Full Iraq before Ramadan

Day 2 – Babylon, Saddam Hussein Palace and Karbala

• Ancient Babylon used to be the first great civilization in the world, believed to be the first city to ever reach a population of more than 200,000.
• World wonders such as the Hanging Gardens and the Tower of Babel used to be within these walls.
• Today, Babylon is an archaeological site, featuring a mind-blowing replica of the Ishtar Gate and an actual Lion of Babylon.
• We will also visit the former Saddam Hussein Palace, today overlooking the ancient city of Babylon.
• After lunch, we will head to Karbala, the holiest city in the world for Shia Muslims, a surprisingly touristic city visited every year by, literally, millions and millions of pilgrims.
• The best time to visit Karbala is after sunset, which will do while checking out the two jaw-dropping shrines.
• Overnight in Karbala.

Day 3 – Karbala, Ziggurat of Ur & Nasiriyah

• There’s so much going on in Karbala so, in the morning, we will take things slowly, wandering around town, checking the places which we probably missed from the night before, and then, we will head for Nasiriya, a good 4 to 5-hour drive, with checkpoints included.
• Before Nasiriyah, however, we will enjoy sunset Ziggurat of Ür, one oldest cities in the world (3800BC) – even older than Babylon – and believed to be the birthplace of Abraham.
• Nasiriya is the largest city in southern Iraq, a high-secured city, home to the American-built Al-Hoot prison, a maximum-security prison today filled with ISIS fighters. Nasiriya is also the gateway to The Mesopotamian Marshes. Overnight in Nasiriya.

Day 4 – Mesopotamian Marshes

• This is going to be one of the most exciting days of our trip, since we will head for Chibayish, home to the Arab Marshes, a wetland ecosystem in south Iraq, an aquatic landscape in the middle of the desert, home to a distinct cultural group named the Marsh Arabs.
• We will spend the entire day getting immersed into their culture by visiting their villages, islands and eating masgouf with them, an old Mesopotamian dish consisting of a giant grilled fish.
• After lunch, we will head back to Baghdad.

Day 5 – Full day in Baghdad

• The capital of Iraq is a chaotic, yet a lively and fascinating city in the Middle East, packed with historical and cultural sites.
• We will start our tour with a traditional breakfast only found in Baghdad and then, we’ll visit the National Museum of Iraq, containing some of the oldest artefacts in the world.
• We will discover the old book market, the leather and copper bazaars, the historical Shabandar café, and all the old city highlights. We will also visit the Martyr’s Monument and, depending on the political situation, we might also try to get into the Green Zone, let’s see.
• In the evening, we will all go to Dar Al Atraqchi Heritage Cafe, a traditional but pretty modern café and restaurant.
• Overnight in Baghdad.

Day 6 – Samarra, Hatra & Mosul

• Samarra is a city controlled by a Shia Militia, a city practically impossible to visit for independent travelers but thanks to our expert local guides, hopefully, we won’t be running into any issues.
• The city is famous for holding the spiral minaret of Malwiya, a UNESCO Heritage Site and one of the most famous landmarks in Iraq, absolutely stunning.
• Then, on our way to Mosul, we will stop in Hatra, a very well-preserved ancient Mesopotamian city, located in the middle of nowhere, and also a former ISIS training camp. We will have the chance to see actual ISIS graffiti.
• Overnight in Mosul.

Day 7 – Full day in Mosul

• Mosul is Joan Torres’ favorite city in Iraq.
• Mosul is the second most important city in Iraq and one of the oldest cities in the world, the place where ancient Niniveh was found.
• In 2017, the city was liberated from ISIS, and people already started to come back.
• Yes, we will explore the war-torn old city and all its destroyed buildings, but we will also discover Mosul’s most human side by witnessing all the reconstruction, getting to know kind-hearted locals, and also checking out all the lively bazaars.
• Overnight in Mosul.

Day 8 – Departure

• Early morning, we’ll head for the region of Kurdistan.
• Upon arrival at the border/checkpoint, we will say goodbye to our friends from Baghdad, and we’ll be welcomed by our brand-new Kurdish team, who will take care of us while we are in the region of Kurdistan.
• We will first go to the historical Christian monastery of Mar Mattai, located only 20km from Mosul, and very close to the former front line against ISIS.
• Then, we will go to Lalish, the holiest place for Yazidis, a religious group who mainly live across the Middle East, the Caucasus, Turkey, and Russia but Iraq has the largest population.
• We will visit their temple and meet the Yazidi community.
• We will finish our day in Dohuk, one of Kurdistan’s main cities.
• Dinner and overnight in Dohuk.

Day 9 – Saddam Hussein Palace, Amedi and Barzan

• In the morning, we will drive to Amedi, my favorite town in Iraqi Kurdistan, built on the top of a flat mountain, with incredible views of the valley.
• It’s a 5,000-old historical village and believed to be the home of the Three Wise Man, who made a pilgrimage to Bethlehem to see Jesus Christ after his birth.
• On the way, we will stop at one of the several abandoned palaces that Saddam Hussein had across Iraq.
• After lunch, we drive towards Erbil through the most scenic road in all Iraq, stopping on the way in Barzan, a village epicentre of Kurdish nationalism.
• Dinner and overnight in Erbil.

Day 10 – Full day in Erbil

• Erbil is a 7,000-year-old city, one of the oldest in the world, filled with historical sites and inhabited by some of the most hospitable people in the Middle East, the Kurds.
• For sightseeing, this is my favorite capital in the Middle East.
• During our visit, we will visit the Old Citadel, the bazaar, Jalil Khayat mosque and, in the evening, we can all go for drinks to the Christian district of Ankawa.
• Lunch, dinner and overnight in Erbil.

Day 11 – Erbil & departure

• After enjoying breakfast altogether, we will take care of your transfer to Erbil International Airport.
• If your flight is later in the afternoon or evening, we’ll also take care of your transfer, no problem.