09 Days Baghdad and Babylon Tour

Basra International Airport, Iraq - Erbil Airport, Iraq

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Ora di inizio: 14:00

Dettagli

9 Giornis | 8 Nottis

Tipi di tour: Tour di gruppo

Disponibilità: On particular day

Sistemazione:

Età minima: 18

Descrizione della torre

Set off an unusual journey spanning from the southernmost point of Iraq to the northern region of Iraqi Kurdistan! Start your adventure by flying into Basra and conclude in Erbil, experiencing all the significant landmarks of Federal Iraq along the way. Explore Baghdad, pilgrimage to the sacred cities of Najaf and Karbala, delve into the history of Babylon and the Mesopotamian Marshes, then trace your steps back northward, visiting Baghdad once more before continuing to Samarra, Mosul, and finally reaching Erbil.

Punti salienti

Wander around Basra City in southern part of Iraq and see some significant & historical sites.
Discover the important Shia pilgrimages sites in Najaf & Karbala.
Uncover the historic ruins of ancient wonder, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Visit some iconic landmarks in the capital city of Baghdad.
See the amazing cultural heritages and landmarks of Samarra & Mosul.
Conclude your trip in Iraqi Kurdistan capital city of Erbil.

Itinerario del tour

Day 1
Basra Airport – Basra Hotel
1 Fermati

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 we meet up in the hotel lobby at 6pm. Meet, greet and discuss the itinerary before heading out for a group dinner. Overnight in Basra.

Cena

Day 2
Basra – Basra City – Basra
1 Fermati

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.

Colazione & Pranzo & Cena

Day 3
Chibayesh – Ur – Uruk – Najaf
4 Stops

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.

Colazione & Pranzo & Cena

Day 4
Najaf – Karbala
2 Stops

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.

Colazione & Pranzo & Cena

Day 5
Babylon – Ctesiphone – Baghdad
3 Stops

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.

Colazione & Pranzo & Cena

Day 6
Baghdad City Tour – Baghdad
1 Fermati

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.

Colazione & Pranzo & Cena

Day 7
Baghdad – Samarra – Mosul
3 Stops

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.

Colazione & Pranzo & Cena

Day 8
Mosul – Erbil
2 Stops

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.

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.

Colazione & Pranzo & Cena

Day 9
Erbil Hotel – Erbil Airport
1 Fermati

Erbil

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

Colazione

Inclusioni

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

All entrance fees.

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

Air-conditioned vehicle with driver.

Meet and greet upon arrival at the airport.

Esclusioni

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.

Informazioni pratiche

• 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.

Come prenotare questo tour

- 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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