IRAQ 14 Days

Day by Day Program
 

Day 01 - Baghdad & Ctesiphon

Arrival in Baghdad. You will be transferred from the airport to our hotel.

Introductory briefing on travelling in Iraq and a breakdown of the itinerary

The victory over America Palace and the place where Saddam’s statue was toppled in 2003.

Visit the Al-Yassin Shrine arguably Baghdad’s finest.

We drive an hour outside of the city to the ancient city of Ctesiphone. These days all that’s left is the palace archway which is the largest single span vault of unenforced brickwork in the world.

Back to Baghdad for dinner by the Tigris river.

Tea, shish-a and overnight in Baghdad.

 

Day 02 - Baghdad

After a delicious local breakfast near Tahrir Square, it’s a full Baghdad city tour starting with the Liberation Square monument, which commemorates the establishment of the Republic of Iraq. Visit to the National Museum of Iraq. Reopened in 2015 after notorious looting during the war, it contains various treasure from the Mesopotamian and Babylonian periods.

Stroll along the Tigris River and cross over the water on a boat.

Visit the incredible and well renovated Al–Mustansariya School. This is commonly known as the oldest school in the world.

Walk through the book market and adjoining copper market. A great place for souvenirs and photography.

Take a well deserved break in the Shabinder cafe for tea and Shisha.

Lunch in the famous Kubba restaurant next door.

The Al Shaheed Monument is the martyr’s memorial spot for people who died during the Iran-Iraq War. These days it’s a highly controversial monument, as it was originally built during the Saddam era.

Traditional Fish Masgouf dinner and overnight in Baghdad.

 

 

Day 03 - Babylon & Karbala

Drive to Babylon, once the largest and most important city in the world. We tour the ancient ruins with our local expert and see what’s left of the hanging gardens.

Saddam Hussain Palace – Perched right on top of Babylon, the dictator made sure he had the best view of the site. We spend some time exploring the looted remains of one of his many former palaces.

After extensively exploring Babylon, continue onto Karbala.

Visit Karbala’s famous Al Abbas mosque and Iman Husayn shrine at dusk.

It’s also home to some of the best baclava in Iraq!

Dinner and overnight in Karbala.

 

 

Day 04 - Najaf & Ur

In the morning we’ll drive to visit the tomb of the prophet Ezekiel in the city of Al Kifl.

Najaf, including Imam Ali’s house (the very spot where imam Ali was killed) and the Imam Ali Shrine itself.

Visit the Wadi-Us-Salaam – the world’s largest graveyard. It is said to contain tens of millions of bodies. Many shiites request to be buried here in one of the numerous catacombs.

Leave Najaf and drive south to visit the Ziggurat of Ur, a neo-Sumerian construction built in 2000 BC. This used to be the capital of Mesopotamia during the Sumerian time and it is a UNESCO world heritage site since 2016.

Drive to Nasariyah city and overnight.

 

 

Day 05 - Chibayesh and Baghdad 

Up super early for sunrise in Mesopotamian Marshes! We’ll take a boat trip through the maze of marshes stopping by local villages for tea. The marshes once engulfed a whole swathe of Southern Iraq with numerous floating villages. Today the receding waters have led most families to change their livelihood but we’ll still see the few that remain.

It is also home to the Maʻdān population who over the centuries have adapted to life on the water. Stop by a traditional house for lunch and tea.

Tour the local market of Chibayesh, have lunch in a traditional reed house and then drive back to Baghdad.

Stop by the ancient site of Agargouf Ziggurat.

Visit the Save Iraqi Culture Monument and see the Green Zone of Baghdad.

Dinner in the modern area of Karada and overnight in Baghdad.

 

 

Day 06 - Baghdad - Samarra - Mosul

Hit the road and drive north to Samara. We pass through multiple checkpoints along the route.

Samara is famous for its huge Minaret (also known as the Great Mosque of Samara). We’ll climb the spiral staircase all the way to the top for the 360 degree view. Not for the faint hearted!

Visit the Jawsaq al-Khaqani – otherwise known as the Caliphal Palace. It’s one of the largest of its kind in the Islamic world.

After lunch drive towards Hatra, an important historic religious center with a strategic position along caravan trade routes. Hatra was one of the first Arab states to be established outside of Arabia. We’ll see the incredible refurbishment efforts underway here after its liberation from ISIS. Continue driving to Mosul and overnight.

