At a glance
Duhok > Rawandas > Sulaymaniyah > Halabja > Erbil

Inclusive of

• Local guide
• All transport to complete itinerary
• All accommodation (Twin/triple share)

Exclusive of

• Tips for local guides and drivers
• Personal expenses
• Single supplement
• Food – average €20 a day

Thursday 22nd April

• Arrive at Erbil International Airport as per your own travel schedule. Erbil is served by several major international airlines.

• Those who arrive early, feel free to explore the Erbil bazaar or citadel – a bustling focal point of this ancient metropolis.

• In the evening we head for the welcome dinner, orientation, and drinks at our hotel, where we will review the itinerary.

• Overnight in Erbil.

Friday 23rd April 

• We begin the day nice and early for the 2-hour drive to Lalesh. This is the most sacred town for the Yazidi people and is extremely interesting. We will get a chance here to have some photos taken complete with AK 47s and with the soldiers of the Peshmerga

• We then head to the Khanis archaeological site where it is also possible to drop down into our shorts and have a swim in the fresh water

• Our next stop is at one of the worlds oldest churches built into the mountains in Algosh. Algosh is technically part of Mosul and Iraq “proper” and from the mountainside church, we will be able to see the Peshmerga front line against ISIS

• Next up we grab lunch and a few beers in Algosh as luckily it is a Christian town

• After lunch, we drive onwards to Duhok, a quaint little town where we spend the night

• Walking city tour, dinner and overnight in Duhok

Saturday 24th April

• In the morning we head to Amadiya, home to one of Saddam Hussein’s former splenderous mountaintop palaces. Take in the amazing panoramic views.

• We’ll stop by the nearby famous cave restaurant for a traditional lunch

• After lunch we’ll head off on the 4-hour drive to Rawandas. Stopping along the way for pictures at the Shamarda cave as well as for refreshments

• When we arrive we’ll take a walking tour of Rawandas before dinner and drinks

• Overnight in Rawandas

Sunday 25th April

• After breakfast we drive the famously scenic Hamilton road. The road was built by AM Hamilton in the early 1930s for what he hoped would unify the peoples of the region when in fact the road has been fought over many times, especially during the war with Iran

• En route we will be stopping at various waterfalls and mountains for pictures before getting on the only mountain cable car in the region, the views are stunning.

• We’ll stop for lunch at a countryside restaurant

• Next up we depart for another scenic drive of around 3.5 hours to the second major city of Iraqi Kurdistan and the most important regarding tourism, Sulaymaniyah.

• That evening we’ll stroll through the city before heading into the Christian quarter for dinner and drinks

• Overnight in Sulaymaniyah

Monday 26th April 

• After breakfast we take the 1-hour drive to Halabja. Halabja was the location of the mass chemical attack on the Kurdish people perpetrated by Saddam’s Baathist regime. We will visit some of the various shrines to the scene of this atrocity as well as visit a local museum

• We’ll stop for lunch by the border for some of the best kebabs in the entire region

• We’ll head back to Sulaymaniyah and check out the Red Prison. This is where Kurds were imprisoned and tortured if suspected of being against Saddams regime.

• Overnight in Sulaymaniyah

Tuesday 27th April

• After breakfast, we head back to Erbil, traveling the slightly longer route via Dukan lake, where, if weather permits we’ll have the possibility to go on a short boat ride and checkout the dam.

• We take a nice scenic drive back to Erbil and visit the Citadel for sunset, which, although it has seen better days, is still quit impressive.  We then head into the bazaar with our local guide, he is a good man to consult on last minute bargains!

• Farewell dinner near the bazaar.

• How many people can say they’ve done a pub crawl in Iraqi Kurdistan? We finish our time in Iraq by seeing it off with a last night celebration

• Overnight in Erbil.

Wednesday 28th April

• This marks the end of your Kurdistan tour, we can either arrange additional accommodation, or transport to the airport just let us know!