Extraordinary Places.
Told by the People Who Live There.
Private and small-group tours to Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, Algeria and 30+ destinations most agencies won’t touch. Every itinerary designed in-house. Every guide, driver, and ground partner personally vetted by us.
As featured in
Most Agencies Hand You Off. We Don’t.
Most adventure travel companies sell a tour, then pass you to a local agency you’ve never heard of, in a country you’ve never been to, with guides they never vetted. We work differently — every itinerary is designed in-house, and every partner in our network has been met in person, travelled with, and deliberately chosen.
Licensed & Accountable
Dual-licensed operations in UAE (#2323876) and Morocco (ODV-13817). Signed agreements, secure payments, and a real company you can hold responsible — not a middleman booking page.
Local Guides Only
Not Western tour leaders working from a briefing document. Your guide grew up in the country, speaks the language natively, and already knows the families in the villages you’ll visit.
Off the Beaten Path
Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, Algeria. Places most agencies refuse to operate. We’ve been running tours here for 8 years with our own ground teams.
Personally Vetted, Ongoing
Every hotel, driver, restaurant, and guide has been met in person and travelled with by our team. The vetting process never stops — destination by destination, operator by operator.
Join a Small Group This Year
Hand-picked scheduled departures with confirmed dates, guaranteed guides, and a maximum of 12 travelers. Secure your spot before they fill.
Leptis Magna, Tripoli & the Sahara
Babylon, the Marshlands & Kurdistan
Socotra Island Odyssey
Kabul, Bamiyan Valley & Mazar
AlUla, Hegra & the Edge of the World
Tassili n’Ajjer & Ghardaia
Places Most Agencies Won’t Offer
Private and small group tours across the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia — all operated by our own licensed ground teams.
Afghanistan
Kabul · Bamiyan · KandaharTours led by our own Afghan ground team — visiting Kabul’s old city, the Buddhas of Bamiyan and Mazar-e-Sharif.
Libya
Leptis Magna · Tripoli · SaharaRoman ruins, Ottoman medinas, and the Saharan oasis of Ghadames — all on fully permitted, legally operated tours.
Yemen
Socotra · Seiyun · ShibamShibam’s mud skyscrapers, the Old City of Seiyun and the alien landscapes of Socotra Island.
Iraq
Baghdad · Babylon · KurdistanBaghdad, Babylon, the Marshlands, Erbil Citadel, and Najaf on 9-day immersive cultural tours with expert local guides.
Algeria
Tassili · Ghardaia · CasbahAfrica’s largest country, barely explored. Prehistoric rock art in Tassili n’Ajjer and the fortified villages of the M’Zab Valley.
Saudi Arabia
AlUla · Hegra · Edge of the WorldNabataean tombs at Hegra, the old quarter of Jeddah, and the cliffs of the Edge of the World — the new frontier of tourism.
Egypt
Nile · Siwa · White DesertBeyond Giza — Siwa Oasis, the White Desert, Luxor’s West Bank and Abu Simbel with certified Egyptologists.
Jordan
Petra · Wadi Rum · JerashPetra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea and Jerash — often combined with our Iraq tours for a full Mesopotamian journey.
Morocco
Atlas · Merzouga · ChefchaouenThe Atlas Mountains, Sahara camps in Merzouga, the medina of Fes and the blue streets of Chefchaouen.
The thing we are most serious about.
Most adventure travel companies outsource their operations. They sell a tour, then hand you off to a local agency you have never heard of, in a country you have never been to, with guides you never vetted. RJ Travel works differently.
Every itinerary we sell was designed in-house — built from firsthand experience, not assembled from a supplier catalogue. Before any ground partner, guide, transporter, or hotel enters our operation, someone on our team has met them in person, travelled with them, and made a deliberate decision to trust them with our clients. That process never stops. It is ongoing, destination by destination, operator by operator.
We made a deliberate decision from the start: local guides only. Not Western tour leaders working from a briefing document, but people who grew up in these countries, speak the language natively, and have personal relationships in every community they take you through. When your guide in Yemen takes you to a village, he knows the families there. When your guide in Iraq walks you through the marshlands, he grew up on those waterways.
You do not need to research whether your ground operator is reliable. You do not need to wonder if your guide actually knows the country, or just the route. We have already done that work. The trust we place in our partners is the same trust we are asking you to place in us — and we do not extend it lightly.
It is easier and cheaper to hand bookings to whoever is available. We have never done that, and we will not start.
— Joao Joao Leitao · Founder, RJ TravelMeet the Team
Real people in UAE and Morocco — not a call centre, not a booking platform. When you email us, one of these people replies.
Joao Leitao
Founder & CEO
Travelled independently to 145+ countries since 1999. Built Nomad Revelations, won IATI’s Best Travel Blog (2022). Founded RJ Travel in 2018.
🇵🇹 Portugal / GlobalJamila Al Qadi
Office & Operations
Runs the UAE back office — vouchers, invoices, booking confirmations, and documentation accuracy across every departure.
🇦🇪 Sharjah, UAEZaina Nid Abdelkrim
Client Communications
Your first point of contact on email and WhatsApp. Handles traveler inquiries and logs every detail so nothing slips.
🇦🇪 Sharjah, UAEAziz El Gasmi
Director, Morocco Operations
Runs our Marrakech hub. Manages drivers, guides, riads, and supplier relationships across every Morocco itinerary.
🇲🇦 Marrakech, MoroccoLuís Seco
Morocco Sales
Handles Morocco inquiries end-to-end with deep route and logistics expertise. Knows every riad, every road, every shortcut.
🇲🇦 Marrakech, MoroccoAnna Chojnacka
Poland & Eastern Europe Sales
Manages our Polish-speaking clients and Eastern European inquiries. Native Polish speaker, global traveler.
🇵🇱 Poland600+ Five-Star Reviews From Real Travelers
Every review is from a verified traveler who booked and completed a tour with us. We are rated Excellent on Trustpilot.
The Iraq trip exceeded every expectation. Our guide was born in Babylon and took us to his family’s home for dinner on the last night. No other tour company could have done this.
I was nervous about Libya, but from day one everything felt professional and secure. Signed agreement, licensed vehicles, local guide from Tripoli. Leptis Magna was unforgettable.
Booked Socotra solo and joined a group of 8. The RJ team arranged everything — visa, domestic flight, local driver. Dragon’s blood trees and starry skies I’ll never forget.
We have done a lot of adventure travel in 20 years and this Afghanistan trip is now top 3. The attention to detail on logistics and safety was next level. Bamiyan at sunset, unreal.
RJ’s Algeria tour was flawless. Tassili rock art, Ghardaia, Algiers — and a guide who spent days making sure every meal and every stop was the best version possible.
Four trips with RJ now — Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Saudi. Same quality every time. They don’t subcontract, and it shows in every detail. This is my go-to adventure agency.
Sample reviews shown are representative placeholders for this mockup. Production build will pull live reviews from Trustpilot + Google via Trustindex.
From Mesopotamia to the Sahara, One Ground Team at a Time.
RJ Travel operates in 30+ countries across the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia — with our own licensed local teams on the ground in every single one. No franchises. No resellers. Just people we’ve personally worked with for years.
Your Questions, Answered Honestly
The real ones our travelers ask before booking. No marketing fluff.
Your Next Adventure Starts Here.
Browse 30+ destinations, or tell us where you want to go. Every itinerary is designed in-house and operated with partners we have personally met, travelled with, and vetted.
Official Partners & Certifications
Adventure Travel
UAE #2323876
Morocco
Excellent 4.9★
Certified
Top Rated 2026
