Kurdistan
Kurdistan in Six Days
The mountains, and what happened in them. Erbil's citadel, Sulaymaniyah's museums, the Halabja memorial, a Neanderthal cave, and the Hamilton Road through Rawanduz.
6 DAYS · ACTIVE PACE · 4–12 TRAVELERS · FROM $1,180
Kurdistan is the part of Iraq that travelers reach first and understand last. Six days gives you both halves of it. There is the landscape — the Hamilton Road cut through the Rawanduz gorge, Bekhal's waterfall, the cable car up Korek, Shanidar Cave where ten Neanderthals were buried with what may have been flowers. And there is the history that people here will tell you about directly, at the Red Security prison in Sulaymaniyah and at the Halabja memorial, if you are willing to listen. Erbil's citadel has been continuously inhabited for six thousand years and is being restored around one family kept living there so the claim stays true. Expect walking, altitude, and mountain roads. Expect to be fed constantly.
- Best season
- April – June, and September – October
- Route
- Erbil · Sulaymaniyah
DAY BY DAY
Day
01
Erbil: six thousand years on one mound
The Jalil Khayat mosque, the Choli minaret, and then the citadel — inhabited without a break since the Neolithic, and still occupied by one family so that stays true. Down into the Qaysari bazaar afterwards for tea.
Day
02
East to Sulaymaniyah
Over the pass and along Dukan Lake, stopping at the Qyzqapan rock tombs cut high into the cliff. Into Sulaymaniyah in the evening, which feels like a university town because it is one.
Day
03
The Red Security Museum, and Halabja
The Amna Suraka prison, left as it was found, then the archaeological museum — the second best in Iraq. In the afternoon, Halabja and its memorial. This is a hard day, on purpose, and we do not fill the evening.
Day
04
The Hamilton Road and Korek
North through the Rawanduz gorge on the road Archibald Hamilton cut in the 1930s, past Bekhal waterfall, and up Korek Mountain by cable car. Long day in the vehicle, and the best three hours of the week.
Day
05
Shanidar Cave and Shaqlawa
Shanidar, where ten Neanderthals were excavated and one was buried among pollen. The Barzan memorial, then Shaqlawa's market for the walnuts and the pressed apricot, and Khanzad castle on the way back down.
Day
06
Erbil, unscheduled
We leave the last day open. Most groups go back up to the citadel, or back to the bazaar for the things they saw on day one and did not buy. Departure from Erbil in the evening.
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.
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.