Grand tour
Basra to Baghdad
Eight days south to north, beginning where the two rivers finish below Basra and ending in front of the Warka Vase in Baghdad: the Gulf, the marshes, Ur, the shrine cities, Babylon, and Samarra's spiral.
8 DAYS · STEADY PACE · 6–14 TRAVELERS · FROM $1,620
This is the length of Iraq, done in the honest direction — from the water up. You start in Basra where the Tigris and Euphrates have already joined and run out into the Gulf, and you finish eight days later in Baghdad standing in front of the objects that started all of it. In between the landscape shifts from creek and date palm to marsh, to the flat baked plain of the ziggurats and shrine cities, and the people shift with it. It suits a traveler who wants the whole thread rather than a single city, and who doesn't mind a vehicle: two of the days involve four hours of driving, and the shrine days ask you to cover your hair, leave cameras in the car, and carry a phone instead. No alcohol south of Baghdad, no shade at Samarra. Nervous is normal on day one. It rarely lasts past the marshes.
DAY BY DAY
Day
01
Basra and the riverside palace
You land at Basra, the southern end of the country, where the museum now fills one of Saddam's old riverside palaces. Then the shanasheel — carved wooden balconies leaning over the creek — and a boat out onto the Shatt al-Arab. No alcohol is sold anywhere south of Baghdad, which is everywhere you go until day six.
Day
02
Qurna, and into the marshes
North to Qurna, where the Tigris and Euphrates come together and go on as one river. From there into the Chibayish marshes: a mudhif — a guest hall of bundled reed, built without a single nail — and a canoe pushed out among the water buffalo, who stand chest-deep and ignore you completely.
Day
03
Ur's ziggurat, then Najaf
The ziggurat at Ur first, restored enough that you can climb it, the reed matting still visible between some of the brick courses. Then the Imam Ali shrine — cameras stay in the vehicle, phones are allowed inside, women cover their hair. Wadi al-Salam runs to the horizon. The market after dark.
Day
04
Karbala across the square
Kufa mosque on the way north, where Imam Ali was killed. Then Karbala: the Imam Hussein and Al-Abbas shrines face each other across a wide marble square you cross between them. The commemorative tents, and Zainab's hill above the field. Same rules — hair covered, cameras in the vehicle, phones fine.
Day
05
Babylon and the lion
Babylon is walls and brick. You walk the processional way through the reconstructed Ishtar Gate, past courses still carrying Nebuchadnezzar's stamped name, to the basalt lion standing over a fallen man. Saddam's palace looks down from the mound above. If the group has energy, Kish and Borsippa are close.
Day
06
Baghdad, and Ctesiphon's arch
A full day in the capital. Mutanabbi Street of booksellers and the Shabandar café, the Abbasid Palace and the Mustansiriyah School — both shut Fridays and Saturdays, so we time this. Out to Ctesiphon for Taq Kasra, the largest brick arch standing. Then the Martyr's Monument and Kadhimiya's gold domes.
Day
07
Samarra's spiral, no shade
Samarra is a day's excursion north. You climb the Malwiya's spiral ramp with the plain flattening out below, walk the Great Mosque's outer wall further than seems reasonable, and see the Abu Dulaf minaret and the Abbasid pool palace. No shade anywhere on the site — bring a hat — then back to Baghdad.
Day
08
The museum, then the airport
Two and a half hours in the National Museum, minimum — the Warka Vase, the Nimrud ivories, and the Sumerian and Assyrian rooms that put names to everything you have already stood in front of. It closes Saturdays, so we don't fly out on one. Then the airport, and the flight home.
THIS ROUTE, PHOTOGRAPHED
What you will be looking at
What's included
- A guide who has led this route before, not a freelancer we found last week
- Driver and private vehicle for the whole route
- Hotels, booked for you on request
- Meals, arranged on request
- Visa support and your letter of invitation
- Entry tickets to every site in the itinerary
What's not
- International flights to and from Iraq
- Personal spending and tips
- Alcohol — it is not sold south of Baghdad, and we will tell you where it is
BEFORE YOU COME
Questions we are asked about this tour
Is Iraq safe to visit?
We have run group trips continuously since 2008, and the answer we give is practical, not promotional: the cities on our routes — Baghdad, the shrine cities, the south, Kurdistan — receive foreign travelers every week. You travel with an Iraqi guide and driver the whole time, we handle every checkpoint, and we adjust routes if conditions change. We will always tell you plainly what is and isn't sensible.
Do I need a visa?
Citizens of more than 30 countries — including the EU, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea and China — receive a visa on arrival at Baghdad, Basra, Najaf and Erbil airports (around US$77, cash). We confirm the current rules for your passport before you commit to anything.
What should I wear? What about women visiting shrines?
Everyday dress in Iraq is modest but relaxed: shoulders and knees covered is enough almost everywhere. At shrines, women need a headscarf and an abaya — the abaya is lent free at the shrine gate, and our guides walk you through the etiquette so nothing is awkward. Many of our travelers say shrine visits ended up being their favorite moments.
Can I pay by card or withdraw cash?
Treat Iraq as a cash country. US dollars exchange easily everywhere; cards work in a growing number of Baghdad and Erbil hotels and malls but nowhere you should rely on. We tell you exactly how much cash to bring for your trip — most travelers are surprised how affordable the days are.
What are the groups actually like?
Eight to sixteen people, usually five or more nationalities, ages from late twenties to seventies. An Iraqi guide and driver stay with the group throughout; hotels are the best available in each city (solid 3–4 star). The pace is curious rather than rushed — long lunches are part of the itinerary, not a failure of it.
Can I join alone?
Most of our travelers come alone. We match roommates by request or arrange a single room for a supplement, and solo women regularly join our groups — see the questions above about dress and safety, and ask us anything else directly.
What is the food like — and can I drink the water?
You will eat well: masgouf grilled over embers by the Tigris, qeema in the shrine cities, Kurdish breakfasts of honey and clotted cream, dates from Basra groves. Stick to bottled water, which is cheap and everywhere. Vegetarians manage easily; tell us about allergies and we brief every restaurant ahead.
The gate is open.
Tell us which month suits you and we will tell you which group fits.