Whole Iraq Ultimate Tour

Wednesday 10th March – Baghdad, Iraq

Morning

• Arrive at your convenience into Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq, which is well connected from many countries within the Middle East and most of Europe.
• Pre-arranged private transfer to our hotel.
• Those arriving from our Syria Spring tour your flight details will be confirmed closer to the commencement date.
• Pre-tour meeting in the lobby of our hotel to discuss tour itinerary and to meet your fellow travellers and YPT guide.
• Visit Tahrir Square, which translates to Liberation Square, Baghdad’s largest and most central square which commemorates the 1958 establishment of the Republic of Iraq.
• Explore Firdos Square. Named after the Persian word “paradise”, this was the very square where the Coalition forces toppled Saddam’s statue in 2003.
• We begin the tour by visiting the Iraq Museum which contains precious relics from the Mesopotamian, Persian and Islamic civilization. The museum was looted during and after the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Despite international efforts, only some of the stolen artefacts have been returned, but it is still well worth the visit!
• Next, we will stop by the Al-Mutanabbi street located near the old quarter. This particular street is well known for bookselling and has often been referred to as the very heart of the Baghdad literacy and intellectual community.
• Visit the incredible and well renovated Al-Mustansariya School, commonly known as the oldest school in the world.
• Walk through the adjoining Al Safafeer copper market. First opened in the 800s, it is the oldest continuously operated market in the world. A wonderful place for souvenirs and photography.

Afternoon

• Lunch break at a traditional Iraqi restaurant in town to try local popular Iraqi dishes
• Have a look at Al Shaheed Monument, the most iconic structure in Baghdad, commemorating all the wars held in Iraq.
• From outside the Green Zone, we’ll finish off today’s tour by trying to get close to the Victory Arch, also known as the Hands of Victory or the Crossed Swords. Built to commemorate the Iran–Iraq War and approved by Saddam himself, this monument stands 40 meters high and is located on the very edge of the green zone.
• Dinner in town and overnight at our high-security hotel.

Thursday 11^th March – Baghdad – Ctesiphon – Babylon – Karbala

Morning

• This morning, we head out straight after breakfast for the drive north to Ctesiphon. We pass through multiple checkpoints along the route driving by many villages recently destroyed during fighting against ISIS.
• Arrive at the ancient city of Ctesiphon. These days all that’s left is the palace archway which is the largest single span vault of unreinforced brickwork in the world.
• Located opposite was a Saadam project under construction – a massive structure set to host an entertainment facility including a cinema. The cosntruction was never finished. We will scale the stairwell and arrive at the top to have a beautiful view of Ctesiphon. We’ll enter inside and up to the rooftop where you’ll find many bullet shells, bullet holes, and debris leftover from those days.
• Begin our drive to Babylon, once the largest and most important city in the world.
• On the way we will stop at a small city for a quick lunch for shawarma or falafel

Afternoon

• In Babylon we’ll tour the ancient ruins with explore what’s left of the hanging gardens, see the foundation of the Babel Tower (Babel being the Arabic name of Babylon!), and explore the UNESCO World Heritage Palace – part of which was restored by Saddam Hussein in the 80s.
• We’ll also see a replica of the Ishtar Gate and what’s left of it. This famous blue gate is now in a museum in Berlin.
• If we can get exclusive permission, you’ll explore one of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces. Perched right on top of Babylon, the dictator made sure he had the best view of the site. You’ll be able to walk through the abandoned building with one of the dictator’s former employees, who’s a good friend of YPT, and even pose for a photo in Saddam’s bathtub!
• Continue 100km southwest of Baghdad to Iraq’s holiest city of Karbala. The shrines of Imam Husayn and Al Abbas are considered incredibly holy for Shi’ite Muslims, the same way as Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.
• In the evening, we’ll go out and explore the city and stop by the outside of the Al Abbas Mosque and Imam Husayn Shrine. At night, the shrines comes alive, and we’ll rub shoulders with thousands of Shia pilgrims who have come to pay their respect.
• Dinner and overnight at Karbala.

