All the way through KSA!

As part of Nexus Expedition,  I am glad to share that I was able to complete recently the crossing of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by bicycle.

Afterwards, Dimitri cycled alone across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, (since Gulnara, as a female cyclist, was not able to receive a visa). - See more at: http://www.nexusexpedition.com/nexus.php#sthash.QtOi8ULI.dpuf

My wife Gulnara was not able to join me for this section since as a female cyclist, she was not able to receive a visa.

30 days: Jan 28th - Feb 26th.
2270 kms
23 days spent cycling and 7 days spent visiting and resting.
(3 days spent in Riyadh, 1 day in Hail, 1 day in Al Jaharah, 1 day in Al Ula/Mada'in Saleh and 1 day in Tabuk).

YB Tracker: https://my.yb.tl/NexusExpedition/2617/
Route details: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer…
Elevation chart: https://www.doogal.co.uk/RouteElevation.php?url=GPX/1f5c0ac3-b402-43a1-97f0-10ee4a89c94c.gpx

I am very thankful to the Kingdom for having allowed me to make this successful crossing, and for the incredible amount of support it has provided to me along the way.
I am also very grateful for all the friends who have helped me with this endeavor throughout KSA.
This has been a great journey and a memorable part of the expedition.

Thank you all very much!
شكرا جزيلا

Nexus Expedition on its way to Saudi Arabia.

After having waited 1.5 years, working with 6 Saudi consuls in 3 countries, Dimitri finally obtained in December a transit visa for Saudi Arabia.

Indeed Dimitri has now received a 40 days transit visa allowing him to cycle the 2000 kms across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia towards Aqaba, Jordan.

He is very thankful to now have the privilege to be allowed to cycle across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and want to thank the authorities for entrusting him with this permission.

Dimitri plans to start cycling again today January 26th 2017 and first complete  the remaining 140 kms in United Arab Emirates

Click here to see details on the remaining section in United Arab Emirates.








Gulnara was not allowed to receive a visa to join Dimitri and cycle across Saudi Arabia because as of now, women are only allowed to cycle in city parks and in the desert but apparently not on open roads.

Therefore, Gulnara  is waiting for him to reach the Kingdom of Jordan so that they can be reunited and continue together towards Egypt and further to the southwestern coast of Africa, where the row across the Atlantic Ocean will begin.

Click here to see details on the planned detailed route through Saudi Arabia.

Click here for an explanation in Arabic and English on this route through Saudi Arabia.





Click here to follow Dimitri's progress.


Over the last few weeks, Dimitri and Gulnara took the opportunity that they were on the Arabian peninsula to connect with a very wide spectrum of  old and new friends in the United Arab Emirates, as well as in Bahrain and Qatar, which Dimitri was able to visit after Gulnara departed.

Arabian Peninsula

Hopefully soon, when Dimitri will finally start to write long posts again... he will share here what he has learned  and experienced during this enriching period.

Above all, Dimitri now wants to take the opportunity to thank everyone for the kindness, support and hospitality that they have demonstrated towards him and Gulnara, during their stay in the region.

Nexus Expedition in Saudi Arabia (لعَرَبِيَّة‎‎/English version)

Click here to see the planned detailed route.

Click here to follow Dimitri's progress.

To whom it may concern in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:

My name is Dimitri Bernard Kieffer
I am a French and American citizen and I am currently in the midst of a human powered expedition around the world which I started in Anchorage, Alaska, USA in February 2005, progressing intermittently, according to local visa restrictions and weather conditions.

I have covered so far 21,807 kilometers (13, 550 miles) from Anchorage, Alaska to Ruweis (United Arab Emirates).
At first, trekking, swimming, skiing and rowing across Alaska, the Bering Strait and Chukotka (Russia). Then cycling through Far Eastern Russia, Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Oman and United Arab Emirates.

I plan to enter Saudi Arabia around January 27th 2017 through the border crossing of Al Sila’a (United Arab Emirates) - Al Bat’ha (Saudi Arabia).
I have been granted a 40 days transit visa by the Saudi consul in Abu Dhabi (UAE).

In Al Bat’ha, I plan to cycle approximately 2000 kms through the towns and cities of
Riyadh, Tuwaiq, Shaqra, Buraydah, Tabuk, Halat Ammar.

In Halat Ammar, I will pass the Mudwara border crossing to enter the Kingdom of Jordan, for which I already have a Jordanian visa that I received at the Jordanian consulate in Abu Dhabi (UAE).

I apologize that I am not able to better communicate in your language. Nevertheless, I hope that we will be able to understand each other! Thank you in advance for your hospitality and your kind support!

