We don’t do tours.
We create experiences.

Here, you’ll taste the ocean, play where mountains meet the sky, and wander through valleys that feel like secrets. At Baseline Africa, your story begins beyond the itinerary.

Who we are

Baseline Africa is a boutique South African travel company founded by Marzahn Botha and Elrie Visser. Our story began on the tennis court — a place where passion meets rhythm. Marzahn has lived a life devoted to the game, coaching across the world before returning home to Cape Town to share her love of tennis and people. Elrie brings a different, but complementary, energy — a creative director with a lust for travel, always seeking out new places, new stories, and unexpected moments of wonder. For her, every journey is an invitation to see the world differently. Together, we created Baseline Africa to combine these two loves — play and exploration — into experiences that move at the pace of people, not itineraries. Whether on a clay court in the Cape, tasting wine in the Winelands, or wandering along the Garden Route, our tours are crafted to connect you to the deeper spirit of South Africa.

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'n Kuier by Nana en Auntie Mona om te simpatiseer met die Queen se dood. Storie: Julian Jansen. Foto's:Marzahn Botha
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Our philosophy

We believe travel should be meaningful, not manufactured. At Baseline Africa, we design journeys that feel handcrafted — slow enough to savour, intimate enough to connect, and spacious enough to surprise you. We keep our groups small, our pace unhurried, and our focus on real encounters: conversations with locals, flavours that linger, matches that turn into friendships. For us, a tennis tour is never only about the game. A wine tour is never only about the glass. A journey through South Africa is never only about the sights. Each experience is an invitation to go deeper — to discover beauty in the details, rhythm in the landscape, and belonging in the stories you carry home. Baseline Africa. Luxury South Africa tours, designed for seekers.

Meet the team

Every great journey is a collaboration. At Baseline Africa, the heart of every tour lies with our founders, Marzahn Botha and Elrie Visser, the steady hands and passionate souls who guide each experience. But they don’t walk this path alone. Around them is a circle of trusted coaches, guides, storytellers, and specialists who bring their own expertise, from tennis to cuisine to wine. Some travel alongside you from beginning to end, others appear at key moments, adding their own flavour to the journey. This is what makes Baseline Africa different. Ours is not a company built on checklists, but on people. The founders bring vision and constancy; the wider team adds depth, personality, and surprise. Together, they shape tours that are as soulful as they are seamless, journeys where every detail has a human face behind it. We are a family bound by passion: for play, for culture, for food and wine, and for the landscapes of South Africa.

Marzahn Botha

Co-founder & Partner
Marzahn picked up a racket at the age of four and has been immersed in tennis ever since. Her career has taken her from South Korea to Hawaii and Munich before returning home to Cape Town, where she has coached for nearly a decade at Fresnaye Tennis Club. A journalist and professional tourist guide, she combines her love of tennis with a gift for communication and connection. At Baseline Africa, she brings energy, precision, and warmth to every journey. Marzahn believes every match is more than a game — it is a way to bring people together.

Elrie Visser

Co-founder & Partner
Elrie is a storyteller with a lust for travel — always seeking out new places, new stories, and new perspectives. With a background in design and publishing, she curates experiences that move beyond sightseeing, inviting guests to slow down and discover meaning in the details. Her role at Baseline Africa is to weave creativity into every journey, ensuring tours feel both artful and authentic. For her, travel is never about the checklist but about immersion and connection. Elrie believes the beauty of travel lies in surprise and in finding meaning where you least expect it.

Lucinda (Lucy) Gibbs

Partner
Lucy has lived and breathed tennis her whole life. In 1995, she rose to No. 1 in South Africa in both women’s singles and doubles, a milestone that reflected her dedication and love for the game. Her career has taken her from elite academies in the United States to nearly two decades at the Roy Emerson Tennis Camps in Switzerland. Today, she shares her expertise at Fresnaye Tennis Club, inspiring players of all ages and levels. Lucy believes tennis is more than a sport — it is a way to connect across generations.

Rikki Lee Solomon

Tennis Expert
Rikki is the founder of the I Am Tennis Academy in Cape Town and currently serves as Head of High Performance on the city’s Tennis Executive Board. His journey has taken him across South Africa, the United States, and the UK, shaping him into a coach of depth and vision. In 2022, he was ranked South Africa’s No. 1 Men’s 40+ player in both singles and doubles. With Baseline Africa, he appears as a guest coach on select tours. Rikki believes tennis is about joy, resilience, and the courage to keep improving.

Salmon Becker

Culinary Specialist
Salmon grew up on a farm in the Northern Cape, where meals were about family, stories, and beauty. Together with his longtime friend Marita du Toit, he founded Spys & Drank, a venture that celebrates flavour as culture. Over the years, he has brought his love for food and storytelling to gatherings where every plate is part of a larger experience. On Baseline Africa tours, he joins the group to create tables layered with meaning, memory, and surprise. Salmon believes that every meal has the power to turn strangers into friends.

Emile Joubert

Wine Connoisseur
Emile Joubert was raised in the South African winelands, where he still works as a writer, marketer, and ambassador for Cape wine. After trading his Wimbledon dreams for vineyards, he gained experience in wineries in South Africa, Portugal, and France. On Baseline Africa tours, he shares the country’s diversity of grapes with humour, clarity, and simplicity, reminding guests that the only good wine is the one you’d like a second glass of. His belief is that wine, like travel, is best enjoyed in good company.

Travel begins with connection

We’d love to hear from you—whether it’s a question, a story, or simply a hello. Leave your details below, and we’ll share our journeys, updates, and future tours with you.

Stay inspired with Baseline Africa