Iraqi Kurdistan Budget Tour

Day 1 – Erbil arrival

Day 1 is the arrival day into the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, Erbil.

We will greet and pick you up at the arrival terminal of Erbil International Airport, followed by checking into the hotel.

In the evening, we will give an introductory briefing on Kurdistan and the tour, and then we’ll go out for drinks and dinner.

Day 2 – Mar Mattai, Lalish, and Duhok

Early in the morning, we will head for 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 3 – Saddam Palace, Amedi, Barzan, Soran

After having a hearty breakfast at the iconic Peshmerga Café, 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, however, we will stop at one of the several abandoned palaces that Saddam Hussein had across Iraq. Today, the palace has become a Peshmerga base.

After lunch, we will drive through the most scenic road in all Iraq, stopping on the way in Barzan, a village and the epicentre of Kurdish nationalism.

Dinner and overnight in Soran.

Day 4 – Rawanduz & Sulimaniyah

In the morning, we will head for Rawanduz: jaw-dropping canyons, pretty meadows, deep gorges and traditional Kurdish villages.

Rawanduz is a small town surrounded by the finest and most beautiful landscapes in the region and we will spend the day exploring its natural wonders.

We will also drive through the Hamilton Road, an internationally famous road built in the 30s.

This is going to be a particularly long driving day, but a very scenic one.

Dinner and overnight in Rawanduz.

Day 5 – Red Security Museum + Halabja

In the morning, we will visit the Red Security Museum, aka Saddam Hussein’s House of Horrors, located in what used to be the headquarters of Saddam’s regime.

The museum summarizes all the atrocities Sadam Hussein committed against the Kurds and today, it also features an ISIS-related section.

Moreover, the museum’s courtyard contains tanks and a set of weaponry once owned by Saddam Hussein.

Then, we will head for Halabja, a small town in which Saddam Hussein organized a massive attack with the use of chemical weapons, killing thousands of people in a matter of seconds.

We will visit a sobering memorial and museum.

Dinner and overnight in Sulimaniyah.

Day 6 – Erbil city tour

Very early in the morning, we will drive to 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.

Dinner and overnight in Erbil.

Day 7 – 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, no problem, we can spend the day together hanging out in Erbil Old Town.