Travel the World with us
Dear traveler,
During our busy spring season and following the safe return of some of our groups already, we still have a few more group tours departing in early May. The first departure will take place in Central Turkey, an exceptional destination to admire stunning landscapes, historical sites, and architectural wonders. Another will be in Iran to discover some of the best archaeological and historical sites on earth, while another will occur in North Africa, a melting pot of cultures, varied and dramatic landscapes, and impressive Roman ruins. Our final tour of the season will be taking place in Pakistan to witness the exciting and colorful Chitral Festival in the remote Kalash Valley, home to a small and unique ethnic group. On the subject of Pakistan, keep your eyes on our next newsletter when we shall reveal some positive new changes to our programs in that fascinating country by offering several itineraries that cover its stunning mountainous north while others will cover the richly colorful historic south. 
As summer approaches and travel slows down, we take this opportunity to plot and create new and enticing programs. Our goal is to offer some of the most unique and rewarding experiences for our most intrepid travelers. We are very excited to announce the debut of two new Western Sahara tours. While both take you deep into the Sahara Desert, across virgin sands and steep dunes, stopping along the way to meet nomadic tribes and camping in the Sahara wilderness, the 11-day fall tour departure begins in the Berber city of Agadir on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in the southern region of Morocco. It traverses south to the bustling camel market of Tafnidilt, where nomadic shepherds trade their sheep, goats, and of course, camels! From here, it enters the semi-autonomous contested Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic known as the Western Sahara. The tour ends on the sandy Dakhla Peninsula surrounded by clear, turquoise waters and the date is Nov 03 to Nov 14, 2022. The 16-day spring tour departure is slightly different and starts in the mysterious red city of Marrakesh where the route snakes its way down through various oases dotting the southern region for the chance to marvel at a unique world of vast sand dunes, rock formations, and petroglyphs painted by far gone ancient ancestors. As you make your way through the Western Sahara, you will mingle with isolated populations of nomadic tribes and caravanners that have survived this harsh environment for millennia. At the end of the trip in Dakhla, you can either fly back to the USA or cross overland into another intriguing Saharan country - Mauritania. Here you will explore fabled cities of ancient kingdoms such as Atar and Chinguitty where a trove of ancient manuscripts survived for centuries in private collections and clandestine libraries. Mauritania is a geological wonderland inhabited by very hospitable people. The date is March 03 to March 18, 2023.
Another special adventure we have crafted, is a journey into the seldom-visited country of Malawi. This extensive tour will be led by one of our greatest tour leading experts, Michel Behar. It will begin with a short visit to Zambia to explore one of its most impressively diverse national parks, South Luangwa where you will participate in “walking safaris” to maximize your wildlife experience without the obstruction of a vehicle. The journey then crosses overland into neighboring Malawi where you will discover small authentic villages, lush nature reserves, and abundant wildlife. At Lake Malawi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the first freshwater national park in the world, you will find the endemic cichlid fish in its pristine, transparent waters. This wildlife adventure can either end with a relaxing Mozambique extension to the charming island of Ilha de Moçambique (Island of Mozambique) and Nuaroro for two days of fun water activities, or continue on and join Michel in Angola. This two-week tour includes encounters with some of the most colorful and isolated tribes of Africa including the Himba, a semi-nomadic tribe that sees very few outsiders. This fascinating ethnic group still wear traditional clothing made from calf or sheep skin and are known for their unique red-colored intricate hairstyles made from otjize paste, a mixture of animal fat and ground ochre stone. The tour includes a few comfortable nights of camping and is guaranteed to open your eyes up to a forgotten world. The dates are May 21 to June 02, 2023.
