Entire Iraq for Two-Weeks

Basra International Airport, Iraq - Erbil, Iraq

Voir la carte

Détails

15 Jours | 14 Nuits

Types de visites: Visite de groupe

Fonctionne: On particular day

Hébergements:

Âge minimum: 18

Description de la visite

This journey commences in southern Iraq, starting from Basra and traveling to Karbala, Babylon, Najaf, the Mesopotamian Marshes, the continue to Baghdad, Samarra, and Mosul. Additionally, we'll explore all the highlights of Kurdistan, from Duhok to Sulaymaniyah. Join us for this distinctive Iraq tour and experience the entirety of this captivating country!

Les points du fort

Explore Iraq’s main port city and known for its local markets and Shatt al-Arab waterway in Basra.
Visit the ancient Sumerian temple of Ziggurat of Ur dating back to the 21st century BCE.
Explore Najaf and Karbala known for its shrine and pilgrimages sites for the Shia Muslims.
Travel to Babylon famed to be the ancient city of Mesopotamia.
Wander through the capital city of Iraq, Baghdad and learn its rich history and culture.
Delve into the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, Erbil featuring the ancient Citadel and busy bazaar.
Discover the amazing and natural landscapes of the Iraqi Kurdistan in Sulaymaniyah, in Soran, and in Rawunduz.

Itinéraire de la visite

Day 1
Basra Airport – Basra Hotel
1 Stop

Basra

Arrival into Basra at your own leisure. Airport transfers provided to our hotel. Today is mainly an arrival day so you’ll have free time before everyone meet up in the hotel lobby at 6pm. Meet & greet discuss the itinerary before heading out for a group dinner. Overnight in Basra.

Dîner

Day 2
Basra City Tour – Basra Hotel
1 Stop

Basra City Tour

Breakfast at the hotel before exploring Basra for the day. Visit the Ashar and Shanashil Al Basra area to catch a glimpse of the old Basra: traditional style merchant houses with balconies leaning over the narrow streets. Take a cruise across the Shatt Al Arab River and see some shipwrecks from the Iran-Iraq War from the 1980s. See the famed Tree of Knowledge – the same tree, according to local legend, that Eve ate from in the Garden of Eden. Traditional Iraqi Lunch. We’ll also have the opportunity to explore one of Saddam Hussain’s palaces’ – the now converted Basra Museum. After we’ll stop by the Souq and the historic old Central Railway Station. Dinner and overnight in Basra.

Petit déjeuner & Dîner

Day 3
Chibayesh – Ur – Uruk – Najaf
4 Arrêts

Chibayesh

Wake up early for sunrise in Mesopotamian Marshes! We’ll take a boat trip through the maze of marshes stopping by local villages for tea. The marshes once engulfed a whole swathe of Southern Iraq with numerous floating villages. Today the receding waters have led most families to change their livelihood but we’ll still see the few that remain. It is also home to the Ma’dān population who over the centuries have adapted to life on the water. Stop by a traditional house for lunch and tea. Tour the local market of Chibayesh and have lunch in a traditional reed house.

Continue to visit the Ziggurat of Ur, a neo-Sumerian construction built in 2000 BC. This used to be the capital of Mesopotamia during the Sumerian time and it is a UNESCO world heritage site since 2016.

Uruk

Drive to Ancient Uruk – home of the world’s oldest civilisation and first alphabet.

Najaf

Drive to Najaf. Dinner and overnight in Najaf.

Petit déjeuner & Déjeuner & Dîner

Day 4
Najaf – Karbala
2 Arrêts

Najaf

Najaf tour, including Imam Ali’s house (the very spot where imam Ali was killed) and the Imam Ali Shrine itself. Visit the Wadi-Us-Salaam – the world’s largest graveyard. It is said to contain tens of millions of bodies. Many shiites request to be buried here in one of the numerous catacombs.

Karbala

After lunch head to Karbala and visit the holy city’s famous Al Abbas Mosque and Iman Husayn shrine at dusk. It’s also home to some of the best baclava in Iraq! Dinner and overnight in Karbala.

Petit déjeuner & Déjeuner & Dîner

Day 5
Babylon – Ctesiphone – Baghdad
3 Arrêts

Babylon

Drive to Babylon, once the largest and most important city in the world. We tour the ancient ruins with our local expert and see what’s left of the hanging gardens. Saddam Hussain Palace – Perched right on top of Babylon, the dictator made sure he had the best view of the site. We spend some time exploring the looted remains of one of his many former palaces.

