Together with the SouthAfrica-Experience team, you will see South Africa through the eyes of locals. We have travelled to every corner of this land, wandered along its shores, hiked along its trails, studied its history and cultures, admired its wildlife, and enjoyed its cuisine. South Africa is our home and we fall in love with it again and again.
At our office in Somerset West in the Western Cape, we work hand in hand to make your South Africa travel dreams come true.
We want to share with you what we love, because we know you will love it too.
Alexandra has been part of the team since 2011 and heads our team of travel experts. Equipped with a meticulous attention to detail and many years of experience, she trains new colleagues and stays on top of things even in the busiest of times. She has travelled around South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, and Kenya visiting many lodges and camps. When climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Alexandra learned to respect the demanding trek up the highest mountain in Africa and is proud to have made it to Stella Point. As an animal lover and resolute advocate of animals’ rights, she cares deeply about Africa’s wildlife and promotes the values of sustainable tourism.
Product Manager Southern Africa
Marlene Tritschler
Marlene started working in the tourism industry in 2005 as a trainee for a small tour operator, specialising in trips to Southern and East Africa. Over the years she worked as a Sales and Product Manager, organising self-drive trips in Namibia, South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique as well as safaris in Botswana and Tanzania. On her visits to these countries she got to know the places, as well as the people, and is now one of our very experienced team members.
South Africa Travel Expert
Mia Hald
As a tour guide for a Danish tour operator, Mia spent 10 years exploring South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Europe, and China. After many years on the road, she is now an integral part of our office team of travel experts; her experience as a guide has taught her how important it is to communicate a clear picture of each trip to her guests. Passing on the joy of travel comes naturally to Mia as she loves spending time out and about in nature. She is a passionate photographer and will bring her camera wherever she goes.
South Africa Travel Expert
Elisabeth Kaiser
Working in travel and tourism brings Elisabeth closer to what she loves the most: exploring new countries and cultures. Eli grew up in Germany but has been living in South Africa since 2008. Before joining Africa-Experience, she completed her studies in tourism management and worked for an international airline while always making time to explore the region of southern Africa: from all over South Africa to southern and northern Namibia, coastal Mozambique as well as Tanzania and Zanzibar. Eli loves to travel and looks forward to sharing this love and passion with her guests, making you aware of how beautiful, different, and interesting the world can really be.
South Africa Travel Expert
Vana Lingham
Vana was born and raised in Cape Town and has explored many areas of Southern and Eastern Africa from here: From the Garden Route to Kruger National Park and Madikwe in South Africa, from Swakopmund, to Etosha, the Damaraland, and the Namib Desert in Namibia; from eSwatini to Zimbabwe, to Zambia, Botswana, and Malawi. She went on safaris in northern and southern Tanzania and met the mountain gorillas of Rwanda. When planning a trip with her guests, she relives the experiences of her own travels, sharing many tips and favourite places. Vana has always worked in travel and tourism, but still enjoys the challenge of learning about new destinations and activities – always looking for the perfect dream trip for her guests.
Marketing Manager
Evelyn Kürz
Evelyn has one of the best jobs of them all: as Marketing Manager, she gets to tell the whole world about the beauty of South Africa and the excitement when travelling the vast landscapes. She finds this no trouble as she has travelled the country extensively herself, being impressed by its diversity of safari adventures, hiking trips, and idyllic winelands. Evelyn has been in the tourism industry since 2004 and joined the team in 2010. With her vast knowledge of Southern Africa and understanding of the industry she is a passionate ambassador for South Africa travel.
Daniel’s job as our General Manager is almost as diverse as his background. Growing up in Turkey and Germany, he moved to England before settling in South Africa. He studied Psychology at the University of Constance and completed his MBA at the University of Cape Town, worked in the film industry, as director of an NGO and Global HR manager at an international airline. Today, Daniel pulls the strings behind the scenes, aligning strategy with reality and translating it into our day-to-day business. Whenever he gets the chance, he escapes to Cape Town’s beaches and mountains or the remote Wild Coast.
Assistant Operations Manager
Vera Buck
Vera is a people person, loves being on the go and won’t rest until the job is done. Adding her organisational talent and strong sense for customer service she is an invaluable part our operations team. With a background in business, management and entrepreneurship, she pre-plans our tours, coordinates tour guides and ensures our vehicles are well maintained. Born and raised in the greater Cape Town area, she is excited for you to explore her home country South Africa, the country of two oceans and endless opportunities for adventures.
Reservations Manager
Manon Hartman
Since the early 2000s Manon has been part of the travel industry and still enjoys every day. Doing her bit to make our guests dream of travel in Africa come true, makes it a rewarding experience. As Reservations Manager, she leads our reservations team, staying on top of things even during the busiest of seasons. Originally Dutch but having lived most of her life in South Africa, she appreciates the country’s natural beauty and diversity. Whenever she can, she gets out to the beach to spend time by the ocean or exploring Cape Town.
Reservations Agent
Mariska Thomas
Mariska joined the tourism industry straight after school, completing her tertiary studies in Tourism Management. Born Capetonian, she explored her home country on an extensive self-drive trip around South Africa. She not only discovered her soft spot for the hidden-gem Madikwe Game Reserve, but visited many small and personal camps, lodges and guesthouses. Mariska has been part of our reservations team since 2013. Using her eye for detail and wealth of experience she ensures that your hosts not only know about your wedding anniversary, but your vegan diet as well.
Reservations Agent
Linda Opande
Exceptional communication skills and destination knowledge make Linda an integral member of our reservations team since 2013. Born Kenyan she has lived in and travelled South Africa for many years. With a background in project management she handles ad-hoc changes in bookings with ease. Linda enjoys expanding her knowledge about properties in southern Africa to even better assist her guests in creating the trip they have always wanted.
Reservations Agent
Amy Ohlson
Being part of a fun and supportive team and working together to create wonderful memories for our guests is what Amy loves about her work at Africa-Experience. Born and raised in Cape Town, she enjoys learning new things about her home region of Southern Africa as part of her job. Amy has worked in different administration roles as well as a car rental agency at Cape Town International Airport. One of her favourite places is standing on top of Table Mountain, enjoying a 360-degree view of her home town, the Mother City.
Reservations Agent
Lucia Smith
Accuracy and enthusiasm make Lucia an invaluable member of our team since 2017. After completing her degree in psychology, she joined the travel trade to be part of creating once in a life time experiences for her guests. Born South African and knowledgeable about her home country, she enjoys ensuring even the smallest details of your trip are well taken care of. Thanks to her calm and confident attitude, she stays on top of your bookings even during the busiest of times.
