Fernandes, a Jesuit, was probably the first European to enter Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), when he tried to cross the African continent in search of the treasure city of Mwene Matapa. While in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in 1602, he was sent to the Portuguese colony of Goa, on the west coast of India. He arrived there in 1604 and later won the confidence of the colony's ruler, Prince Socinios. Fernandes remained in Goa, between journeys in Africa, until his death. He recounted the story of his many adventures in Abyssinia and other countries in Voyage a Gingiro (“Voyage to Gingiro”).