Ctesiphone

After extensively exploring Babylon, continue onto the ancient city of Ctesiphone. These days all that’s left is the palace archway which is the largest single span vault of unenforced brickwork in the world.

Baghdad

Drive an hour to Baghdad. Visit the Save Iraqi Culture Monument. Dinner and overnight in Baghdad.

Petit déjeuner & Déjeuner & Dîner

Day 6
Baghdad City Tour – Baghdad
1 Stop

Baghdad

After a delicious local breakfast, it’s a full Baghdad city tour starting with the Liberation Square monument in Tahrir Square, which commemorates the establishment of the Republic of Iraq. Visit to the National Museum of Iraq. Reopened in 2015 after notorious looting during the war, it contains various treasure from the Mesopotamian and Babylonian periods. Stroll along the Tigris River and cross over the water on a boat. Visit the incredible and well renovated Al–Mustansariya School. This is commonly known as the oldest school in the world. Walk through the book market and adjoining copper market. A great place for souvenirs and photography. Take a well-deserved break in the Shabinder cafe for tea and Shisha. Lunch in the famous Kubba restaurant next door. The Al Shaheed Monument is the martyr’s memorial spot for people who died during the Iran-Iraq War. These days it’s a highly controversial monument, as it was originally built during the Saddam era. Traditional Fish Masgouf dinner and overnight in Baghdad.

Petit déjeuner & Déjeuner & Dîner

Day 7
Baghdad – Samarra – Mosul
3 Arrêts

Samarra

Hit the road early and drive north to Samara. We pass through multiple checkpoints along the route driving by many villages recently destroyed during fighting against ISIS. Samara is famous for its Minarets (we will likely see the spectacular & less visited Abu Delef Minaret). We’ll climb the spiral staircase all the way to the top for the 360-degree view. Not for the faint hearted!

Hatra

After lunch drive towards Hatra, an important historic religious center with a strategic position along caravan trade routes. Hatra was one of the first Arab states to be established outside of Arabia.

Mosul

Continue driving to Mosul. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Petit déjeuner & Déjeuner & Dîner

Day 8
Mosul – Erbil
3 Arrêts

Mosul

Start the day with a local breakfast before we start discovering the reconstruction of the old city including the Al-Nuri Mosque and Al Tahira church. See the Bash Tapia castle with its amazing views over the city and Tigris River. Lunchtime with the “Kubba of Mosul” the area’s most popular dish.

Bakhdida

After that, we head to the Christian town of Bakhdida or Qaraqosh to visit Church Square – the place where the Pope gave mass on his historic visit to Iraq in March 2021.

Erbil

Before sunset we head to Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Farewell dinner to those leaving us in Erbil and meet up with those joining us for the Kurdistan tour. Overnight in Erbil.

Petit déjeuner & Déjeuner & Dîner

Day 9
Erbil City Tour - Erbil
1 Stop

Erbil

Free morning to sleep in or walk through the main bazaar. Pick up a few souvenirs or just take in the atmosphere. Stop for Kurdish tea/coffee inside the market. In the afternoon we’ll visit the citadel – the oldest continually inhabited place in the world. Take in the views over the city from the top of the Citadel. Check out the textile museum, Minaret Park & the Jalil Khayat Mosque. Rest up in the hotel before going out for dinner with the rest of the group in the Christian district. Plenty of Kurdistan cuisine options here! Overnight in Erbil.

Petit déjeuner & Déjeuner & Dîner

Day 10
Erbil – Sulaymaniyah
1 Stop

Sulaymaniyah

We hit the road early and drive to the second major city of Iraqi Kurdistan – Sulaymaniyah. We’ll stop at the old Jewish town of Koya along the way before lunch. Visit the ancient and crumbling Caravanserai here. On arrival in Sulaymaniyah we head straight to the the infamous “Red prison” – once a torture centre for Saddam Hussein’s regime. The prison is now a fascinating museum. Walk through the bustling central Bazar right next to our hotel. Tea in a traditional tea house. At sunset we’ll drive up Goyzha Mountain for the stunning views overlooking Sulay. Get the cable car back down the mountain! Dinner and overnight in Sulaymaniyah.

Petit déjeuner & Déjeuner & Dîner

Day 11
Halabja – Sulaymaniyah
4 Arrêts

Halabja

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.

Tawela

We head to Tawela on the Iran border, and previously the front line in the Iran/Iraq war. Lunch by the border.