Dimitri Bernard Kieffer
Nexus Expedition

Nexus Expedition in United Arab Emirates (لعَرَبِيَّة‎‎/English version)

لجانب دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة القديرة، 
11 يناير 2016 
تحية وبعد، 

اسمي ديميتري برنارد كيفير. وأنا مواطن فرنسي، أخوض حالياً حملة استكشافية بشرية حول العالم، بدأتها في أنكوراج، ألاسكا، الولايات المتحدة الأميركية، في فبراير 2005. غير أن حملتي تسير بشكل متقطّع بسبب موانع التأشيرات المحلية والظروف المناخية. وحتى اليوم، قمت بتغطية 20,920 كيلومتراً، منها 5230 كيلومتراً مشياً على الأقدام خلال 6 مواسم شتاء، و15,690 كيلومتراً على الدراجة خلال 5 مواسم صيف. 

منذ انطلاقي، مشيت عبر ألاسكا ثم أكملت طريقي من خلال وسائل عدة كالسباحة والمشي والتزلّج عبر مضيق بيرنغ لأحطّ في روسيا في أبريل 2006. وتابعت أمشي وأتزلّج متقدّماً نحو جنوب غرب روسيا حتى وصلت إلى أومسوكشان، في ماغادان أوبلاست، روسيا. 

ومنذ ذلك الحين، انضمّت إليّ زوجتي الروسية غولنارا كيفير، وقد ركبنا الدراجات معاً عبر روسيا، ومنغوليا، والصين، وكازاخستان، وقرقستان، وطاجيكيستان، وأوزبكيستان، وتركمانستان، وإيران، إلى أن وصلنا إلى بندر عباس في ديسمبر 2015. 

أما خطتنا التالية فهي التقدّم سواء على الدراجات أو في قوارب الكاياك باتجاه جنوب غرب إيران وعبر جزيرة قشم وصولاً إلى جزيرة هنجام. هناك، سنقوم باجتياز مضيق هرمز للوصول إلى خصب في شبه جزيرة مسندم، عمان. 

وما إن نصل إلى خصب، نخطّط لاجتياز 45 كيلومتراً على الدراجات عبر شبه جزيرة مسندم والدخول إلى دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة حوالى الأول من فبراير 2016، وذلك عبر اجتياز حدود بخاء/مسندم (عمان)-رأس الخيمة (الإمارات العربية المتحدة). 

وخلال زيارتنا للإمارات، ننوي ركوب 600 كيلومتر على الدراجات عبر مناطق عجمان، والشارقة، ودبي، وجبل علي، وأبوظبي، والطريف، لنغادر بعدها الإمارات عبر اجتياز حدود الغويفات (الإمارات العربية المتحدة)-البطحاء (المملكة العربية السعودية). 

يمكنكم قراءة المزيد من التفاصيل حول حملتنا الاستكشافية على موقعنا الإلكتروني: http://nexusexpedition.com/ 

وتفضلوا بقبول فائق شكرنا لدعمكم القيّم! 

ديميتري برنارد كيفير وغولنارا كيفير 
نكسوس إكسبدشن 

My name is Dimitri Bernard Kieffer. 

I am a French citizen and I am currently in the midst of a human powered expedition around the world which I started in Anchorage, Alaska, USA in February 2005, progressing intermittently, according to local visa restrictions and weather conditions. I have already covered 20,920 kms: walking 5230 kms in 6 winters and cycling 15,690 kms in 5 summers. 

Since my departure, I walked across Alaska and then proceed to swim, walk and ski across the Bering Strait to land in Russia in April 2006.  I then continued to trek and ski, progressing southwest until I reached Omsukchan, in Magadanskaya Oblast, Russia. 

Since then, my Russian wife Gulnara Kieffer has joined me and we have cycled together through Russia, Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Iran until we reached Bandar Abbas in December 2015. 

We now plan to cycle and kayak further southwest in Iran through the island of Qeshm and until we reach the island of Hengam. From there, I will kayak across the Strait of Hormuz to reach Khasab in the Musandam Peninsula, Oman. 

Once in Khasab, we plan to cycle 45 kms through the Musandam peninsula and enter the United Arab Emirates around Feb 1st 2016 through the border crossing of Bukha/Musadam (Oman) - Ras Al Khaimah (United Arab Emirates). 

While in the United Arab Emirates, we plan to cycle 600 kms through the towns of Ajman, Sharjah, Dubai, Jebel Ali, Abu Dhabi and Tarif. 

We plan to leave United Arab Emirates through the border crossing of Al Ghuwaifat (United Arab Emirates) – Al Bat’ha (Saudi Arabia). 

Thank you in advance for your support. 

Dimitri Bernard Kieffer & Gulnara Kieffer 

Nexus Expedition