What's it all about?
Following the fall of ISIS in 2017, we conducted our first ever research tour to Southern Iraq in April 2018 and followed it up with our first regular tour. It proved to be not only very safe but incredibly informative & fascinating. The area is spoiled with world-class heritage and is completely unspoiled by tourism meaning we will feel like the only foreign travelers in town.
There is a huge amount of ancient and modern history waiting to be explored. We’ll travel from the holy cities of Najaf & Karbala to Babylon & Basra before making our way northwards to Baghdad & Samarra. We cover a huge amount of ground with our expert local guide explaining all as we go.
Join us for this unique southern Iraq tour and see the whole of Iraq by adding in our Iraqi Kurdistan tour as a combo!
Highlights
Where?
Najaf – Babylon – Karbala – Nasariyah – Basra – Baghdad – Samarra.
When?
October 16 – 22nd, 2020
Visa?
We will apply for a letter of invitation on your behalf and then you will need to apply for the visa at the nearest Iraqi embassy in person or by post.
October 22nd - Erbil
- Guests arrive by own means and make their way to the Dynasty hotel located in the center of the christian district of Erbil.
- For people who arrive early, we will take a trip to the bazaar to exchange money at the best rates and grab some kebabs in the square.
- In the evening, we head for the welcome dinner nearby the hotel followed by some shisha.
- Overnight in Erbil.
October 23rd - Duhok
- We begin the day with a two-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.
- Head to the Khanis archaeological site – where an ancient pre-arabic palace once stood.
- Next stop is at one of the world’s oldest monastery’s – Algosh. It is built into the mountains and is technically part of Mosul and Iraq proper.
- We head for lunch in Algosh town.
- Following lunch, we’ll drive on to Duhok and check into our downtown hotel.
- Walking city tour around the bazaar.
- Overnight in Duhok.
October 24th - Rawandas
- In the morning, we head straight to Amadiya – Saddam Hussein’s former mountaintop palace. You’ll know instantly why he choose this site.
- We walk to the famous Shanidar cave before stopping at a restaurant for lunch.
- Following lunch, we embark on one of our longer journeys: the four-hour drive to Rawandas.
- Walking tour of Rawandas and our resort before heading for dinner and drinks.
- Overnight in Rawandas.
October 25th- Sulaymaniyah
- 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.
- We continue along stopping at various waterfalls before getting on the only mountain cable car in the region for breathtaking views of the surrounding valley.
- Lunch.
- We drive a further 3 hours to the second major city of Iraqi Kurdistan – Sulaymaniyah. We will be stopping along the way for snacks and drinks.
- In the evening, we walk around the night market of this historical city.
- Overnight in Sulaymaniyah.
October 26th - Sulaymaniyah
- 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.
- We head back to Sulaymaniyah for some leisurely time at chavi land funfair.
- Overnight in Sulaymaniyah.
October 27th - Erbil
- Free morning to explore Sulaymaniyah and do some shopping.
- We again hit the road for the long trip back to Erbil.
- Lunch in a village near Kirkuk.
- On arrival in Erbil we head straight to the Citadel for sunset. We then head into the bazaar where our local guide will help you find some last minute bargains.
- Farewell dinner in the christian district.
- Overnight in Erbil.
October 28th - Erbil
- End of tour, we can arrange additional accommodation or transport to the airport.
Join us before this tour for the Baghdad & Babylon tour and make it an Entire Iraq Combo tour!
What else?
Inclusions
Exclusions
Tour Notes
You’ll be in the experienced hands of our legendary English speaking local guide and Rocky Road Travel guide. We visit Kurdistan regularly, so we know the best spots and have perfected the itinerary accordingly. Your itinerary may change slightly but we will always endevour to go above and beyond with added extras to the itinerary such as stops at local bars and amusement parks.
Before & after each tour we will add you to dedicated email and social media groups so you can share photos easily with your travel mates. Just let su know is you want to opt out.
To book simply get in touch below to start the conversation today.
October 22 - 28th, 2020
Start and finish in Erbil
Baghdad option
Start your trip in Southern Iraq
Premium hotel
6 nights in Iraq
The price
Only €1195
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