Rafiki on Tour
We are Tobias, Manon and Nimba, also known as Rafiki on Tour. We are full-time travelers in pursuit of remote and wild places around the globe. Our Land Rover Defender 110 – known as Rafiki – is our basecamp that lets us thrive as self-sustaining overlanders.
By constantly pushing boundaries, we can explore the most remote corners of our planet and immerse ourselves in nature wherever we go. As nature conservationists at heart, we love to observe wildlife and support nature conservation efforts whilst on the road. That’s why we and our team work hard on sharing nature conservation stories with the world through Ubuntu Magazine.
As gear-heads and ambassadors for an adventurous lifestyle, we also work on Rafiki on Tour as an inspirational platform to others. Rafiki, our off-grid house, office, and basecamp makes sure we can do all of that with ease. With our approach to overlanding we explore hard, but tread lightly. We lead by example.
We hope to inspire others while chasing the adventure ourselves. By sharing compelling stories and our knowledge – gained through experience – we are ready to get you started on your journey. The world will amaze you.
With the Defender fired up and cameras in hand we are ready to take off and capture the adventure!
Currently we are traveling on the continent of Africa! Stay up-to-date every single day by following us on Instagram!
Happy overlanding!
Tobias, Manon & Nimba
Tobias van Krieken
Hi there! I am Tobias van Krieken, an outdoor and nature enthusiast with a passion for nature conservation, photography and traveling. I am an Applied Biology graduate with a specialization in Ecology (HAS University of Applied Sciences). But in the past few years I’ve worked in the IT and Marketing branch for a while.
For me this was a great situation because it gave me the money and time to go out and explore the outdoors in my time off. In 2017 I even had the possibility to quit my job for 9 months and travel around Europe.
This hiatus fueled the passion for travel and made me dream bigger and bend boundaries. It made me realize that exploration is necessary and that I want to venture out further than ever before. This break from the normal life also pathed the way for the Rafiki on Tour platform to grow. Something I’m very grateful for.
- Driver
- Mechanic
- Digital-wizard
- Photographer
- Navigator
- Adventure travel planner
Manon Verijdt
Hi fellow enthusiasts! What a pleasure to introduce myself here on this page. My name is Manon Verijdt, a fellow Applied Biologist from the Netherlands! The past 3 years, I’ve embarked on quite a journey as an entrepreneur. I’ve covered different fields, from architecture to journalism.
During these ventures, one thing kept coming up: I felt greatest when traveling and when in nature. Not by surprise by the way. I’ve always loved being in nature and immerging myself in new environments and cultures. Only problem? I never really took action on my biggest dream: travel full-time.
In May last year, my life took a spin: a broken relationship and feeling lost in my businesses. It was time to follow up with this dream of mine. As if life knew, Tobias and I met through a common friend of ours, Sven. You might have actually seen him here on this page before, as he was Tobias’ previous fellow world traveler.
What happened then is history. We found out we both studied the same, did the same sports and we were ready to embark on a journey into the unknown – the continent of Africa. I’m more than ready to put my journalistic passion and camera’s viewfinder to work!
Curious about all the things I’ve done (and still do) as an entrepreneur? Take a peek at www.manonverijdt.com and www.ubuntumagazine.com
- Driver
- Story seeker
- Writer
- Amazing cook
- Photographer
- Workaholic
Nimba
Hi, my name is Nimba! I’m Rafiki’s newest friend and I come from Nigeria. It’s been a while since Tobias and Manon were there, but when they were stranded at a compound in the east of the country, they first met me. I had my tail tucked between my legs, as I didn’t trust anyone, but somehow all those dog biscuits and the hands stroking my head, felt incredibly good. And so I started trusting Tobias and Manon, as well as the other people around, who also came by car.
A long story short, it only took a couple of days before we all felt comfortable enough to give me a bath and to free me from those itchy little fleas and ticks. I didn’t like the water on my thin fur very much, but oh my, the end result was amazing! I wondered if it would be possible to stay with them, so I spent all my time trying to figure that out. I hung around at their working table, I tried to play catch with the other two (very big) dogs that were around and I think we were actually bonding.
Now that I’m on this website, it must be clear that I found a place inside Rafiki to stay (and Tobias and Manon asked me to join them). So here I am, mascot and family-dog of the Rafiki’s! Feel free to give me a cuddle when we meet!
- Cuddle pup
- Scavenger
- Explorer
- K9 worthy sniffer
- Comfort giver
Our core values
Rafiki on Tour is about capturing the adventure! We promote self-sustaining overland travel, nature conservation efforts and knowledge-sharing. For us travel is about connecting to nature and living outdoors. But we also believe that the human connection, meeting locals and having a solid travel community is essential for a successful trip. We treat the people around us with humility, give them a helping hand when necessary and approach every situation with a smile. Let adventure captivate you!
