Guides

Cassiano Zaparoli

Brazilian Cassiano Zaparoli — Zapa — discovered his passion for bird photography when as a co-guide of a group he found and photographed the beautiful spectacled owl, which the group was dying to see. After that, he invested in photography equipment and has developed into one of the best wildlife photographers and naturalist guides in Brazil! Zapa has now photographed almost every recorded species in the Pantanal, where he has worked as the Pantanal travel guide for NWF and Smithsonian expedition groups.

Regina Ribeiro

Regina, a native of Brazil, has undertaken extensive studies in biology, conservation, environmental education and wildlife management. She has published records of her sightings, taught natural history interpretation and undertaken photographic research on the maned sloth. Regina has been guiding visitors to Brazil's natural regions for more than a decade, and brings wonderful enthusiasm to her work on Pantanal expeditions. She has also lived in New York, and speaks English and Spanish fluently. Regina now lives in Belo Horizonte, the third largest city in Brazil.

Fred Tavares

Fred Tavares has completed extensive study in biology, the primates of Brazil and the ecology of the Pantanal region, and holds a degree from Izabela Hendrix University in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. He has been a mountaineering and naturalist Brazil travel guide since 1999, with particular emphasis on the Pantanal, along with Brazil’s rainforest and savanna areas. Fred is known as a leading instructor on natural history guiding and interpretation techniques, and has taught many courses on those subjects. He possesses an enormous enthusiasm for his work to go with his vast knowledge.