Team

Fabiano Oliveira

Founder and CEO of Biodiverse Brazil Tours
Is Biologist, ornithologist and licensed tour guide since 1999.


Fabiano was born in southern tip of Brazil near the border to Uruguay, and since the age of 13 lives in the state of Mato Grosso. He started to take the official tour guide course when he was only 15,

and at the age of 19 he was already a licensed guide in Brazil. Along with guiding he has studied Biological Sciences, at Federal University of Mato Grosso mainly focusing in field ornithology, what made him one of Brazil’s leading birdwatching guides since the early 2000. Fabiano is fascinated by many different themes including indigenous people issues, history, geography and of course natural history. He is one of the pioneer guides to work with Jaguar safaris, starting back in 2007 to lead trips in search of this species what made him one the most competent guides in the Pantanal Jaguars. He knows many individual jaguars in the regions and he is able to identify and to track the genealogy of several of them. His knowledge and passion for the birds, general nature and the big cats took him and Biodiverse Brazil Tours to work with several TV productions, some of the most remarkable wildlife documentaries such as the National Geographic “Wild Pantanal” in 2012 that he worked as a jaguar guide and in 2019 with the Smithsonian Channel in the documentary “Jaguar Land” as a field producer. Fabiano leads some of the trips at Biodiverse Brazil Tours to several destinations he very is proud of showing Brazilian biodiversity and landscapes, producing experiences that are informative and fun at the same time. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Chapada dos Guimaraes and speaks good English and Spanish as well.

He is one of the pioneer guides to work with Jaguar safaris, starting back in 2007 to lead trips in search of this species what made him one the most competent guides in the Pantanal Jaguars.

Marina Ficagna de Oliveira Boaventura

Head of office in Chapada.


She in charge of bookings and reservations. Mother of Fabiano, born in south of Brazil, descended of Italians. She lived in several different Brazilian towns in her life. Marina is always kind and patience and ready to assist the multiple demands in our company. Her warm spirit, hardworking, easy smile and good mood are remarkable! She lives with her husband in Chapada dos Guimaraes and has 4 grandchildren.

Marina is always kind and patience and ready to assist the multiple demands in our company

Allan Franco

Professional Guide


Allan Franco is a professional guide with a gift of born in the wild, growing up in rural area, has rooted by the edge of the Pantanal Wetland, gaining a life time experience. He knows where to observe and photograph the Brazilian wildlife best opportunities..

Professional wildlife guide for 14 years, certified through Mato Grosso Federal Institute, with background in Biological Science through Mato Grosso State University become one of the most competent guides in Mato Grosso, leading general nature tours, wildlife photo trips, birding tours and TV documentary crews. He was the guide working with Smithsonian Channel during the filming of “Jaguar Land “(2019) with the amazing Cineflex camera mounted on a boat. He is an accomplished wildlife photographer and loves bringing visitor face to face with the most incredible biodiversity in Brazil in their natural habitat. Allan speaks English learned from the times he lived in the U.K. He currently leaves in Barra do Bugres with his wife and daughter.

He knows where to observe and photograph the Brazilian wildlife best opportunities.

Alyson Melo

Professional Guide


Brazilian biologist with post-degree on Biogeography of Neotropical Birds. He has been working with conservation projects around Pantanal e Amazon and also as Naturalist Guide for over 18 years.

As naturalist guide he loves to share his knowledge with people that appreciate nature. He is one of the pioneer jaguar tracker, working on this activity since 2006. On the last 10 years he has been dedicating a lot on wildlife photography leading groups around Brazil. Despite of it, birds is his passion and even when he is on vacations he is birding somewhere, he had been learning a lot about the traditional knowledge with locals, which he believes are the best experts on nature. Nowadays, he mixes the traditional and scientific knowledge which makes a great differential on his skills. Besides, Pantanal and Amazon he also leads groups in Cerrado (Brazilian savannah), Atlantic Forest and Caatinga as well. He has extensive experience guiding also naturalist and photographer´s group he loves to share his experience with the guests about: places, geography, culture, plants, mammals, reptiles, and bird. Currently he lives in Bonito a charming eco touristic town in Brazil with his family. He speaks fluent English and very good Spanish.

On the last 10 years he has been dedicating a lot on wildlife photography leading groups around Brazil.

Cecilia Kawall

Professional Guide


Graduated as a tour guide in 1998 and since then guides people from all over the world, especially those that love the outdoors.

