About Us

Woman and girl in Isfahan, Iran

 Unveiling the Middle East and North Africa

A Caravan-Serai was a resting spot for travelers traversing the world's continents, from China to the Middle East, and beyond. Here, travelers took a break from their journey to refresh themselves and their animals, and to meet new people and exchange news, trade and travel tips, ideas and experiences. 

Our aim at Caravan-Serai Tours is to create tours that reflect the spirit of the travelers from long ago, who looked forward to the hospitality and the opportunity to learn from others that they would find at the next Caravan-Serai. At Caravan-Serai Tours, not only do we really know our destinations, but we understand them. We have lived, worked, and traveled throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and are proud of our heritage. Our multicultural office staff in Seattle hail from Jordan, Egypt, Iran, and the US, and have traveled all over the world, looking forward to those opportunities to meet new people and learn about their culture and traditions. 

This is not just a business for us; it is a life's work to unveil a part of the world that is a mystery to so many.

Some more things to know about Caravan-Serai Tours:

In order to give our clients a more personal experience, we keep our groups small - no more than about 15 or 16 people on each tour. This allows for more interaction with your guides and the people you will meet while traveling in the Middle East, and more opportunity to experience Arab hospitality. The Arab tradition of hospitality is central to the culture of the people of the Middle East and a source of great pride. At Caravan-Serai Tours we operate with that same sense of pride that comes from showing you a region of the world we love. 

We select hotels based on our personal knowledge of the rooms, services offered, cleanliness, location, and price. We don't just take a hotel's word that they are a five star hotel without checking it out first. Many hotels in the Middle East and North Africa say they are four or five star hotels when they are more comparable to a two or three star hotel in the US. We know the best places to stay and also know which hotels to avoid. 

The guides we use in many of our destinations are personally known to us so we know they have the experience and knowledge, as well as disposition, to work well with our clients. 

Caravan-Serai Tours is in constant communication with our in-country operators to ensure your tour is going as planned. Even though you are "over there" and we are still here in Seattle, we are with you 100% of the time while you are on your tour. 

Relationships are everything to us. We develop relationships with many our clients that last a lifetime, and quite often our clients come home from one of our tours having made several new friends, both in the country they visited and from the group they traveled with. These relationships, and those we maintain with our in-country offices, are vitally important to us. Without any of these, we would be a very generic and not very successful tour company! 

Our tours are for people who want to enjoy themselves, experience new cultures, and learn about a vast array of countries. We do this by blending unique cultural and educational programs with fun and adventure. 
 

Our mission is to provide you with a cultural experience that you will cherish for the rest of your life.