Two men, one shared passion: 30 years of self drive in Africa.

Turning your passion into your career is still possible, and it all began with the thirst for adventure that drew me to Africa nearly 30 years ago. I have been visiting Southern Africa in particular since 1996. My first trip was a tentative journey in a standard sedan to South Africa and Kruger National Park. Since then, I have taken countless long trips there in my own Land Rover and Land Cruiser.

After retiring as a tennis coach in late 2008 following a 25-year career, I began advising people who also wanted to experience adventures in Southern Africa. In 2010, I started collaborating with Marco, which led to the creation of Selfdrive4x4. Together with our team, we have organized hundreds of self-drive trips annually over the past few years. In 2026, Marco and I decided to hand over the reins of Selfdrive4x4, but we continue to strengthen the company with our years of expertise.

Adventure is in my DNA. As the child of a father who worked for the Ministry of Development Cooperation, I didn't grow up in the Netherlands, but in the middle of deserts and rugged wilderness, always surrounded by extraordinary animals. It laid the foundation for a life of traveling off the beaten path.

Together with my wife, I have been on expeditions to regions most people only read about: Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Himalayas, and China. But 4x4 driving in Africa holds a special place in my heart. We capped that off by driving our own Land Cruiser all the way from Central Africa back to our home.

After years of entrepreneurship in completely different industries, it was time to change course and pursue my childhood dream. Together with my partners, I have taken over the keys to Selfdrive. This is where my love for the road less traveled and my business background come together perfectly. Ready for the next adventure!

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I have been working at Selfdrive4x4 since 2018. After graduating from art school, I continued to pursue photography and still enjoy being creative in my spare time. I love spending time in nature with my pony and discovering new places. Traveling is a true passion of mine, and these days, my family gets to join me on these fantastic trips. It was incredibly special to explore Southern Africa with my children; the freedom, the rugged landscape, the wildlife, and roasting marshmallows every evening left an unforgettable impression.

During my Tourism Management studies, I discovered my passion for travel. Whenever an opportunity to go abroad arose, I grabbed it with both hands. I completed a six-month internship in Brussels—which, unfortunately, was as far as I could travel at the time due to COVID—and spent another six months studying in Chile. That time abroad taught me so much. These experiences sparked my curiosity about the rest of the world, and I am eager to discover even more new cultures.

Besides traveling, I love animals and photography. In every country I visit, I try to see as many animals as possible and capture them with my camera. That is why countries in Southern Africa appeal to me so much. For me, an ideal vacation is one where I am immersed in nature, surrounded by wildlife.

With 15 years and tens of thousands of kilometers of African overland experience under my belt, the continent has become my second home. From an epic expedition in a Land Cruiser to Sierra Leone and back, to an impressive loop around Lake Victoria through Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda. From the red dunes of Namibia and the wilderness of Botswana to the unique trails of Madagascar: I have traversed it all under my own power.

My absolute passion? The Toyota Land Cruiser and the true self-drive adventure. Being behind the wheel, navigating challenging terrain, and experiencing the ultimate freedom of the rugged outdoors. That is what I live for.

Today, there is nothing I love more than doing what I am passionate about and what I have built up a wealth of practical experience in over the years. I would love to help and inspire you to realize your own unforgettable self-drive adventure.

Travel has been the common thread throughout my life. I have now visited over 100 countries and been on two round-the-world trips, one of which was with my family. Of all the places I have been, I have spent by far the most time in Africa.

I have explored Africa in all sorts of ways: with my family and children, with friends, on adventurous 4x4 trips, and sometimes just as a laid-back vacationer. It is precisely that combination that appeals to me. Getting off the beaten track and into the heart of nature, without skipping the true highlights, followed by a few days of relaxing on a beautiful beach.

Botswana and Tanzania are my absolute favorites. Botswana for its freedom, vastness, and pure nature. Tanzania for its incredible combination of safari, landscapes, and beach.

At Selfdrive4x4, I am responsible for developing and discovering new trips and continuously improving the travel experience. In doing so, I look for trips that are both adventurous and family-friendly, featuring unique locations, beautiful routes, and plenty of comfort. Because you can definitely have a full-blown adventure with children, too.

