You can go back to the last buffer using :b#.
If you just opened a file, then it will bring you just back to the directory browsing.
Update:
Since this answer happened to be accept as the correct answer and is thus on the top, I’d like to summarize a bit the answers, including the one by @romainl that imho is the correct one.
:Rex[plore]: Return to Explorer (by @romainl) vimdoc.sourceforge:Explorer: opens the Explorer, same as:E(if no other command starting withEis defined (see stackoverflow), or as:Ex(see vim.wikia) (by @drug_user841417).:b#: goes back to the “previously edited buffers”. See vim.wikia:e#orCtrl–6(orCtrl–^): goes back to the “previously edited file” (by @aman-jain). See vim.wikiaCtrl–O: jump back to the previous (older) location, not necessarily a buffer (by @Peyman). See vim.wikia