CultureRoad was started in 2015 by Dutchman Rik Brinks, an adventurer at heart who still regularly travels on our group tours. All of our destinations are thoroughly explored by Rik before carefully curating the itineraries we offer. Over the past decade, we have become a leading operator for hard-to-reach destinations all over the world, with new destinations added regularly. Connecting with locals, looking beyond the beaten track, and having a full dose of good courage and optimism have brought CultureRoad to where it is today. We continue to excite travellers with new adventures, unique experiences and wonderful memories. Want to know more about Rik or CultureRoad’s origin story? You can email him at rik@cultureroadtravel.com.

A traveller is often conspicuous, and consequently is vulnerable. But in my travels, I whistled in the dark and assumed all would be well.

Paul Theroux – travel writer

CultureRoad originated where most great ideas start – in the pub. In 2013, led purely by curiosity and interest, Dutch adventurers Caspar Steinebach and Rik Brinks decided to travel to North Korea. They wondered, is the image we have of North Korea accurate? Can we really travel there? After a journey filled with amazement and thought-provoking reflections, CultureRoad was born. The often one-sided views portrayed to them by the media did not match the impressions they formed on their trip. Political problems aside, they were received by very friendly and welcoming North Koreans. This experience reaffirmed their belief that every country in the world holds hidden depths beyond initial perceptions.

These reflections ultimately led to the birth of CultureRoad: a specialised travel agency that takes travellers to unique and off-the-beaten-path destinations.