The driving force behind Eksplôr South Africa is Braham van Zyl. He spent his childhood in Swellendam in the Southern Cape. He studied at the Paarl Teachers’ College, Maitland Technical College and the University of Stellenbosch. Specialising in technical education, Braham taught in the Eastern Cape and Cape Peninsula. In 1989, he was a founder member of the Centre for Conservation Education in Cape Town.

In 1991 he moved on to freelance journalism and tourism guiding. As a weekly tourism and outdoor columnist for a Cape Town morning paper, he had the unique opportunity to explore the tourism potential of South Africa.

He traveled widely, gaining first-hand understanding of rural customs and the rich beauty of the South African interior. He is also a knowledgeable field guide. In 1996, the South African Hiking Federation awarded him a medal in recognition of his achievements in promoting outdoor recreation.

Braham is assisted by his wife, Prof Annare Ellmann, a practising Nuclear Medicine physician, and their three sons, Abrie, Herbie and Johan.