At a Glance

Quartzite peaks and cola-colored rivers.
White sand waterfalls and rupestrian fields.
Winding historic trails and little-traveled backroads.

The highlands southeast of Diamantina are the backbone of the Espinhaço: physically demanding, historically layered, and still closely tied to the region’s colonial past.

Some of the range’s most storied paths cross here.

If your Journey passes through this part of the Espinhaço, expect big views, effortful trails, and small highland villages where evenings tend to stretch out.

The Serra Circuit →

Sempre Vivas is one of the most intact stretches of Cerrado in Brazil and among the country’s least-visited National Parks.

Here the trails narrow, vegetation thickens, and the terrain changes quickly without warning.

This is protected, unmanicured high savannah: sparsely inhabited and ecologically rich.

Should your Journey pass through this part of the range, expect our movement to slow and our attention to sharpen.

Few places in Brazil feel this far removed.

The Garden Circuit →

In the lowlands west of the range, the horizon widens.

Distances stretch out, rivers bend gently, and tree-lined dirt roads run long between small towns where hospitality is part of daily life.

Waterfalls descend from the escarpment above, giving way to open pasture. Front porches replace peaks and ridgelines.

This is the range’s interior: less dramatic, more lived-in, equally memorable.

Few places in the Espinhaço are better suited for catching your breath and taking it all in.

The Sertão Circuit →

Northwest of Diamantina, the range turns inward. Landscapes grow quieter, village life slows, and history sits just below the surface.

Some of the Espinhaço’s most revealing scenes are found in this corner of the range: exuberant river valleys and weathered quilombola communities, slave-built roads and abandoned diamond corridors.

The Berço reveals itself through contrast: austere yet welcoming, layered yet intimate.

Journeys that pass through here tend to feel different on the way out.

The Berço Circuit →

Sometimes having a roof overhead trumps all other considerations.

Set atop lonely high campos, tucked deeply into forests, or blending into quiet river valleys, these remote, barebones structures offer refuge from the outside world and a glimpse into it.

Most sit on private land and are used seasonally by the people who work these landscapes. When we pass through, we’re simply borrowing space along the way.

Refuges are the most basic shelters on a Journey, and often among the most memorable.

Location is the luxury.
Peace and quiet come standard.

Homestays are one of the defining experiences of traveling in the Espinhaço.

We arrive dusty and tired and are received with warm smiles, hot plates, and the kind of hospitality that doesn’t require explanation.

Life is already happening here, often far from tourism. Rooms are modest. Meals are generous. In some homes, you may be the first foreign traveler they’ve ever hosted.

For many families, welcoming someone from a distant land is an honor.

For those of us being received, these evenings are often the ones we remember long after the trail ends.

Small family-run inns are synonymous with travel in Brazil—the rare institution that transcends age, class, and generation.

Some of these establishments are simple and homey. Others are more elaborate. Nearly all reflect the personality of the people who built them.

Expect strong coffee in the morning, practical comfort, and hosts who take real pride in their work.

After a long day on the trail, a hot shower, a soft bed, and the chance to sleep without setting an alarm is sometimes all the luxury we need.

Sometimes the landscape itself becomes home for the night.

When the route calls for it, we pitch tents beside rivers, in quiet clearings, or in rock shelters that have been used for centuries.

There’s nothing theatrical about these camps. We cook simply, share a drink by the fire, and watch the light leave the mountains.

Longer wilderness crossings may mean several nights under canvas.

It’s a privilege we never quite get used to.

You can’t understand the Espinhaço without noticing its contrasts.

At times the route brings us to guest ranches, historic vilas, or rural retreats shaped by a different way of living.

Pool bars. Private waterfalls. Hot springs. Well-dressed weekenders.

These places have long been part of the landscape’s fabric. Experiencing them after weeks in working communities rarely dulls the senses; if anything, it sharpens perspective.

Should your Journey pass through one, we recommend doing as the locals do: rest, relax, and enjoy it while it lasts.

Occasionally the route gives us a house of our own.

It might be a historic home in a small town or a quiet weekend retreat tucked into the hills.

Amenities vary, but the gift is space: room to spread out, wash clothes, and enjoy a rare evening without ceremony.

After days of being received in other people’s homes, it can be refreshing to just close the door and exhale.

