Meet Rica: Leading The Way In Brazil
From Nova Iguaçu to nowhere in particular
Born in Nova Iguaçu – a small town in the foothills of Rio de Janeiro, Rica left home at 16 and turned himself into a self-described nomad. By 19, he’d landed in São Paulo, juggling life as a dancer and choreographer with hostel volunteering, exchanging language skills for shared dorm rooms. Five years later, he’d quietly built a deep expertise in hospitality and an obsession with what travel does to people.
How One DM Started It All
Rica joined the Dragon Trip family in 2025, just as we launched our first South America tours. He was the Activities Manager at a hostel in Vila Madalena, designing itineraries that pulled travellers off the tourist trail and into São Paulo as locals see it. When Servet (Head of Operations) reached out looking for someone to lead our Brazil debut tour, that message became Rica’s first international guiding gig. “It was a really special job because it allowed me to connect with people while helping them explore São Paulo beyond the usual tourist routes,” he says. The Dragon Trip just gave him a bigger stage.
The Hostel Years
His path into guiding didn’t start with a plan, though. Hostel volunteering was simply how he kept the rent paid as an independent artist. But the moment he stepped into the backpacker world, something shifted. “I began to feel a strong desire to keep moving, discovering places, and connecting with people from different cultures,” he says. He learned to honour goodbyes rather than fear them. Eventually he turned those hostel hours into a CV and got hired at one of South America’s most popular hostels. A year later, instead of running in-house bingo, he was building five itineraries that took guests out into the city – and stumbled into a new passion. “It allowed me to combine many different abilities I had developed over the years: storytelling, cultural exchange, hospitality, and connection.”
Welcome To Brasil, With An S
Rica currently leads The Dragon Trip adventures between São Paulo and Rio – two cities most travellers think they already know, until Rica gets hold of them. Brazil sometimes gets shrunk down to beaches, football, and samba – but Rica wants travellers to meet the country with an S, a nod to the song Querelas do Brasil, which sings, “O Brazil não conhece o Brasil,” pointing to the gap between the postcard version and the one Brazilians actually live in. “What I hope travellers take home is a deeper appreciation for both the beauty and the complexity of Brazil. It’s a country full of contradictions, diversity, resilience, and also a place where warmth and openness are deeply rooted in the culture.”
A Sunset Square Singalong
One evening, it all came together. Rica had taken a group to Sunset Square in Pinheiros to watch the city glow at sunset. The conversation drifted to music, and the answer was unanimous: Frank Ocean. Someone started softly singing Novacane, and one by one, the group joined in. “We ended up singing together while the sun was setting over the city,” he says. “The group stopped feeling like strangers and started feeling like friends. Moments like that remind me that my role is really about facilitating connection.”
“The group stopped feeling like strangers and started feeling like friends.”
When The Itinerary Went Off-script
Then there are the moments no itinerary could plan for. Like the time Rica was leading a group through São Paulo’s LGBTQIA+ Pride parade – the world’s biggest, in fact. His group started shouting his name during a nearby concert, the performers on stage clocked it, and next thing he knew the singers were waving him onstage to dance with them. “It was completely spontaneous and surreal,” he laughs. “Definitely the most unforgettable surprise I’ve experienced while working as an Adventure Leader.”
Part Leader, Part Xaman
Rica describes an Adventure Leader as something close to a xaman – the energy-keeper of the group. He starts every tour with warmth, eye contact, learning everyone’s name, and a bit of Brazilian Portuguese slang for the group to use on each other. “At some point, you start noticing that the group begins connecting on its own, helping each other, sharing experiences, and forming friendships.”
What The Road Has Taught Him
Adventure leading has changed Rica too. “It has taught me that I’m not better or worse than anyone,” he says. “It has pushed me to learn more deeply about the territory I live in and how to share it in a horizontal and respectful way, where knowledge is exchanged, not imposed.” What keeps him going is that nothing ever repeats. “Even though I often visit the same places, every day I get to experience them from different perspectives. The people change, the energy changes, and that keeps everything alive.”
His Hidden Gems & A Final Word
Rica’s hidden gems? Sunset Square in São Paulo and the Claudio Coutinho trail in Rio – both spots to pause and see these cities from a quieter angle. He hopes travellers carry a piece of the deeper Brazil home with them. “I hope they leave with a sense of awareness of the historical scars we carry, and how, despite them, love, resilience, and kindness remain central to the way we exist and connect.” His advice for first-timers? “Come with an open mind and an open heart. The most meaningful moments happen in the unexpected – in conversations, small connections, and unplanned situations.