 

Day 07 - Mosul - Erbil

Start the day with a local breakfast before we start discovering the reconstruction of the old city including the Al-Nuri mosque and Al Tahira church.

See the Bash Tapia castle with its amazing views over the city and Tigris river.

Lunchtime with the “Kubba of Mosul” the area’s most popular dish.

After that, we head to the christian town of Bakhdida or Qaraqosh to visit Church Square – the place where the Pope gave mass on his historic visit to Iraq in March 2021.

Before sunset we head to  Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

Farewell dinner to those leaving us in Erbil and meet up with those joining us for the Kurdistan tour

Overnight in Erbil.

 

Day 08 - Erbil

After a lot of driving in the south, we’ll have a leisurely start today – head to the bazaar and take in the atmosphere. Stop for Kurdish tea/coffee inside the market.

In the afternoon we’ll visit the citadel – the oldest continually inhabited place in the world. Take in the views over the city from the top of the Citadel.

Check out the textile museum, Minaret Park & the Jalil Khayat Mosque.

Rest up in the hotel before going out for dinner with the rest of the group in the Christian district. Plenty of Kurdistan cuisine options here!

Overnight in Erbil.

 

 

Day 09 - Sulaymaniyah

We hit the road early and drive to the second major city of Iraqi Kurdistan – Sulaymaniyah. 

We’ll stop at the old Jewish town of Koya along the way before lunch. Visit the ancient and crumbling Caravanserai here.

On arrival in Sulaymaniyah we head straight to the the infamous “Red prison” – once a torture centre for Saddam Hussein’s regime. The prison is now a fascinating museum.

Walk through the bustling central Bazar right next to our hotel

Tea in a traditional tea house.

At sunset we’ll drive up Goyzha Mountain for the stunning views overlooking Sulay.

Get the cable car back down the mountain!

Dinner and overnight in Sulaymaniyah

 

 

Day 10 - Halabja

We drive one hour to Halabja.  This was the scene of a chemical attack on the Kurdish people, perpetrated by the Baathist regime towards the end of the Iran/Iraq war. Here we’ll tour the memorial and mass grave sites.

We head to Tawela on the Iran border, and previously the front line in the Iran/Iraq war.

Lunch by the border. Drive onto Ahmed Awa waterfall. We head back to Sulaymaniyah for some leisurely time around the bazaars.

Group dinner and drinks

Overnight in Sulaymaniyah.

 

Day 11 - Sulaymaniyah - Rawunduz

We depart Sulay this morning and head west towards Lake Dokan. Weather depending we’ll take tea, snacks and a boat ride here. Drive the famous Hamilton road.  The road was built by AM Hamilton in the 1930’s for what he hoped would unify the peoples of the region. It linked Iran with Iraq and was an engineering marvel of the time. Stop by the Bekhal waterfall.

Continue driving through incredible mountain ranges stopping at various points for photos.

Overnight in Soran.

 

 

Day 12 - Duhok

Drive to the historic Shanidar cave.

Amadiya – the stunning mountain top village. Walk through the quiet streets and visit the mosque and church here.  See the ancient gateway to the town. Qubahan School – the fascinating ruins of an ancient madrassa Drive to Saddam Hussein’s former mountaintop palace. You’ll know instantly why he choose this site. Explore the ruins and admire the views.

Continue towards Duhok. Tour the Duhok Bazaar and visit a tea house dedicated to Martyrs killed at the hands of ISIS.

Dinner and overnight in Duhok.

 

Day 13 - Lalish - Akre

Depart Duhok for one of the world’s oldest monastery’s – Alqosh is built into the mountains and is technically part of Mosul and Iraq “proper”.

We then drive one hour drive to Lalesh.  This is the most sacred town for the Yazidi religion. We’ll tour the temple, meet the locals on pilgrimage here and learn about their recent dark history with ISIS.

Picnic lunch at Jerwan Aqueduct

Following lunch, we’ll drive onto Akre in time for the Nowruz festival buildup!

Every year thousands of Kurds converge on the surrounding hills to bring in the new year.

We will witness and partake in an incredible fireworks and torch show that symbolises Spring – the season of light.

Drive to Erbil, Final group dinner & overnight in Erbil.

 

 

Day 14 - Departure

End of tour, we can arrange additional accommodation or transport to the airport.