Ahmed Awa Waterfall

Drive onto Ahmed Awa waterfall.

Sulaymaniyah

We head back to Sulaymaniyah for some leisurely time around the bazaars. Overnight in Sulaymaniyah.

Petit déjeuner & Déjeuner & Dîner

Day 12
Sulaymaniyah – Rawunduz
3 Arrêts

Hamilton Road

We depart Sulay this morning and head west towards Lake Dokan. Weather depending we’ll take tea, snacks and a boat ride here. 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.

Bekhal Waterfall

Short stop by the Bekhal waterfall.

Rawunduz

Continue driving through incredible mountain ranges stopping at various points for photos. Dinner and overnight in Soran.

Petit déjeuner & Déjeuner & Dîner

Day 13
Rawunduz – Duhok
3 Arrêts

Amadiya

Drive to the historic Shanidar cave. Amadiya – the stunning mountain top village. Walk through the quiet streets and visit the mosque and church here.

Qubahan

See the ancient gateway to the town. Qubahan School – the fascinating ruins of an ancient madrassa. Drive to Saddam Hussein’s former mountaintop palace. You’ll know instantly why he choose this site. Explore the ruins and admire the views.

Duhok

Continue towards Duhok, tour the Bazaar and visit a tea house dedicated to Martyrs killed at the hands of ISIS. Dinner and overnight in Duhok.

Petit déjeuner & Déjeuner & Dîner

Day 14
Lalish – Erbil
3 Arrêts

Alqosh

Depart Duhok for one of the world’s oldest monastery’s – Alqosh is built into the mountains and is technically part of Mosul and Iraq “proper”.

Lalish

We then drive one hour drive to Lalish. 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. Spend the afternoon here mingling and joining in on the festivities.

Erbil

Drive to Erbil. Final dinner and overnight in Erbil.

Petit déjeuner & Déjeuner & Dîner

Day 15
Erbil Hotel – Erbil Airport
1 Stop

Erbil Airport

Breakfast at the hotel. At a pre-arrange pick up time, transfer to Erbil airport to catch your flight departure.

Petit déjeuner

Inclusions

All entrance fees.

Secured hotels in Iraq based on twin sharing accommodation on full board basis (single supplement is available for an extra charge).

A licensed, local, and English-speaking guide throughout the tour.

Air-conditioned vehicle with driver.

Meet and greet at the airport.

Exclusions

Any airfare.

Travel/Health Insurance.

Meals and beverages not stated.

Entry visa to Iraq (if applicable). The visa on arrival is $77 USD payable in cash only.

Tips to the driver and guide.

Others not mentioned in the inclusions.

Infos pratiques

• Iraqi Kurdistan is visa arrival for most European countries along with the US, Canada, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, South Korea, Russia, Turkey, UK and Vatican City.
• For Southern Iraq a new visa on arrival scheme has been announced for citizens of the EU, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Russia, China, Japan and South Korea.
• For nationalities that are not qualified for the visa on arrival, we will supply you an invitation letter which will allow you to apply for the Iraqi visa at your nearest embassy.
• Official check in time at hotels 14:00 – check out time at hotels 12:00.
• The driver/tour guide escorts you according to the booked itinerary, he is not 24/7 at your disposal.
• All guides are licensed by the Ministry of Tourism in Iraq and are not part of our team.
• For women, a full abaya is required before you are allowed to enter the city of some holy shrines or mosques. Choose long-sleeved tops to cover your arms and long pants or skirts that cover your legs fully.
• Tourists who are part of the LGBTQI community, are discouraged from overt displays of affection in public and while you will not be subject to any harm while on a tour, discretion is advised for your overall comfort.
• It is not permitted to bring telescopes or drones to Iraq. In some cases, obtaining permits or authorization from local authorities may be necessary before flying a drone in Iraq.

Comment réserver ce circuit

- After booking the tour with us online, one of our consultants will get in touch within 24 hours. You need to pay then a 25% deposit by credit card or by bank transfer. The full payment is due latest 14 days before tour start.
- Cancellations or changes need to be sent in written form. Charges are as follows:
• 25 $USD of the total price of the trip for cancellations from the date of booking until 31 days before departure.
• 25% of the total price of the trip for cancellations or changes made 30 to 08 days before departure.
• 100% of the total price of the trip for cancellations or changes made 07 to 01 days before departure or no show.
- For refunds we do not cover transaction fees charged by credit card companies and banks.

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