As a guide, she loves to share the wonders of nature, be it our rich fauna and flora, the amazing beaches of our coast, the crystal clear rivers of Central Brazil, the breath-taking views of our mountains, and the hidden gems of the Brazilian forests... She has traveled extensively in Brazil and South America, a wonderful experience that helped her understand this huge continent and its richness and diversity. Her father Nelson Kawall was a prominent ornithologist in Brazil, from whom she learned the love for animals and nature in general. He used to take his daughters to visit several natural sites and zoos around the world, while conducting his research on rare and cryptic bird species. His work helped on the conservation of many rare birds and led to the discovery of a new species of parrot, which was named after him: The Kawall’s Parrot, Amazona kawalli. It was during one of these family trips, on a charter flight over the state of Mato Grosso, that Ciça felt in love with the area of Chapada dos Guimaraes, a National Park that protects beautiful sandstone cliffs, lush gallery forest and Cerrado savannas. It was an experience that marked her profoundly, so much that in 1987 she moved from her home town, São Paulo, to the small town of Chapada, where she still lives nowadays and speaks Portuguese, Spanish and English.

She loves to share the wonders of nature, be it our rich fauna and flora, the amazing beaches of our coast....

Eduardo Rocha

Professional Guide and geographer


Tour guide and geographer. Born in Pirassununga, 200km from the capital São Paulo, amid the few remaining areas of preservation of the Atlantic Forest that protect the Mogi-guaçú river, one of the tributaries the Paraná River basin.

This contact with the Atlantic Forest and the rivers led him to study Geography in college, in search for understanding the dynamics of nature. During his course he specializes in the dynamics of hydrographic basin and in the phytophysiognomies of the cerrado. He also began to do research in Southern Pantanal Sul to unravel the mysteries of saline, brackish and salty lakes. In the Master's program, he started to studies the Taquari rivers springs in the uplands He has developed skills in identification of cerrado trees, dynamics and historiography of the Rivers of the Brazilian Midwest and From 2014 to 2016 he was Professor at the Federal University of Mato Grosso, in Cuiabá, where he met the immensity of Chapada dos Guimarães and felt in love with place, where he lives today with his partner and step children He speaks Italian and some English.

Has survival techniques in Cerrado and Atlantic Forest areas.

Fabricia Campello

Professional Guide


Born in a family of artists, since childhood Fabricia had the opportunity to behold nature to create her art. She lives since 1998, in the town of Chapada dos Guimarães state of Mato Grosso, very close to the Pantanal and Nobres.

Passionate about the flora and fauna of the region, she has been a biologist and naturalist guide since 2012, cuurrently specializing in ornithology. She’s extremely motivated to show the treasures of our region and share her experiences and knowledge with travelers, helping visitor to appreciate the beauty of our environment. Fabricia is pleased to host and guide all those who wish to learn more about our precious natural heritage and these countless wonders that still unknown to so many people. She lives with her husband and son at Chapada and speaks Portuguese, French and English.

She’s extremely motivated to show the treasures of our region and share her experiences and knowledge with travelers

Macos Ardevino

Professional Guide, Biologist


Born and raised in the city of Cáceres, a small town on the banks of the Paraguay River, in the north Pantanal of Brazil, and spent all his spare time surrounded by nature, and whether it was horse riding or fishing, his interest in wildlife was ignited.

Influenced by a childhood immersed in nature, Marcos made a natural progression to a degree in biology at the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT). He also had the opportunity to conclude, in his final essay, a project about the biodiversity of reptiles and amphibians in the north pantanal. His interest in herpetology and understanding of natural systems was ever increasing until in 2010 he entered the post-graduate Management and Environmental Expertise Course, which allowed him to work with mitigation of impacts in an area of riparian vegetation. In 2011, Marcos was able to register for a Master's degree in Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation, where he worked with environmental variables influencing the biodiversity of amphibians. His gentle nature and exceptional knowledge of The Pantanal ecosystems make him an asset on any tour to the region. Marcos speaks English and Portuguese. Aside from his activities as a Naturalist tour guide, Marcos also worked as a singer and actor in a group of male voices known as Alma de Gato, and also as a photographer in his spare time. Marcos is based in Cuiaba, Mato Grosso.

His gentle nature and exceptional knowledge of The Pantanal ecosystems make him an asset on any tour to the region.

Noam Salzstein.

