Expat Explore opens South African tours to global market

Expat Explore is one of Europe’s top tour operators and has been conducting coach tours in the UK and on the European mainland for 12 years. Founded by South Africans Jakes Maritz and Carl Cronje in 2005, the company annually hosts over 15,000 travellers from around the world.

In the wake of this unprecedented success, the pair decided to invite avid adventurers to explore their home country on tailor-made tours that will draw on their unique understanding of South Africa and its breathtaking attractions.

Carl Cronje, co-founder of Expat Explore, diligently designed the company’s South African tours over the course of five years. The first trial tour departed from Cape Town on 3rd February 2017 and welcomed visitors of various nationalities on a test run prior to rolling out the final product.

“We wanted this tour to do our country justice,” says Cronje, “and we believe it is one of the best introductions to South Africa that you can find. As a destination, it has so much to offer – diverse landscapes, cultures, cuisine, wildlife, and more. Not to mention a surprisingly robust tourism infrastructure and an exceedingly hospitable populace. The people of South Africa are immensely open to tourists, and visitors always feel as if travelling here is a homecoming experience of sorts.”

One of Expat Explore’s main objectives is to offer affordable, value-for-money tour packages that include authentic travel experiences. The company’s fixed-number South African tours will also be the first of their kind to offer guaranteed departures and an itinerary tailored specifically to smaller groups (a maximum of 40 people) from abroad.

Given the great variety of attractions in South Africa, the tours cover an impressive range of activities and regions during a relatively short stay. Tour packages vary in length and include destinations such as Cape Town, the Cape Winelands, the Garden Route, and the Karoo and Kruger National Parks.