Iraqi Kurdistan for Nowruz

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 – Amedi, 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.
• 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 and Nowruz in Akre, back to Erbil

• In the morning, we will head for Rawanduz: jaw-dropping canyons, fairy 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 whole afternoon exploring its natural wonders.
• We will also drive through the Hamilton Road, an internationally famous road built in the 30s.
• Then, we will head for Akre, the most photogenic town in Iraqi Kurdistan, to experience the celebration of Nowruz, where every year, hundreds of thousands of people gather over bonfires and fireworks.
• We will also witness the hundreds of Kurds, wearing traditional clothes and climbing down the mountain with torches, a visual spectacle.
• At night, we will head back to Erbil.

Day 5 – Sulaymaniyah

• In the morning, we will drive towards Sulaymaniyah, the most Westernized and modern city in all of Kurdistan, where 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.
• After lunch, we will visit the different bazaars and mosques of Sulaymaniyah.
• We will finish our day over a few beers at the top of Mount Goyzha, from where you have magnificent views of the entire city.
• 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.