Iraq Tours
Iraq Tour Itineraries
2022 / 2023
The world’s leading Iraq travel specialist. Join us throughout the year where we explore the “Land between two rivers” – Mesopotamia.
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Iraq is open and welcome to tourism once again. We have tours to Iraqi Kurdistan in the north and Baghdad and beyond in the south.
There is an abundance of incredible and untouched history waiting to be seen. All our Iraq Tours are confirmed departures. Unsure of where you want to go? Check out our Map and FAQs below.
Take a look at our group tour dates below. Dates don’t work? No worries, you can create your own tour.
Entire Iraq!
From Erbil - Duhok - Sulaymaniyah - Samara - Baghdad - Karbala - Najaf - Babylon - Basra & everywhere in between.
See our group Iraq tour itineraries below. Get in touch for an private tour quote.
Iraqi Kurdistan is visa free on arrival for most European countries as well as the US, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, Brazil & more.
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. If you are not from one of these countries then we will apply for a visa on your behalf. An invitation letter is issued and you can bring this to your local embassy to apply for the visa.
COVID-19 Update
Tour Itineraries
Overland from Baghdad to Erbil via Babylon, Karbala, Najaf, Nasariyah, Samarra and Mosul!
- May 7 - 13th, 2022
- 2190
- 6 days
Our classic Iraqi Kurdistan tour with a few costs cut!
- May 12 - 18th, 2022
- 990
- 7 days
Our classic Entire Iraq made slightly shorter and cheaper – but without cutting the sights!
- May 7th - 18th, 2022
- 3090
- 12 days
Safe again southern Iraq offers incredible ancient and cultural attractions.
- Sept 30 - Oct 6th, 2022
- 2690
- 7 days
We cover every corner of Northern Iraq as we celebrate the Yazidi festival of Autumn Assembly.
- Oct 6th - 12th, 2022
- 1195
- 7 days
From Babylon and Mesopotamia all the way to Kurdistan for a special festival!
- Sept 30 - Oct 12th, 2022
- 3680
- 13 days
Fly to the southern capital of Basra and work your way overland up to Baghdad!
- November 6 - 11th, 2022
- 2090
- 6 days
It’s our Baghdad to Erbil classic arriving in the Kurdish capital on new years eve!
- Dec 26 - Jan 1st, 2023
- 2190
- 6 days
Safe again southern Iraq offers incredible ancient and cultural attractions.
- May 14 - 20th, 2021
- 2895
- 7 days
See both the North and South of ancient Mesopotamia!
- May 14 - 26th, 2021
- 3990
- 13 days
We cover every corner of Northern Iraq in this action packed tour.
- May 20 - 26th, 2021
- 1195
- 7 days
A second Southern Iraq tour due to popular demand!
- May 27 - June 2nd, 2021
- 2895
- 7 days
From Kurdistan all the way to Babylon and Mesopotamia!
- May 20 - June 2nd, 2021
- 3990
- 13 days
See the North and South of this ancient land – Drive from Baghdad to Erbil via Mosul!
- October 26 - Nov 7th, 2021
- 3690
- 13 days
See the Kurdistan essentials in one action packed week!
- November 1 - 7th, 2021
- 1090
- 7 days
Southern Iraq essentials in one shorter more budget minded tour!
- January 8 - 13th, 2023
- 2090
- 6 days
From Baghdad to Babylon to Erbil – see the highlights of southern Iraq!
- March 8 - 15th, 2023
- 2695
- 8 days
We cover every corner of Northern Iraq as we celebrate the new years festival of Nowruz.
- Mar 15 - 21st, 2023
- 1290
- 7 days
See both the North and South of ancient Mesopotamia!
- Mar 8 - 21st, 2023
- 3680
- 14 days
If our scheduled group tours don’t suit then we can create your own tour on your own dates.
The tours are all inclusive of accommodation in standard hotels, breakfast, private transport, entrance fees, permits, guiding and translations. Excluded are international flights, most meals, visa fees, tips & insurance.
Southern Iraq tours are not open to Israeli passport holders or those with evidence of visiting Israel in their passports. Iraqi Kurdistan is the exception for this.
Some parts of Iraq are deemed unsafe to visit. We research and meticulously plan our itineraries based on advice from our partners in Baghdad. All places on our itineraries are safe to visit.
Sample Itinerary
Day 1 - Baghdad
- 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.
- Traditional Fish Masgouf dinner and overnight in Baghdad.
Day 2 - Baghdad & Ctesiphon
- After breakfast it’s another full Baghdad city tour starting with a visit to the Save Iraqi Culture Monument and see the Green Zone of Baghdad.
- Visit the Al-Yassin Shrine arguably Baghdad’s finest.
- Stroll along the Tigris River and see the famous old clock tower and Abbasid Palace.
- Lunch in a traditional Baghdadi restaurant.
- Drive out to one of the greatest historical sites in the Middle East: the ruins of Ctesiphon. These days all that’s left is a gigantic arch which also happens to be the world’s largest span of unreinforced brickwork.
- Dinner and overnight in Baghdad.
Day 3 - Karbala & Samarra
- Up early for the drive to Samarra. Pass through multiple militia checkpoints along the route driving by many villages destroyed during the fighting against ISIS
- Visit the incredible Great Mosque of Samarra and it’s iconic spiral minaret. Climb all the way to the top if you dare!
- Drive back south onto the holy city of Karbala, just in time to catch the historic shrines at sunset.
- Dinner and overnight in Karbala.
Day 4 - Karbala and Babylon
- After breakfast we visit Karbala’s famous Al Abbas mosque and Iman Husayn shrine
- Drive to Babylon. You’ll tour the ancient ruins with our local expert and what’s left of the hanging gardens.
- Explore the looted ruins of Saddam Hussein’s former palace – perched on top of the ancient city
- 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.
Day 5 - Najaf, Nasiriyah and Ur
- In the morning we’ll drive to visit the tomb of the prophet Ezekiel in the city of Al Kifl.
- Najaf, including Imam Ali’s house (the very spot where imam Ali was killed) and the Imam Ali Shrine itself.
- 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.
- Leave Najaf and drive south to visit the Ziggurat of Ur, a neo-Sumerian construction built in 2000 BC. This used to be the capital of Mesopotamia during the Sumerian time and it is a UNESCO world heritage site since 2016.
- Drive to Nasariyah city and overnight.
Day 6 - Mesopotamian Marshes and Basra
- Up super early for sunrise in 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.
- Tour the local market of Chibayesh and have lunch in a traditional reed house.
- Drive 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.
Day 7 - Basra
- Airport transfer & end of tour.
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Iraq Tours - FAQs
Most frequent questions and answers for our tours in Iraq.
Iraqi Kurdistan has always been generally safe as it has separate borders with the rest of the country. It is protected by the foreign aided fighting force – the Peshmerga.
Southern Iraq has recently become safe to visit. Since the fall of ISIS we have led successful research tours and organized numerous group tours there without issue.
Passports from the EU, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil and others are visa free for 15 days in Iraqi Kurdistan. Passports from other countries can apply for a visa through our partners for an extra cost.
Iraq has now introduced a visa on arrival scheme for citizens of the EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Russia, China Japan & South Korea. If you are not from one of these countries then we will apply for a visa on your behalf. An invitation letter is issued and you can bring this to your local embassy to apply for the visa.
For flights into Erbil and Baghdad, the main gateways are Istanbul and Dubai.
USD and Euro are both accepted in currency exchanges. Make sure to bring cash.
Our groups are capped at 10 people for added flexibility and comfort.