Discover the cradle of civilization: Iraq

Itinerary

Day 1 – Baghdad

• Airport pick-up and transfer to our hotel.
• 10:00 AM – Meet up with our local guide who will give an introduction to travelling in Iraq.
• Firdos Square, this square holds historical significance as the site where Coalition forces toppled Saddam’s statue.
• Al-Mutanabbi street is the famous book street, here used to gather all the intellectuals.
• National Iraq Museum houses artifacts from Mesopotamian, Persian, and Islamic civilizations.
• Al-Mustansariya School, used to be the most important university in the Islamic world.
• Al Safafeer copper market operating since the 800s, making it the world’s oldest continuously running market.
• Highlight: Al Shaheed Monument, an imposing structure commemorating the first Gulf War.
• We’ll take a quick tour around at Tahir Square and Former Camp Al-Adala (where Saddam was hanged) and try to catch a glimpse of the crossed swords, which are located in the off limits green zone.
• Overnight stay in Baghdad.

Day 2 – Baghdad – Ctesiphon – Babylon – Karbala

• After an early breakfast we drive to Ctesiphon.
• Take a look at the old, gigantic brick arch, it is under construction, but still an impressive sight to see.
• Opposite stands the former Panoramic Museum of Ctesiphon, which was used as a fort during the ISIS war. Inside, we’ll go to the rooftop, where bullet shells, holes, and debris still remain.
• Drive to Babylon, once the world’s biggest city.
• Highlight: Tour of the ruins of Babylon, including the Hanging Gardens, the Tower of Babel and the partly restored UNESCO Palace.
• See a replica of the Ishtar Gate (the original is in Berlin).
• If we get the special access, we visit Saddam Hussein’s abandoned palace above Babylon with one of his former staff.
• Continue on south to Iraq’s holiest city of Karbala. In Karbala we provide abayas for all women in the group.
• Al Abbas Mosque is the place where Abbas ibn Ali is buried.
• Highlight: Imam Hussein Shrine is the place where Imam Hussein is buried.
• In the evening, we’ll explore the city and see the shrines, alive at night with thousands of Shia pilgrims.
• Overnight stay in Karbala.

Day 3 – Karbala – Najaf

• After breakfast we visit the shrines in Karbala. Tens of millions of Shi’ite Muslims visit these sacred sites.
• We continue to Najaf, the third holiest city in Shia Islam.
• Visit the Imam Ali shrine.
• Highlight: Visit to the UNESCO Heritage Site of the Wadi-e-salam cemetery. World’s largest cemetery with over 6 million people buried. It draws millions of pilgrims each year.
• Afterward, we’ll explore the local bazaar, sample Najaf’s famous sweet, Daheen, and browse local goods like kuffiyehs and more.
• Overnight stay in Najaf.

Day 4 – Najaf – Ur – Marshes – Basra

• After breakfast we will do a walking tour through Najaf.
• House of Imam Ali. Imam Ali was the son-in-law and nephew of the prophet Mohammed. This is where he was murdered.
• Kufa Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in the world.
• We leave Najaf and head South.
• Highlight: Visit to the ziggurat of Ur. An imposing structure in the middle of the desert.
• Drive to the Mesopotamian Marshes (wetlands).
• Boat trip through the wetlands, with the famous ‘floating villages’.
• Drive to Basra.
• See the confluence of the Euphrates and the Tigris river, next to it is the Tree of Adam & Eve.
• Overnight stay in Basra.

Day 5 – Basra – Baghdad

• Highlight: After breakfast we visit the Ashar & Shanashil Al Basra (Old Basra).
• Walk along the Shatt Al Arab River, where we see several shipwrecks from the Iran-Iraq War from the 1980s.
• Former Palace of Saddam Hussein.
• Long drive back to Baghdad.
• On the way back, we’ll visit the vast Basra British War Memorial.
• Overnight stay in Baghdad.

Day 6 – Baghdad – Samarra – Mosul

• After an early breakfast we drive to Samarra, on the way we drive through villages that have been destroyed in the fight against IS. 
• We’ll stop for a moment at Abu Ghraib. The abandoned and ancient site of Agargouf Ziggurat.
• Highlight: See the Samarra Minaret (also known as the Great Mosque of Samarra). If you like you can walk to the top.
• We continue north, towards Mosul.
• We will stop at the famous UNESCO sight of Hatra. Permissions are not always granted, but we will try it.
• Arrival in Mosul. In 2024 the city was captured by ISIS and reclaimed again by the Iraqi forced in 2017. A lot of buildings are under destruction, UNESCO and the locals are trying to rebuild everything again.
• Overnight stay in Mosul.

Day 7 – Mosul – Bakhida – Erbil

• Highlight: After breakfast we will see the remains of the Al-Nuri mosque, the most famous landmark of Mosul.
• Walk through the neighbouring streets where we will see UNESCO and the locals work hard to rebuild the area, after damage from ISIS.
• Visit both the Church of Mar Toma, also recognized as St. Thomas and the Al Tahira Church.
• Bash Tapia Castle, a 12th-century fortress within Mosul’s city wall.
• We leave Mosul and head for the Christian village of Bakhida. This village was largely destroyed by ISIS but has completely been restored.
• Visit the Church Square, the place where the Pope gave a mass on his historic visit to Iraq in March 2021.
• The village is full of churches, but we’ll visit the Immaculate Church. An impressive place where you can still see bullets and bullet holes from ISIS-time.
• We leave Bakhida and continue towards Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.
• Arrival in Erbil and end of the tour.
• OR: join the Kurdistan Highlights Tour.