Friday 12^th March – Karbala – Najaf

Morning

• After breakfast, depart the hotel and head into the heart of Karbala city to visit the shrines.
• We’ll provide abayas for the women of the group: they make for good souvenirs and can be used in other Muslim sites! Tens of millions of Shi’ite Muslims visit this sacred site, rivaling Mecca and Mashhad by the number of pilgrims annually.
• After visiting the shrines and learning about the traditions within Islam, depart Karbala for Najaf.

Afternoon

• Continue driving to Najaf, the third holiest city in Shia Islam. We’ll visit its most important site, and one of the most beautiful buildings in the country, the Imam Ali shrine.
• At a walking distance from the shrine, we’ll head to the UNESCO Heritage Site of the Wadi-e-salam cemetery, also known as the Valley of Peace. This is the largest cemetery in the world with over 6 million corpses. It attracts millions of pilgrims annually.
• We will then visit the local baazar and try Daheen, the popular Najaf sweet!
• In this Bazaar you can pick up anything local including clothing, kuffiyehs, dishdashas, perfumes, sweets and more!
• Dinner and overnight in Najaf

Saturday 13^th March – Najaf – Ur – Marshes – Basra

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel and we will view Imam Ali’s house from the outside, the very spot where he was killed, and we will have a quick visit to the Kufa Mosque, one of the oldest surviving mosques in the world
• Drive south to visit the Moon Ziggurat of Ur, a neo-Sumerian construction first built over in the year 2000 BCE and which has gone through various restorations throughout history.
• Ur was one of the world’s first metropolises and is, according to the Bible, the birthplace of Abraham.

Afternoon

• Visit to the Mesopotamian Marshes. We’ll take a boat trip through the maze of marshes stopping by local villages for a late lunch and tea. The marshes once engulfed the whole swathe of Southern Iraq with numerous floating villages. Today the receding waters have led most families to change their livelihoods but we’ll still see and experience the few that remain.
• Continue driving onto Iraq’s southernmost city of Basra, most famous for its port. For those with energy, we can head out and walk the new corniche, usually filled with families and activities!
• Dinner and overnight in Basra

Sunday 14th March – Basra – Baghdad

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel
• Take a walk along the Shatt Al Arab river and see some shipwrecks from the Iran-Iraq War from the 1980s, as well as the sunken remains of Saddam’s yacht. It was the biggest in the world in the 1980s and sank after being bombed during the 2003 invasion.
• 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.
• We’ll then depart Basra and visit the vast Basra British War Memorial – the memorial commemorates over 40,000 Commonwealth forces members who died during the Mesopotamian Campaign, from 1914 to 1921.

Afternoon

• We’ll then begin our longest drive of the tour back north to Baghdad with plenty of rest stops along the way for refreshments, toilet breaks and photos.
• We will stop on the way for a roadside lunch before continuing back to the capital, Baghdad.
• Arrive in Baghdad and check into your hotel room
• Dinner and overnight in Baghdad

Monday 15th March – Baghdad – Samarra – Mosul

Morning

• We’ll begin making our way north of Iraq passing multiple checkpoints again passing many villages returning to life after the destruction ISIS had left behind.
• Trip highlight – Samarra is famous for its Minaret (also known as the Great Mosque of Samarra). As it is closed for renovations, we’ll see it from the entrance gate and then go to a secret abandoned 8th-century mosque, where we can also climb the spiral staircase all the way to the top for an epic 360 degree view. Not for the faint hearted!

Afternoon

• Continue north and stopping for a quick bite on the way
• Explore the UNESCO sites of Hatra. A religious and trading centre of the Parthian empire, it has flourished during the 1st and 2nd centuries BCE. This city survived multiple invasions before being completely abandoned in 241 CE. Permission is hard to obtain so expect many checkpoints on the way!
• Arrive in Mosul. Iraq’s second largest city is considered one of the most culturally significant cities of the Arab world due to its strategic location. The city was captured by ISIS in 2014 and reclaimed again by the Iraqi forced in 2017. It mostly remains in destruction but the locals are determined to rebuild and move on.
• Head out for dinner and explore the nightlife of the city.
• Overnight in Mosul

Tuesday 16th March – Mosul – Bakhdida – Erbil

Morning

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Check the remains of the Al-Nuri Mosque. The most famous landmark of Mosul was famous for its leaning minaret, which earnt the city its nickname “the hunchback”, and was dynamited by ISIS. Reconstruction has recently been completed! The mosque is also famous for being the place where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the creation of its so-called caliphate.
• Walk through the neighbouring streets and encounter the men who are working to restore and demine the heritage of Mosul. The entire area is under reconstruction following the massive destruction caused by ISIS.
• We’ll see the nearby church of Mar Toma, or St. Thomas. Believed to be situated at the site of the Apostle Thomas’s home in Mosul, this 7th century church is being carefully restored.
• Visit the Al Tahira Church. It started construction in 1938 and is the largest church in Iraq.