In our quest for pushing the boundaries of the unfamiliar and exotic, we are launching an exploratory South Sudan tour (Feb 08 to Feb 15, 2023), one of the least visited nations in the world where you will visit interesting tribes and nomadic clans of cattle-herders. The people of these dynamic groups have distinctive “V” shaped markings on their foreheads and dye their hair in cow urine, giving it a yellowish-orange tint. South Sudan is one of the most exclusive unexplored frontiers on the African continent and a dream destination for those in search of the ultimate “off-the-beaten track” adventure. The tour will be limited to only 12 participants in order to provide the highest level of attention and comfort. This tour ties in perfectly with our Gabon (Jan 23 to Feb 07, 2023) and Horn of Africa (February 15 to March 01, 2023) or Sudan (Feb 19 to Mar 01, 2023) tours.
Yemen is one of the most eccentric and striking countries yet and we are now proud to be offering a mainland tour that complements our Socotra Island trip. This tour will take you to the safe eastern corner of the country to the historical region of Hadramawt, famous for its centuries-old architecturally unique towns. In particular, is the UNESCO Site of Shibam and the religious center of Tarim, littered with many mystical edifices. You will explore stunning canyons, shimmering mountains, and quaint towns built with terraced homes that look like enchanting gingerbread houses. These buildings are iconic and can only be found in Yemen. The trip begins and ends in Cairo, the only city from where there is a direct flight into Seiyun. The dates are Nov 15 to Nov 23, 2022, Feb 14 to Feb 22, 2023 and Nov 14 to Nov 22, 2023.
Back to the culturally rich continent of Africa, we revealed to you in last month’s newsletter that we completed two successful tours to central Africa that covers Gabon, Central African Republic (CAR), Republic of Congo, and Democratic republic of Congo (DRC). We will be repeating these tours again departing (Jan 22 to Feb 07, 2023) and (Feb 13 to Feb 28, 2023) - both already half full. This time, however, we have added a very adventurous component with a visit to Dzanga Ndoki National Park in the unspoiled rainforests of the Central African Republic for a chance to see the mighty lowland gorillas. Tied to both of these four-country trips, we are offering three, one-week tours to Niger (Jan 15 to Jan 22, 2023), (Jan 22 to Jan 29, 2023), and (Feb 05 to Feb 13, 2023), one of my favorite destinations in Africa. Niger offers a relaxing, slow pace soft adventure and I recommend reading more about it in my attached trip review.
Following the last tremendous success of our Eastern Turkey trip in March 2022, as well as, in 2020 and 2021, we are gratefully assured that Ms. Aysel, our exceptional guide there, will be leading our Oct 11 to Oct 26, 2022, as well as our May 18 to Jun 04, 2023 and Sep 17 to Oct 01, 2023 tours. Aysel's approval rating from our clients has been phenomenal, making her the best ambassador for Eastern Turkey. Therefore, if you have not yet expanded your travels to include this remote and exclusive region of Turkey, we are sure you will be delighted in its unique Kurdish heritage and Armenian past, and its mesmerizing natural vistas and endless Seljuk and Ottoman sites, hence owing yourself a visit to this captivating destination.
Finally, our upcoming tour in October to the Sheikhdoms of the Arabian Gulf had to be moved from the month of November to avoid problems securing hotel rooms in Qatar, which were close to the Soccer World Cup dates and the new date is Oct 28 to Nov 10, 2022. The journey will take you across all of the independent Gulf countries of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, and end in Oman. Each of these nations possess their own distinctive cultures and you will visit some of the most renowned museums in the world. The culmination of the tour in beautiful Oman is the ideal climax to this expedition – explore its magnificent landscape and stunning coastline, as well as its towering verdant mountains and medieval cities and sites.  
We would like to remind you to check the "What's New" tab on our website regularly where you can browse the “Tour List” constituting a chronological summary of all our tours and dates. Also on this page, you will find the “Catalog” tab, introducing you to a brief description of our destinations as well as the “Previous Newsletters” tab, which we have recently added to chronicle our latest newsletters.

Thank you for your interest in our expeditions and we look forward to serving you.
 
Sincerely,
Ihab Zaki, Managing Director
and Spiekermann Travel Team
Spiekermann Travel Service Inc.
18421 E. Nine Mile Rd.
Eastpointe, MI 48021