About Us - Latitude 31°

Latitude 31° | Est. 2012

Latitude 31° is a born and bred (proudly) South African travel agent and inbound tour operator. We are based in the Western Cape - close to Cape Town. Our owners and guides are locals - which ensures you are exposed to authentic experiences. We understand the subtle nuances in our surroundings that only time can teach you.

My name is Bertus van Zyl and I am part-owner and director of Latitude 31°. I grew up in Pretoria, South Africa. After acquiring a Bachelor of Commerce in Communication, I travelled South Africa as much as possible - band tours, road trips and sometimes even hitch-hiking. I made friends all over the country - long before I dreamt of being part of the tourism environment. Most of these relationships still stand today! My international travelling began by going to the UK in 2004 on a two year work visa. This trip changed the course of my life significantly.

We have been criss-crossing the country with happy guests for 10 years.

It was on a trip to south east asia that I met one of the owners of “Free and Easy Traveler”, Curtis Smith. Free and Easy originated in Calgary - they are one beautiful global travel outfit! At this point, I was hooked on traveling and was blessed to work for Free and Easy in Thailand as a tour leader, as well as country manager in the Philippines from 2007 until 2011.

After 5 glorious years, I felt the pull of South Africa drawing me home. It is such a beautiful part of the world and I felt the need to share it with travelers the same way we did in Asia - Latitude 31° was born to do just that. Since then, we have created countless memories and connections with guests from America, Canada, Europe and the UK. So much so, that I ended up with a Canadian wife!

We feel the only way we can guide travelers and guests is to share what we truly love about our country... this allows us to be honest and genuine. Nature and scenery, safari, mountains, rivers, forests and oceans. Good food, wine and beer. Water activities like surfing, and adventure activities like bungee jumping. Music. Social interaction with locals (we call them friends :). History, culture and some politics. This is what we are passionate about and we are confident to translate it to you.

Latitude 31° spent its adolescent years navigating 40-day group tours across the country. We've evolved to focus on custom travel by putting you at the center of the planning process. In addition to operating in South Africa, we also have strong and credible partnerships with operators in Namibia, Kenya and Tanzania that we can organize if your travel plans span beyond South Africa. We specialize in tailored itineraries and semi-luxury destinations for you and your travel companions. This includes premium accommodations, convenient transport, authentic experiences and personal attention. With our fingers on the pulse of the local context, we ensure your travel wishes are met in an easy and flexible way.

We look forward to showing you Africa and why we love it so much!