles, or as a guide). I actually don’t know who GOGO’s competitors are, especially because Eddie & Elisa offer such a personalized service, with complex & meticulous logistics, with hundreds of careful details that are difficult to replicate by those who haven’t spent years “living” thousands of moments alongside traditional communities and within the canyons, valleys, and mountains of a rugged region that’s somewhat challenging for most modern “entrepreneurs” and tourism experts. In Brazil, and even globally, most of the leading companies are based in capital cities & large centers, and [simply] “broker” the numerous itineraries in their tourist product portfolios through local “operators” (guides, operators, etc.), visiting the various “worked” regions only during rare technical visits or client trips. This system, in itself, differentiates most sector entrepreneurs (who live far from the “products” they sell) from the truly passionate visionaries of a region (who have traded countless life opportunities to live in their dream locations). This passion and regional “belonging” make a big difference in the experiences offered to the public and are clearly perceived by clients/tourists. I know several companies that do fantastic work worldwide, operating highly personalized itineraries of the highest quality (in Iceland, Antarctica, Svalbard, Lapland, Africa, etc.—I’ve even traveled with some on unique itineraries like paddling with humpback whales where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet or exploring remote mountains and fjords in Tierra del Fuego). But I believe these “few” represent only about 0.001% of global Travel and Tourism companies (there are nearly 40,000 registered in Brazil alone).

Besides the technical capacity limitation for running a similar operation—one that is as safe as possible, with an exclusive itinerary offering truly authentic experiences—I believe replicating GOGO’s product is unfeasible for the vast majority of ecotourism companies & professionals. This is due to the number of details that need close management, and the fact that, unfortunately, even in “sustainable” Ecotourism, many companies are more focused on easy profit with minimal effort and investment than on offering transformative experiences that leave a lasting impact on clients. Among the “rare” companies worldwide offering services with the same “essence” as GOGO (unique itineraries reserved for a select few, passion, authenticity, exclusivity, personalized itineraries for each “individual”), I believe each one has lived its own story, developed its own methodology, and created its incomparable and unforgettable “magical experiences” in its own way, ultimately producing a completely unique, inimitable, and incomparable product after much time and effort.

taping up the drone. Day 1

What does GOGO do that others don’t? What is the one thing that sets them apart?

I’ll try to answer both questions together. Regionally, I am unaware of any service like the one GOGO has envisioned, produced, and executed. Not even in the extensive Serra do Espinhaço, which houses dozens of tourist municipalities, including some of Brazil's most important—like Chapada Diamantina, which daily welcomes a large number of foreign visitors from all continents. Additionally, while there are a series of quality ecotourism itineraries in Brazil—for both high-end financial audiences and highly demanding technical practitioners (from Community-Based Tourism in indigenous or quilombola tribes in the heart of the Amazon to luxurious glamping in Chapada dos Veadeiros or the Serra Gaúcha, to 4x4 Overland in Tocantins, to tree-top lodges with integrated Canopy Walkways and Wildlife Observation)—I also don’t recall seeing a “product” like GOGO’s offered in any of the 5,569 municipalities across Brazil’s 26 states. As I mentioned, besides being a Journalist, I work as a Researcher and Consultant in Ecotourism and Adventure, mainly alongside Conservation Units (Brazil's natural and cultural reserves) and public agencies (municipalities, etc.). Despite working on large projects lasting from 6 months to several years (my current project required 15 months of pre-production and won’t be completed until 2026), I had never seen an itinerary in Brazil created after so many years of investment (technical visits, research, opening and clearing trails, etc.) on such a grand scale (on such an extensive and varied route, over many weeks, etc.), with such attention to natural attractions and characters that deserve recognition and promotion. And, what impressed me most, with such immense authenticity (something increasingly rare in times of instant virtual “show-off” and exaggerated or misleading marketing). Not to mention, most Ecotourism and Adventure agencies strive to minimize the difficulties faced by their clients during activities, practically “handholding” each “tourist,” which, in my opinion, dilutes much of the experience, cutting off values such as overcoming challenges, courage, determination, teamwork, confidence, etc. It also eliminates much of the emotions derived from these values and the feeling of personal achievement. Despite GOGO’s careful and dedicated approach to their clients, above all, they offer an experience that represents “a great adventure” in the true sense of the phrase—an experience where each participant needs to tap into their deepest instincts and sense of autonomy, expanding their abilities with each day’s challenges. This is not an easy itinerary, not the kind of tour you purchase for next weekend. What’s special about GOGO’s itinerary is precisely that it is the opposite of this—a unique, intense experience that will forever leave its mark on your life, transforming you not only physically and mentally (you will undoubtedly finish with exponentially increased mental endurance) but also as a human being. I honestly think it’s impossible for someone to fully immerse themselves in this profound and magical experience for weeks and return home with the same mental horizons they had before. I can’t speak globally, as I don’t know what all companies with similar operations do and what their differentiators are. However, beyond the rare standards of GOGO’s operations summarized above, I felt that Eddie and Elisa's deep friendship and familiarity with the local residents (people rich in nature, but who live simply, far removed from the "comforts," "conveniences," and "modernities" of urban life) generate a trust and resulting natural behavior that leads to authentic moments with these charming characters of traditional Brazil. This is quite different from what you often see in popular ecotourism routes worldwide, where residents practically put on a show about their “perfect” lives to entertain tourists in exchange for compensation from their employers. This reminds me of another GOGO differentiator, unfortunately rare in tourism operations (ecological or otherwise). Their concern for the preservation of such a wonderful, natural, and authentic regional way of life, with admirable centuries-old traditions so well-preserved. I recently spoke with them, and I realize that, as with any itinerary anywhere in the world, they know that all this charm, spontaneity of the residents, harmony between local tradition and a new income opportunity for local communities, originality, and other values that have remained unchanged for so long, could be lost if not handled with the utmost care and respect. Traveling with them, I noticed their genuine concern not to interfere with the personal and regional customs of each resident, not to break that delicate line of spontaneity simply for commercial benefits. Unfortunately, this is becoming more common with the current effect of massification on natural environments worldwide (“Instagram Tourism”).

