How do you get to Iraq?
Travel to Iraq
Iraq has long been off the tourist radar. Since the fall is ISIS in the region however, things are starting to change. More and more people are interested in traveling to safe again Mesopotamia. In turn, more and more flight connections to the country are becoming available. Here we look at the most common and easiest ways of organising travel to Iraq.
Flight connections
Iraq has two major international airports; Erbil and Baghdad.
Erbil (airport code EBL) is the gateway to northern Iraqi Kurdistan. It’s most frequent regional routes are;
- Dubai (FlyDubai)
- Sharjah (AirArabia)
- Doha (Qatar Airways)
- Amman (Jordanian)
- Tehran (Mahan Airlines)
- Beirut (MEA)
- Istanbul (Turkish & Pegasus)
There are also long haul direct routes to Europe;
- Vienna (Austrian)
- Frankfurt (Lufthansa)
- London (Iraqi Airways)
Baghdad Airport (BGW) has all of the above routes plus more. It its the hub for Iraqi Airlines which operates additional flights to:
- Munich
- Mumbai
- Stockholm
- Berlin
- Dusseldorf
These flights are mainly seasonal and are subject to frequent change. Other international gateways are Najaf, Basra and Sulaymaniyah. They are well connected to Dubai & Doha especially.
Let us know where you want to fly from and we’ll let you know the easiest way.
Overland Travel
Currently it is possible to travel overland from Kuwait, Iran and Turkey. A common way to reach Iraqi Kurdistan is over the border from Turkish Kurdistan. A relatively simple border crossing awaits the adventurous traveller at the Ibrahim Khalil border point. It is a major trading route into Iraq controlled by the Kurdish regional government. From the border it is about 4-5 hours to Erbil.
For the last thirty years Iraq has suffered from endless conflict, sanctions and no-fly zone policies. Today the country has never been more connected to the world. Travel to Iraqi Kurdistan easily with Rocky Road Travel, most nationalities don’t even require a visa!
For Southern Iraq we will secure the visa invitation on your behalf so you can join our group tours. Check out for full range of Iraq Tours here. Get in touch and travel to Iraq with Rocky Road Travel!
