nex•us [ néksəss ]
Definition:
1. connection: a connection or link associating two or more people or things
2. connected group: a group or series of connected people or things
3. center: the center or focus of something

[Mid-17th century. Latin nex-, past participle of nectere "bind"

Click a flag below for general information about Nexus Expedition in Chinese, Mongolian, Kazak, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen, Persian and Arabic!

2018: The continuous red line shows what has been completed and the dotted line shows what remains to be completed in our human-powered circumnavigation of the globe.

USA
2005-2006

Russia
2006-2012

Mongolia
2012-2013

China
2013

Kazakhstan
2013

Kyrgyzstan
2013-2014

Tajikistan
2014

Uzbekistan
2014-2015

Turkmenistan
2015

Iran
2015-2016

Oman
2016

UAE
2016-2017

Saudi Arabia
2017

Jordan
2017

Nexus Expedition began in February of 2005 at Knik Lake in Alaska. Dimitri Kieffer competed in the Iditarod Invitational Race, traveling 1,100 miles in 37 days by foot and snowshoe from Knik Lake to Nome.

From this beginning, Dimitri would embark on a human-powered journey to circumnavigate the world, progressing intermittently, according to local visa restrictions and weather conditions.

To this day, Dimitri has covered 24,215 kilometers (15,046 miles) from Anchorage, Alaska to Tala Bay, Aqaba (Jordan).

At first, trekking, swimming, skiing and rowing across Alaska, the Bering Strait and Chukotka (Russia).

And since 2011, in company of his wife Gulnara Kieffer, cycling through Far Eastern Russia, Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Oman and United Arab Emirates.

While in Iran, Dimitri was able to secure all of the proper permissions from the Iranian and Omani authorities so that he could be allowed to swim and kayak across the Strait of Hormuz, which he accomplished in January 2016.

Then, Dimitri and Gulnara cycled across Oman (Musandam Peninsula) and United Arab Emirates together.

Afterwards, Dimitri cycled alone across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, (since Gulnara, as a female cyclist, was not able to receive a visa) and then entered Jordan.

As of September 10th 2018 , Dimitri is now in Tala Bay, Aqaba, planning to continue soon his human powered circumnavigation of the world, while cycling through Egypt towards Sudan.
After that he will cycle down towards the southwestern coast of Africa, where the row across the Atlantic Ocean will begin.

Gulnara currently cannot be on the expedition route but surely hope to be able to return in the future.