Afternoon

• We will depart Mosul and head for the Christian village of Bakhdida. This village was largely destroyed by ISIS, but has completely been restored by its population – thankfully the inhabitants had time to flee before the arrival of ISIS and didn’t suffer many casualties. We will have lunch here before exploring the city.
• Stop by the Church Square. Pope Francis held a mass on his historic visit to Iraq in March 2021, where he famously said “Terrorism and death never have the last word”
• Whilst this village is full of many churches, we’ll visit the one not to be missed: the Immaculate Church. It is ridden with bullet holes as it was used as a training range for the children ISIS wanted to turn into soldiers.
• Continue on to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
• Pre-tour meeting will be held at the lobby of Sky Nova Hotel at 6:00pm once the Southern Iraq group members arrive to discuss tour itinerary and to meet your fellow travelers and YPT guide.
• Dinner and drinks will be in Erbil’s Christian neighbourhood.
• Overnight in Erbil.

Wednesday 17th March – Erbil – Sulaymaniyah

Morning

• We begin the day by taking a scenic drive of around 3.5 hours to the second major city of Iraqi Kurdistan, and the most important regarding tourism, Sulaymaniyah.  We will be stopping along the way for refreshments and picture opportunities.
• Here we will visit the Red House Prison (Amna Suraka). This is where Saddam’s regime imprisoned and tortured Kurds suspected of being anti-Baath. You’ll visit the prison and torture cells used at the time. Military vehicles from tanks to jeeps are displayed outside. There is also a new extension of the museum dedicated to the war against ISIS. One of the most interesting aspects about this museum is seeing the array of pictures of fallen Kurdish soldiers. Here you can learn in-depth about the Peshmergas role in deterring ISIS and the importance of female Peshmerga officers in this process.

Afternoon

• Sulaymaniyah has a great street food scene to try some of the local specialities for lunch.
• After lunch we will walk through the busiest and most hectic Bazaar in Iraq where you can purchase and browse some Kurdish traditional clothes or other antiques as a souvenir.
• Head to Goizha Mountain to see the stunning view of Sulaymaniyah below as the sun sets with an option to drink tea and listen to the local musicians playing Kurdish music. Depending on the weather, paragliding is optional on your way down.
• Dinner at a local restaurant serving Sulaymaniyah’s best and overnight at hotel in Sulaymaniyah.
• Optional evening endeavour, we’ll head to Chavyland Amusement Park – one of the largest amusement parks in Kurdistan with an equally iconic moniker.

Thursdsay 18th March – Sulaymaniyah – Rawanduz

Morning

• We make our way to Rawanduz but on the way if time and weather permits, we’ll head to Dukan lake for a short boat ride towards the dam (optional cost). The Dam was built in 1959 to provide water storage, irrigation and hydroelectricity for nearby townships. For a long time, this dam was nonoperational because the Iraqi army stole a crucial computer chip used for monitoring the dam as they left.
• We’ll drive the famously scenic Hamilton Road built by A.M. Hamilton in the early 1930’s for what he hoped would unify the peoples of the region. In fact, the road had been fought over many times, especially during the war with Iran.
• We continue our journey stopping at various waterfalls and mountains for pictures. These include the ‘Geli Ali Beg’, so famous that it’s on the 5000 Iraqi dinar note.

Afternoon

• Lunch at a countryside restaurant.
• We will pass through the town of Shaqlawa where you can buy locally made Kurdish wine
• We then visit Kharand Gorge, the deepest gorge in the Middle East. By early evening we arrive at Shingelbana Resort, a mountain-top theme park where we stay overnight in cabins. If open, there is time to enjoy some of the rides, including a dramatic mountainside toboggan offering spectacular views.

