Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan 10-day highlights
AT A GLANCE
This trip provides a detailed overview of Iraq within ten days. You’ll waste little time and pack in a ton of places, sites, and activities to experience a diverse side of this complicated country, covering both southern Irad (federal Iraq) as well as the autonomous Kurdistan region in the north.
Starting from Baghdad and ending in Erbil, this trip brings you first to the southern and central regions to visit the ancient ruins of Babylon, the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf, and the Iraqi marshlands outside Basra before heading back to Baghdad. Then you will drive north, visiting the great minaret of Samarra and then the city of Mosul, once under ISIS control. You then cross into Iraqi Kurdistan, an autonomous ethnic Kurdish region within Iraq to visit the Yazidi religious center of Lalish, as well as the Kurdish cultural capital of Akre. You spend your last day exploring Kurdistan’s modern capital Erbil before departing.
This itinerary is best between October and April.
DAILY ITINERARY
-
-Apply for and collect your Iraqi visa on arrival ($77 USD per person in cash, exact change is best)
-Pick up from Baghdad Airport and transfer to your hotel.
-Late afternoon walk around Baghdad and traditional masgouf dinner in Baghdad city.
-
-Pick-up from your hotel after breakfast.
-Baghdad martyrs monument and museum.
-Old Baghdad tour by foot/tuk-tuk.
-Madrassa and city tour around Baghdad.
-Traditional dinner in Baghdad city.
-Overnight in Baghdad.
-
-Pick-up from the hotel after breakfast.
-Babylon ancient site tour.
-Visit one of Saddam’s palaces outside of Hillah.
-Visit the shrines of Imam Husseyn and Abbas in Karbala, the holiest city for Shia Muslims.
-Local dinner in Karbala city.
-Night visit to the holy shrines.
-Overnight in Karbala.
-
-Early pick-up from the hotel after breakfast, check out and begin the drive to Najaf.
-Tour the stunning shrine to Imam Ali, the 4th caliph and first Imam in Islam, who was killed in this city.
-Wander the Najar Souq, one of the best in southern Iraq.
-Visit the Great Mosque of Kufa.
-Drive to Ur to visit the Great Ziggurat of Ur.
-Continue a short distance to Nasiriyah, a city in the south of Iraq famed for its spice market.
-Overnight in Nasiriyah city.
-
-After breakfast, drive to Chibayish on the southern side of the central marshlands.
-Start your boat tour along the Arab Marshlands.
-Observe life in this unique region near the Iraq-Iran border.
-Traditional lunch in the marshlands.
-Drive back to Baghdad in the late afternoon, overnight in Baghdad.
-
-Depart Baghdad for the ruins of Samarra after breakfast and check-out.
-Climb the remaining twister minaret of Samarra’s ancient mosque.
-Continue your drive to the northern city of Mosul, once under ISIS control.
-Overnight in Mosul city.
-
-Check out after breakfast from the hotel in Mosul.
-Mosul city tour– see the remnants of the city post-ISIS and learn about life under the control of the extremist group.
-Lunch in Mosul city.
-Drive to Duhok, in Iraqi Kurdistan.
-Overnight in Duhok.
-
-Depart from Duhok after breakfast at the hotel.
-First tour the town of Kurdish Alqosh, perched on a rock high in the mountains.
-Visit the Yazidi temples in Lalish, the holiest city of this ethnic minority group.
-Explore the Kurdish town of Akre and climb up the mountain for an excellent view of the city.
-Drive to Erbil, the modern capital of Kurdistan.
-Check in to your hotel in Erbil for the evening.
-
-Leisurely breakfast at the hotel.
-Erbil city tour (bazaar, citadel, mosque, restaurants).
-Overnight in Erbil.
-
Depart from Erbil Airport.
PRICING
-
Standard (mid-range):
Solo traveler: $4500
2 travelers: $2650 per person
3 travelers: $2310 per person
4+ travelers: $1930 per personDeluxe (best accommodation in Iraq):
Solo traveler: $6265
2 travelers: $3530 per person
3 travelers: $3480 per person
4+ travelers: $2810 per person -
Accommodation in local hotels and guesthouses (mid-range).
Three meals daily.
Travel permit letters.
Entrance tickets for all sites on the itinerary.
Guide and private transportation throughout the trip.
-
International flight tickets.
Iraqi visa (must obtain abroad or at Baghdad International Airport for certain nationalities for $77).
Personal spending.
Insurance.
Additional food and drinks.
Tips for local staff.
-
Single supplement: $830 (basic) or $2560 (deluxe).
Single supplement accommodation is already included for solo travelers.
I am a tour guide born, raised, and based in Baghdad, Iraq. I graduated from the University of Baghdad’s Department of Political Science a few years ago and decided to become a guide to show my country to visitors. Over the past year, I have guided many nationalities from different countries to regions all across Iraq— from the marshlands of the south to the Kurdish region of the north. I can’t wait to show you everything my country has to offer, from our special food and desserts to our culture, architecture, history and landscapes.