Born and raised in South Africa, much of my life has been spent on red sandy tracks and beneath vast African skies. That sense of freedom, of being somewhere as wild as it is wonderful, is one that I chase wherever I go.

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel across all seven continents and have spent two years travelling full-time before eventually relocating to the Netherlands. But no matter how far I go, I always seem to find my way back to Africa!As a Travel Specialist at Selfdrive4x4, I get to turn that love into other people’s journeys.

There’s nothing better than connecting the roads and landscapes and handing someone the keys to a part of the world I’m lucky enough to call home.

Traveling isn't just a passion; it's deeply rooted in my DNA. While my grandfather once managed aviation from his tower at Schiphol, I am following in his footsteps within the travel industry. From backpacking in distant Australia to braving the icy cold of Antarctica. From studying in South Korea to hiking with my dog in the Dolomites. With a love for off-the-beaten-path destinations, I spend all my vacation days every year discovering this beautiful world. My camera always comes along, too. My SD card has overflowed with images, and many batteries have been worn out along the way.

During my camper trip through South Africa, tours through Uganda, and a month-long road trip in my own 4x4 through Madagascar, I fell in love with the freedom and raw natural beauty of the African continent. These were experiences of a lifetime and true adventures that I wish for everyone to experience!

As a child, I wanted to be a game warden in a safari park and was active as a 'junior ranger' for the WWF. Back then, the show Daktari was on TV, and I thought the Land Rover was magnificent. So, a 'few' of those vehicles eventually found their way to me. Starting in 1994, I began guiding trips through Zimbabwe and Botswana. In addition to group tours, I also took small groups around in my own Land Rover. Those were different times: everything was still possible, and there were no GPS devices or mobile phones yet. I drove all over Southern Africa and experienced so much. I managed to fulfill my childhood dreams!

After a detour into the internet industry around 2003, I started Tongasabi. Not long after, I began collaborating with Hans on the Selfdrive4x4 project. Nowadays, I am mainly focused on developing new trips and other initiatives within the company.

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Travel is simply in my blood. Thanks to my many years of experience in aviation, I have been fortunate enough to see much of the world. But of all the extraordinary places in the world, Africa has captured my heart. That is why I decided not only to travel there, but also to live there. I have now been fortunate enough to call Zanzibar my home base for several years.

From the baobabs of Madagascar and the reddish-brown dunes of Namibia to the Kalahari Desert in Botswana and the pearly white beaches of Zanzibar, the natural beauty here is truly overwhelming. But what touches me most is the people. Always cheerful and warm, they welcome you everywhere with open arms and share everything. In Africa, you do not have a watch, but you do have time.

From Zanzibar, I have the privilege of helping Selfdrive4x4 travellers create unforgettable memories in a place where time briefly ceases to exist. I look forward to putting together your dream trip too, and perhaps we will meet in Zanzibar soon. Karibuni!

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I’m not the type of adventurer who simply sets off without a plan. On the contrary, I like things to be well organised. It was during my travels through Africa that I discovered just how important good preparation is to fully enjoy everything this beautiful continent has to offer.

Africa has held a special place in my heart for many years. I travelled through South Africa twice with friends in our own car and thoroughly enjoyed the incredible variety of landscapes, the freedom of travelling and, of course, the impressive wildlife in places such as Kruger National Park.

Tanzania also left a lasting impression on me. The vast plains of the Serengeti and the unique Ngorongoro Crater are undoubtedly among the most beautiful natural areas I have ever visited.

A very different but equally special experience was spending a week cycling for charity in Uganda. Riding through small villages while children excitedly ran behind us to wave and cheer us on gave me moments I will never forget.

Besides my passion for travel, I am an entrepreneur at heart. Over the years, I have built several businesses, and I am still very active as an entrepreneur today. That is precisely why I find it so rewarding that several passions come together at Selfdrive4x4: entrepreneurship, 4x4 vehicles and Africa’s breathtaking natural beauty. It gives me great satisfaction to help others enjoy the same extraordinary travel experiences that have brought me so much joy.

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