Friday 19th March – Rawanduz – Amadiya – Dohuk

Morning

• Following breakfast, we depart Sulaymaniyah and travel through one of the most scenic parts of the Kurdistan  Region as we make our way toward Rawanduz. En route we stop at the remarkable rock-cut tombs of  Qyzqapan, also known as Zarzi Cave, a rare archaeological site dating back as far as 8,000 BCE and one of the  oldest of its kind in the world.
• We will stop by Shamarda cave and partake in a short hike to the top. Here is an important archaeological site where the remains of 10 Neanderthals were found between 1957 and 1961. Here we will take a short but steep walk to the top where we can view the archeology site up close!

Afternoon:

• We will then head to Barzan, home to the Barzani tribe, whose members control Iraqi Kurdistan today.
• You’ll visit the Barzani Memorial Center – built to honour the 8,000 members of the Barzani tribe killed in a genocide led by Saddam Hussein, it is a sombering look at the violence experienced by the Kurdish people.
• The ancient city of Amadiya which is located on a high promontory above a breathtaking landscape. It was once an almost impenetrable fortress. The city Gate (Bab Zebar) is on the eastern side of the city of Amadiya built by Imaduddin Al-Zanki 600AD. A minaret 30 meters high stands in the middle of Amadiya.
• Visit a locally famous fish restaurant along the river for a traditional Kurdistan lunch.
• Continue our drive onwards to Duhok, which is a pleasant old town for our overnight stay.
• Dinner at one of our most favorite restaurants of the tour for the best selection on lamb and chicken. Tonight the local bazaar will be lively as people prepare for the Newroz celebrations!
• Overnight in Duhok

Saturday 20th March – Dohuk – Lalish – Akre: Newroz Festival – Erbil

Morning

• In the morning, we will enjoy buffet breakfast before departing Duhok.
• Head to Lalish – the spiritual heart of the Yazidi faith and the most sacred pilgrimage site for Yazidis worldwide. Nestled in a peaceful valley, Lalish offers a rare opportunity to understand the traditions and resilience of one of the region’s oldest communities. We spend time exploring the temple complex and learning about its cultural and spiritual importance.
• Visit the fourth century Dayro d-Mor Matay Monastery (St. Matthew’s Monastery) and explore of one of Christendom’s most important ancient sites in almost continuous operation for nearly 200 years.
• We hit the road, this time heading to the city of Akre, famed for its celebrations of the Newroz festival which just happens to be today! The city is believed to have been continuously inhabited since at least the 7th century. Here we’ll get to see the old fortress and the grand Mosque, one of the oldest in Iraq.

Afternoon

• Lunch on route
• Newroz is the most important holiday of the year for Kurds and we will be joining in celebrations where possible and appropriate
• Trip highlight – in the afternoon, we will make our way through the gathering crowds to situate ourselves in at the best location for viewing the evening festivities of Newroz. Thousands of people from throughout Kurdistan visit Akre for this festival. We will watch as a long procession makes it way up a mountain across the valley to light the traditional fire at the top of the mountain and a spectacular fireworks performance. Entrance fee not included.
• Late in the evening, we’ll head back to Erbil.
• Overnight in Erbil.

Sunday 21st March – Erbil

Morning

• We will visit the 7000-year-old Citadel of Erbil – the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth. Erbil Citadel was once a Sumerian City called Urbellum or Arbella, and it is believed that Abraham passed through this city on one of his journeys.
• Visit the Textile Museum within the Citadel. The museum features ancient Kurdish fighting tools, traditional dresses, handmade rugs from different regions and eras of Kurdish history, jewellery, and photos.

Afternoon

• Explore the food market and covered Qaysari Bazaar as well as many interesting items tasty sweets, and delicacies.
• Meet up for dinner and go to one of the most famous rooftop bars in the Christian district for a farewell event!
• It is fair to say you do not know a country until you have done a bar crawl, so we finish our time in Iraqi Kurdistan by seeing it off with a last night celebration

Monday 22nd March – Erbil

• Breakfast at hotel
• Tour concludes – YPT is also able to arrange post-tour accommodation or advice for flights.