Baghdad to Basra Tour

What's it all about?

Due to popular demand we have announced our new brand of Iraq budget tours!

What’s the difference? Our budget trips are one day less, we stay in less fancy hotels and will not have a western tour leader accompany the group. Don’t worry though, the group will be no bigger than 6 people and will be led by our expert local guides.

The Baghdad to Basra tour will take in all of the major highlights of Southern Iraq between the two cities. The area is spoiled with world-class heritage and is completely unspoiled by tourism meaning we will feel like the only foreign travelers in town.

There is a huge amount of ancient and modern history waiting to be explored. We’ll travel from Baghdad north to Samarra before heading south to the holy cities of Najaf & Karbala, and onto Babylon & Basra. We cover a huge amount of ground with our expert local guide keeping us entertained and explaining all as we go.

Join us for this one of a kind southern Iraq tour!

Where?

Baghdad – Samarra – Karbala – Najaf – Babylon – Nasariyah – Basra.

When?

January 7 – 12th, 2024.

Visa?

For Southern Iraq a new visa on arrival scheme has been announced for citizens of the EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Russia, China, Japan & South Korea.

The Itinerary

January 7th - Baghdad

Early arrival in Baghdad. Your tour guide will meet you in Baghdad Airport.
Introductory briefing on travelling in Iraq and a breakdown of the itinerary
Baghdad tour – See the Liberation Square monument, which commemorates the establishment of the Republic of Iraq.
Visit to the National Museum of Iraq. Reopened in 2015 after notorious looting during the war, it contains various treasure from the Mesopotamian and Babylonian periods.
Visit the incredible and well renovated Al–Mustansariya School. This is commonly known as the oldest school in the world.
Walk through the book market and adjoining copper market. A great place for souvenirs and photography.
Visit the Al-Shaheed (Martyr) Monument.
Dinner, Tea, shisha and overnight in Baghdad.

January 8th - Samarra & Karbala

Hit the road and drive north to Samara. We pass through multiple checkpoints along the route driving by many villages recently destroyed during fighting against ISIS.
Samara is famous for its Minaret (also known as the Great Mosque of Samara). We’ll climb the spiral staircase all the way to the top for the 360 degree view. Not for the faint hearted!
Drive south onto the holy city of Karbala, just in time to catch the historic centre at sunset.
Dinner and overnight in Karbala.

January 9th - Karbala and Babylon

After breakfast we visit Karbala’s famous Al Abbas mosque and Iman Husayn shrine.
Drive to Babylon, once the largest and most important city in the world. We tour the ancient ruins with our local expert and see what’s left of the hanging gardens.
Saddam Hussain Palace – Perched right on top of Babylon, the dictator made sure he had the best view of the site. We spend some time exploring the looted remains of one of his many former palaces.
After extensively exploring Babylon, continue onto Najaf. Visit the most important site of Najaf – the Imam Ali shrine for the daily late night ceremony.
Dinner and overnight in Najaf.

January 10th - Najaf, Nasiriyah and Ur

In the morning we’ll go for a walking tour of Najaf, including Imam Ali’s house (the very spot where imam Ali was killed) and the grand Kufa Mosque.
Visit the Wadi-Us-Salaam – the world’s largest graveyard. It is said to contain tens of millions of bodies. Many shiites request to be buried here in one of the numerous catacombs.
Continue the journey to Nasiriyah, one of the largest cities in southern Iraq.
Stop on the way to visit the Ziggurat of Ur, a neo-Sumerian construction built in 2000 BC.
Dinner and overnight in Nasiriyah.

January 11th - Basra

Up bright and early to drive south to the Mesopotamian Marshes. We’ll take a boat trip through the maze of marshes stopping by local villages for tea. The marshes once engulfed a whole swathe of Southern Iraq with numerous floating villages. Today the receding waters have led most families to change their livelihood but we’ll still see the few that remain.
It is also home to the Maʻdān population who over the centuries have adapted to life on the water. Stop by a traditional house for lunch and tea.
Continue south towards Basra, the largest city in Southern Iraq and the country’s only seaport.
Visit the Ashar and Shanashil Al Basra area to witness the old Basra – old style merchant houses with balconies leaning over the narrow streets. Stop by the Souq, History Museum, Saddam Hussein Palace (of course) and the Central Railway Station.
Dinner and overnight in Basra.

January 12th - Basra

Transfer to the airport.
End of tour.

Inclusions

Exclusions

Secure Hotels in Iraq

Twin share accommodation (single supplements are available for an extra $60 per night)
Entrance fees

All entrance fees (unless otherwise stated)
Guides

Expert local guide only on budget tours. Both a local guide and western tour leader on regular tours.
Transport

Air-conditioned bus and driver.
Visa Support

If you do not qualify for the visa on arrival - We will supply you an invitation letter which will allow you to apply for the Iraqi visa at your nearest embassy.
Airport Pickup/Dropoff

Airport transfers included.

International Flights

Flights in and out of Iraq.
Lunch and Dinner

Most lunch and dinners are extra charge.
Visa Fee

$80 on arrival in Baghdad, Najaf and Basra airports.
Tips

Tips are expected for your Iraqi local guides and driver.
Pre/Post Tour Accommodation

If you would like to spend a day or more pre or post tour, let us know and we'll reserve the hotel for you.

You’ll be in the vastly experienced hands of our English speaking local guides & fixer. We visit Iraq regularly, so we know the best spots and have perfected the itinerary accordingly. Given the unpredictable nature of travelling in Iraq, the itinerary may change slightly, but we will always go above and beyond with added extras to the itinerary such as stops at local cafe-bars, shisha lounges and amusement parks. We are in constant communication with our local partners on the ground who advise the safest routes to take.

Before & after each tour we will add you to dedicated email and social media groups so you can share photos easily with your travel mates. Just let us know is you want to opt out of this.

To book simply hit the button below and start the conversation today.

January 7 - 12th, 2024

Baghdad to Basra Tour

Extensions

Add days before or after the tour!

Standard hotel

5 nights in Iraq

The price

€2090

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Baghdad to Basra Tour

What's it all about?