In certain conservation areas we overnight inside park boundaries.

Facilities vary, and comfort tends toward the practical.

That said, proximity matters: few experiences compare to waking up inside the landscape you came to walk.

Some parks take real pride in their lodges and visitor areas. When the opportunity is there, we make the most of it.

The Espinhaço is dotted with working fazendas that long predate tourism.

These are not curated guest ranches. They’re functional homes and compounds shaped by labor, weather, and time.

Meals are cooked the way they’ve always been cooked, and stories are part of the architecture. The sense of continuity is unmistakable.

If we stay in one, you’ll feel the lineage long before you notice the décor.

Expedition Leader / Country Guide + Translator(Full-Time)

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 since arriving with a surfboard and $800 in 2002. He first found his way to the Espinhaço in 2018, and has spent the years since documenting its unforgettable characters and labyrinth of forgotten trails—becoming, by local accounts, one of the most well-versed foreigners in the range in over a century. The only thing he enjoys more than exploring this spectacular and little-known part of the world is bringing it to life for travelers who want to experience it, not just pass through.

Expedition Leader / Country Guide + Translator (Full-Time)

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 in a gangly leaf-sprung 4x4 named “Gaucha”—usually with various drones, satellite devices, emergency contacts, and communications equipment in tow. Bringing itineraries of this scope to life in this part of the world requires determination, planning, communication, patience, and the kind of vision that sees adventure where others see obstacles. The rest of us just require Elisa.

Regional Guide + Naturalist (Full-Time)

The difference between a good guide and a great one is calling. In Júlio’s case, there was never a question. Deeply knowledgeable, energetic, and committed to the places he works in, he brings both his experience in the mountains and his degree in Geography to every journey. When the brush is thick, snakes abound, the light is fading, and there are still kilometers ahead, there’s no one we’d rather have beside us.

Driver + Support Guide (Full-Time)

The eldest son of Diamantina’s most celebrated 4x4 family, Xaxau carries himself with a quiet confidence that comes from knowing exactly what he’s doing. One of the region’s most seasoned mechanics and welders, he’s also an expert rider of horses, motorcycles, and—lucky for us—vintage 4x4s. You’ll see Xaxau and “Gaúcha” during long overland crossings, but it’s the moments when you don’t see him, driving parallel to our route, that put us most at ease. In the unlikely event of an emergency, there’s no one we’d rather have nearby.

Driver + Support Guide (Full-Time)

A soft-spoken motorcycle enthusiast from Diamantina’s most celebrated family of 4x4 mechanics, André combines small-town roots with a love for the wider world. He’s a devoted P.E. teacher in the region, but it’s his instinctive feel for vehicles and terrain—and his dirt bike skills—that brought him onto our crew. As the motorcycle rescue driver, his presence runs quietly alongside the route. If you see him on the trail, don’t panic. You’re already being taken care of.

Local Guide + Mule Driver (Serra Circuit)

A local legend on par with the mountain that towers above his home, Santo spent decades driving mules from the quilombola hamlet of Bica d’Agua to Diamantina and back as one of the Espinhaço’s last tropeiros. Today, he’s best known for receiving and guiding those who make the crossing from Bica d’Água to Chapada do Couto. Stoic and hardened, yet soft-spoken and graceful, his backcountry skills are unmatched—and his camp grub isn’t half bad either. If the route takes us to the Espinhaço’s highest peaks, there’s a good chance the day ends at Santo’s, where Dona Maria’s wood-fired stove is the stuff of regional lore.

Local Guide (Garden Circuit)

The lone resident of a remote ranch deep in one of the wildest corners of the Cerrado, Levi is a living legend in the borderlands. A full day’s walk from his nearest neighbor, he lives a life few can fathom—self-reliant, solitary, and deeply tied to the land. Reaching him is a journey. Listening to his stories is the reward.

Support Driver

A year abroad in Australia showed Michel the power of travel, and convinced him that his hometown of Diamantina deserved to be rediscovered. Since then, he’s become one of the most renowned photographers in the Espinhaço, documenting the region’s people and everyday life. On our crew, Michel brings that same perspective—along with his fluency in English, his love of cultura mineira, and a natural ability to connect people to the place around them. Whether behind the wheel or behind the lens, he helps the region reveal itself.