crooked house. Curralinho

lapa do Cabrito. Abóboras

Have you ever recommended GOGO to others? If yes, think about that conversation. What do you remember mentioning about GOGO that sets them apart?

GOGO’s audience is quite different, more than segmented; I see it as a very specific niche within the Adventure and Ecotourism segments. So, it's not the kind of service I recommend weekly or to just anyone. But whenever I’ve spoken with adventurer friends, business partners (including journalists), or people who seek me out for information or even technical consulting, if the topic involved something related (Espinhaço, long treks, trails through unique paradisiacal spots, highly recommended itineraries, etc.) or if I sensed the person had the profile for such a trip, I would automatically recommend GOGO. That’s something natural for me, regardless of the valuable friendship I now have with Elisa and Eddie, thanks to the many days we spent together on this unique stretch of the Serra do Espinhaço. And practically, I recommended, and will continue to recommend, the same things I answered above, always highlighting the uniqueness of this precious natural and cultural paradise (which in my opinion is different in proportions and scenic styles but no less beautiful or culturally rich than classic itineraries like Banff’s Rocky Mountains, Torres del Paine, Dolomites, Kilimanjaro, New Zealand Alps, or even Yosemite) and also emphasizing the unique aspects of the itinerary created and executed by GOGO. It’s an experience that, since I returned, I’ve eagerly awaited the day I can do again with my wife and daughter.

I’ll be back!

It’s been 18 months since our trip, and I still think about the Espinhaço, Eddie & Elisa, and our Expedition all the time. Next time, I want to bring (partner & fellow explorer) Fernanda & our daughter, and stay for a whole season. I’m sure they’re going to love it. All of us will.

What could GOGO improve?

I could joke that they should hire more “photographer-cinematographers” like me so I could return more often to visit this spectacular region and live incredible moments with such special friends… lol. But I can’t because fortunately they followed my advice that they

could and should invest in their own equipment and produce their own audiovisual content

rather than hiring photographers and cinematographers from other states. They have talent in image production, great taste, originality in ideas, and no professional from another state/region would know and visit their diverse backyard as well. I’m genuinely pleased every time I watch a new GOGO teaser. I can’t think of anything they could improve. Perhaps something they’re already doing is acting as “local guides” since, after so many years trekking thousands of kilometers in this mountain range, in my opinion, they’ve become two of the best guides of the Serra do Espinhaço.