Professional Guide


Naturalist Guide. Born in 1966, in Haifa, Israel, where he crossed a beautiful native forest every day to go to school.

Son of Brazilian parents, in 1975 he moved with his family to the city of São Paulo, where for 15 years he lived an intense cultural life, and undertook trips thought out different biomes in Brazil. In 1990 he moved to Chapada dos Guimarãe. where he worked as a volunteer in a large nursery of native trees for reforestation, which gave him a great knowledge of the Chapada’s flora. Also as a volunteer, he worked intensively in the newly created Chapada dos Guimarães National Park. Living in the beautiful Jamacá valley since he arrived, passion at first sight according to him, he spent the first 15 years without electricity, experiencing the fauna and flora of the place intensely, in an alternative and peaceful life. He has been a guide since 1996 and developed great know-how in long trekking trails creating new routes and deepening his knowledge of history, geology and archeology. From the year 2000, he became a frequent visitor and guide of the Pantanal, and became a very competent and respected naturalist guide there, due to his intimacy with different themes, such as native flora, mammals, birds, paleontology etc. Noam guides mainly in the Cerrado and Pantanal and occasionally also in the Amazon and speaks Portuguese, French and English. Lives in Chapada with his wife and his son.

In 1990 he moved to Chapada dos Guimarãe. where he worked as a volunteer in a large nursery of native trees for reforestation, which gave him a great knowledge of the Chapada’s flora.

René Santos

Biologist


Is a biologist because of parrots. Since early age it was obvious to him and his family that ornithology was going to be his career.

Before and during university time in Sao Paulo he has worked with the care and breeding of birds in captivity with the help of his tutor, the late Nelson Kawall (a renowned Brazilian parrot authority). At Sao Paulo Zoo, working as a volunteer he started to get in touch with wild psitacids conservation projects such as the Hyacinth’s macaw from Pantanal. A few years later also joined Lear’s and Spix’s macaw projects. After having the taste of what really is to watch birds in their beautiful wild environment, René never was the same. Because of that, in 2006 he started working as birding guide in Ubatuba, one of the best hotspots for birdwatching in SE Brazil, and soon at the Atlantic Forest of Intervales State Park, Trilha dos Tucanos, Campos de Jordão, Itatiaia National Park and REGUA in Rio. Beyond that he also guides a lot at the other Brazilian biomes such as Pantanal, Amazon, Caatinga and Cerrado. In 2015 he has been invited to work with the reintroduction of Scarlet and Great Green Macaws in Costa Rica. He has improved a lot his guiding skills in this country that has great tradition on birding and ecoturism. So now it is his second favorite country spending there 3 months of the year guiding. Best birding skills are his great hearing and his interesting capability of mimicking many different bird calls. Fluent in English and Spanish. Currently living in São Paulo.

Best birding skills are his great hearing and his interesting capability of mimicking many different bird calls.

Victor do Nascimento (Vitinho).

Professional Guide


Bilingual Naturalist Guide specialized in bird watching and wildlife photo tours.

Born in the Pantanal of Miranda in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, on a typical Pantanal ranch, he started working very early age as a tractor driver and had the opportunity to work as a safari driver and field guide in ecotourism activity within the famous Caiman ranch. Over the years, with lots of field experience and intense contact with guides and biologists, plus a one-year-long experience living in South Africa to improve his English and guiding skills he reached an impressively high level, becoming one of the best bird guides the whole Pantanal. He lives with his wife in Bonito – MS.

He had the opportunity to work as a safari driver and field guide in ecotourism activity within the famous Caiman ranch.

Yan Baldini

Professional Guide


Tour Guide (and beyond) was born in the State of Rio de Janeiro and moved to Mato Grosso with his parents at the age of 4.

According to his father, he was looking for paradisiac place to live, so they found Chapada dos Guimarães, where Yan and his brothers lived one very alternative live surrounded by lots of nature. Yan knows Chapada National Park as a few people since he attended to this region even before the area have been declared as a federal preserve. Besides been a very competent guide, Yan developed many skills, he is that kind of person who knows how to fix, disassemble and assemble all kinds of things. He was also very good carpenter, another passion of him. He has worked as fire-fighter and became leader of a wild fires squad. He lives in Chapada dos Guimarães and is wife and little daughter Bianca

Yan knows Chapada National Park as a few people since he attended to this region even before the area have been declared as a federal preserve.