BEHIND THE SCENES I

Dawid de Wet in his happy place: next to a campfire in the Karoo

​It's all in the name
Our name, Toerboer (Afrikaans) translates to ‘’Traveling Farmer’’ but resonates more toward our heritage of the Voortrekkers (also called ‘’Boere’’) who travelled from the frontiers of the Cape Colony, across the Drakensberg to various Northern and Eastern parts of South Africa. To travel and to explore the unknown is part of who we are. We are therefore African travel specialists since 1836, although we officially only launched the company in 2013. 
 
Owner run and managed, we pride ourselves in our heritage and love for the continent. We specialise in small group bespoke safaris. With more than 25 years’ collective experience in the travel industry, our passionate and dynamic team can put together the perfect African experience. Whether you want to authentically immerse yourself in the African Wilderness, or encounter as much of the history, food and culture of this fascinating continent, we’ve got you covered.
 
Dawid "Toerboer" de Wet
 
Toerboer was once a young boy, who dreamt of Africa. In fact, he lived in Africa. His first memories were of warthogs chasing him into a Zulu hut in Umfolozi Game Reserve and the rain on his birthday in the Kruger National Park. When he grew up, he travelled extensively with his family, longing for a driver’s license and a bakkie of his own. There was no other option than to become a game ranger. As a teenager, he started journeying on his own - river rafting on the Orange River and climbing Kilimanjaro. His passion for travelling became an obsession, and later a career.

He joined a tour company in Cape Town after completing school and then went on to study Tourism, Journalism and Wildlife Management. During his studies, he was enticed by a job advertisement: “Do you want to travel to Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Zanzibar, Etosha, South Luangwa, and get paid for it?”. For five years he did just that – living his dream with more than seventy multi-day overland tours, a quarter of a million kilometers on African roads and countless stories to tell.

His next journey was with his wonderful and supportive wife, whom he joined for a year of managing lodges in the Pafuri region of Kruger, Mozambique, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and Drakensberg. It was inevitable then that his lifelong mission turned into Toerboer – Experts in Extraordinary Experiences. Handcrafted journeys through the African continent and beyond, specializing in small group tours, adventurous honeymoons, buddymoons, family safaris and unique journeys, as well as school and special-interest tours.