Iraq Tours

Kurdistan Yazidi Festival Tour

  • October 2nd - 8th, 2026
  • 1290
  • 7 Days
Itinerary

What's it all about?

It’s time for the biggest Yazidi festival tour of the year. The Autumn Assembly, or Cemaiya is a 7 day long festival in honour of Sheikh Adi, who is entombed at Lalish. This will be the centerpoint of this tour. Most Yazidi people in the region will try and make it to Lalish at least once a year during this week.

It won’t just be the Yazidi festival however, our Iraqi Kurdistan tour offers an extensive look into all areas of autonomous region of Northern Iraq.

Kurdistan offers not only safety, but stunning mountain ranges with thousands of  archaeological sites and some of the most friendly and welcoming people on the planet.

The tour begins with either arriving from our Baghdad & Babylon tour or joining us on the Friday by your own means before we head hit the road to explore. The trip takes us to the world’s most important Yazidi shrine at Lalish (40 KM from Mosul), before heading north to Duhok, Saddam Hussein’s former palace, Amadiya, Sulaymaniyah and back to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Erbil.

This is one of our favourite tours and it’s a great place to start if you have never visited the Middle East before. It’s also a great tour for those who hate applying for costly and time consuming visas! Check out the itinerary below and book your place today.

Highlights
Where?

Erbil – Lalish – Duhok – Rawandas – Sulaymaniyah – Erbil.

When?

October 2nd – 8th, 2026

Visa?

For Kurdistan, luckily it’s visa free for most nationalities including the EU, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. If you’re not sure if you qualify just ask us and we’ll let you know.

The Itinerary

October 2nd - Erbil

  • Arrival in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. Our guide will be waiting to pick you up from the arrivals hall. Transfer to the hotel.
  • Today is mainly an arrival day so feel free to walk through the main bazaar and change your money into Iraqi Dinars with the help of our local guide who will find you the best rate. Pick up a few souvenirs or just take in the atmosphere. Stop for Kurdish tea deep in the market.
  • Visit the citadel – the oldest continually inhabited place in the world. Visit the central mosque. Take in the views over the city from the top of the Citadel.
  • Optional visits to the textile museum, Kurdish museum, Minaret Park & the Jalil Khayat Mosque.
  • Rest up in the hotel before going out for dinner with the rest of the group in the Christian district. Plenty of Kurdistan cuisine options here!
  • Overnight in Erbil.

October 3rd - Sulaymaniyah

  • We hit the road early and drive to the second major city of Iraqi Kurdistan – Sulaymaniyah.  
  • We’ll stop at the old Jewish town of Koya along the way before lunch. Visit the ancient and crumbling Caravanserai here.
  • Walk through the bustling central Bazar right next to our hotel
  • Tea in a traditional tea house.
  • At sunset we’ll drive up Goyzha Mountain for the stunning views overlooking Sulay.
  • Get the cable car back down the mountain!
  • Dinner and overnight in Sulaymaniyah.
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October 4th - Halabja

  • Visit the infamous “Red prison” – once a torture centre for Saddam Hussein’s regime. The prison is now a fascinating museum.
  • We drive one hour to Halabja.  This was the scene of a chemical attack on the Kurdish people, perpetrated by the Baathist regime towards the end of the Iran/Iraq war. Here we’ll tour the memorial and mass grave sites.
  • We head to Tawela on the Iran border, and previously the front line in the Iran/Iraq war.
  • Lunch by the border.
  • Drive onto Ahmed Awa waterfall.
  • We head back to Sulaymaniyah for some leisurely time around the bazaars.
  • Group dinner and drinks.
  • Overnight in Sulaymaniyah.

October 5th - Rawanduz

  • We depart Sulay this morning and head west towards Lake Dokan. Weather depending we’ll take tea, snacks and a boat ride here.
  • Drive the famous Hamilton road.  The road was built by AM Hamilton in the 1930’s for what he hoped would unify the peoples of the region. It linked Iran with Iraq and was an engineering marvel of the time.
  • Stop by the Bekhal waterfall.
  • Continue driving through incredible mountain ranges stopping at various points for photos.
  • Overnight in Soran.

October 6th - Duhok

  • Drive to the historic Shanidar cave.
  • Amadiya – the stunning mountain top village. Walk through the quiet streets and visit the mosque and church here.  See the ancient gateway to the town.
  • Qubahan School – the fascinating ruins of an ancient madrassa
  • Drive to Saddam Hussein’s former mountaintop palace. You’ll know instantly why he choose this site. Explore the ruins and admire the views.
  • Continue towards Duhok
  • Tour the Duhok Bazaar and visit a tea house dedicated to Martyrs killed at the hands of ISIS.
  • Dinner and overnight in Duhok.

October 7th - Lalish - Erbil

  • Depart Duhok for one of the world’s oldest monastery’s – Alqosh is built into the mountains and is technically part of Mosul and Iraq “proper”.
  • We then drive one hour drive to Lalish for Autumn Assembly celebrations. This is the most sacred town for the Yazidi religion. We’ll tour the temple, meet the locals on pilgrimage here and learn about their recent dark history with ISIS.
  • Spend the afternoon here mingling and joining in on the festivities. 
  • Drive to Erbil – we’ll visit the citadel: the oldest continually inhabited place in the world. Take in the views over the city from the top of the Citadel.
  • Final group dinner and overnight in Erbil.

October 8th - Depart

  • End of tour, we can arrange additional accommodation or transport to the airport.

Join us before this tour for the Baghdad & Babylon tour and make it a Whole Iraq Combo tour!

Tour Map

What else?
Inclusions
Exclusions

  • Secure Hotels

    Twin share accommodation (single supplements are available for an extra charge)

  • Entrance fees

    All entrance fees (unless otherwise stated)

  • Guides

    Either an expert local guide only or a local guide and RRT tour leader. (Depends on the tour)

  • Transport

    Air-conditioned bus and driver.

  • Visa Support

    If you require visa support for Iraqi Kurdistan just let us know. If you're not sure, we're happy to help.

  • International Fights

    Flights to and from Erbil.

  • (Breakfast) Lunch and Dinner

    Breakfast is included at most hotels but not all. All other meals are extra charge.

  • Visa Fee

    Any associated visa fees.

  • Tips

    Tip are expected for your Iraqi local guides and driver.

Tour Notes

You’ll be in the experienced hands of our legendary English speaking local guide and Rocky Road Travel guide. We visit Iraq regularly, so we know the best spots and have perfected the itinerary accordingly. Your itinerary may change slightly but we will always endevour to go above and beyond with added extras to the itinerary such as stops at local cafe-bars, shisha lounges and amusement parks.

Before each tour we will add you to a dedicated WhatsApp group so you can share photos easily and chat 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.

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October 2 - 8th, 2026

Start & Finish in Erbil

Baghdad option

Start your tour in Southern Iraq

Premium hotel

6 nights in Iraqi Kurdistan

The price

€1290

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