Raised on his grandparents’ small farm in the rural heart of Mato Grosso do Sul, Zapa grew up with red earth under his nails and the daily rhythms of cattle, crops and capybaras shaping his view of the natural world. His early years were steeped in the wild nature of Brazil’s interior—vivid green forest canopies, rivers and the layered calls of macaws and howler monkeys overhead.

As a teenager, Zapa spent every possible moment outdoors, hiking through dense forest, paddling tributaries of the Paraguay River and learning to track wildlife from both elders and field guides. He later earned a degree in Tourism Administration from the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, located near the Pantanal, where his academic studies dovetailed naturally with his lived experience.

Straight out of university, Zapa was recruited by one of Brazil’s premier ecolodges, where he guided international travelers through the Pantanal’s seasonally flooded grasslands and sharpened his skills in wildlife photography—particularly the pursuit of elusive species like jaguars and giant otters. Over the years, he has led tours across Brazil’s major biomes, from the dry cerrado savannas to the tangled Atlantic coastal rain forest and back to the bird-rich wetlands of the Pantanal.

Zapa has independently documented more than 35,000 photographs from across South America, capturing not only its charismatic wildlife but also quiet moments of local culture and landscape. His deep knowledge of ecology and keen photographic eye now define his leadership on Nat Hab adventures through the Galapagos, Patagonia and his home country of Brazil.