Iraq Travel Answers

All I know is that there is a company in the UK that runs tours. don't think it makes any difference if you are a student.

I think you may find it difficult to find insurance coverage for such a trip, or have to pay a very high premium indeed. If you take an organised tour (and there does seem to be a UK operator) then it will presumably help organise personal insurance...but the tours are not cheap.

i have been in baghdad 5 months ago and it is not good idea to visit baghdad for touristic trip. becouse there are lot's of unsecure places and lot's of traffic becouse of checkpoints. you should think again, may be a few year later everything will be batter than you can visit

There is a company that has run tours to all of Iraq, but the only part of the country that is relatively safe at the moment is Iraqi Kurdistan, the regions of Dohuk, Erbil and Suleymaniyeh, areas that haven't seen the violence of the rest of the country, and are effectively controlled by the Kurds. Backpackers have been trickling over from Turkey in the last few years, and if you search on google, you'll find quite a few traveller blogs. Lonely planet even has a chapter on visiting the region in its Middle East guidebook. I'm planning to visit in the next few weeks, so will be able to tell you more later hopefully. From what I've found out, 10-day visas are issued at the border crossing or at airports (Erbil has scheduled flights to Europe and elsewhere), and these are valid for travel within the Kurdish regions only...it's almost as if there is another border to cross to get to the rest of Iraq. Insurance has been tricky to sort out. most policies don't cover you for trips to "countries where the FCO advise against travelling to", which obviously includes Iraq. However, some companies word it slightly differently, saying "countries or specific regions". The FCO Travel Advice advises against all travel to certain regions in Iraq, but that doesn't include the Kurdistan region. I'm not sure the north has that much to offer in terms of historical sites though. Erbil's citadel is a UNESCO world heritage site, and the old town of Amediye looks quite interesting, but all the ancient sites (Babylon, Nineveh, etc.) are south of the line you shouldn't cross.

G'day playboypablopablo, There are a couple of companies that are taking tourists to Iraq - but in my opinion the only part that could be considered safe for tourism is the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq. The Kurdistan region features stunning landscapes, friendly and hospitable people and is embraching tourism and the West in a major way - unlike the rest of the country. It doesn't matter that you are a civilian or a student. It is now also possible to get (relatively cheap) insurance to cover your time in country. I will send you a PM with some more information. Cheers, Shannon.

Hi maykal, Many citizens including those of US, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Canada, Japan and many EU counties do not require a visa in advance to visit Iraqi Kurdistan. On arrival by either the overland crossing from Turkey or a flight into Erbil or Sulymaniyah, a 10 day entry stamp will be issued for free in your passport. It's now possible to get (reasonably priced) insurance for travel to the Kurdistan region. You are correct that many brokers and insurance companies do not currently differentiate between Iraq and Kurdistan, although this is changing. There are a lot of historical places in the north as well, it's just that they are not as well known or preserved - the Kurds (and foreign preservation teams) are slowly restoring and cataloging a lot of things up here. The challenge is of course a region that has suffered for many years that didn't necessarily see a future - and lived for the day so to speak. Best of luck in your travel planning - don't hesitate to send me a message should you require any more info. Cheers, Shannon.

Thanks people for your advice Playboy

Thanks Shannon...I crossed the border yesterday, spent a night in Zakho and had a look at the old bridge, and am now in Dohuk. All good so far, enjoying the mountain views, the bazaars, the fruit juices...although I hear the road to Erbil passes through the outskirts of Mosul...everyone here has reassured me it's safe and under Peshmerga control, but how worried should I be? Likewise with the Erbil-Suleymaniyeh stage, passing through Kirkuk. I know there are other routes, but guess shared taxis don't take them. Any other places you recommend visiting? I've got Amediya and Akre in mind so far. Michael :@p

G'day Michael, I'm sorry for the lateness in my reply - I'm still trying to figure out how to get VT to send me an email update when someone replies to a thread - any ideas? I am guessing you have come and gone now, but I'd still be keen to hear about your travel experience here mate... how did you find Kurdistan? Cheers, Shannon.

You can only get an email from VT when you get the first reply to a question you have posted, or receive a VTmail. Check 'settings' to make sure you have ticked the relevant boxes (when you are logged in). Otherwise you just have to log into VT and check your 'notices' link at the top of the page. If you have a reply/comment/rating etc there will be an orange dot. Running your mouse over 'notices' will produce a drop-down menu and you can click on individual replies etc. Or you can just go straight to 'My dashboard', where you'll see all your new replies/comments/ratings etc. It's a bit much to expect VT to email you every time there is an additional post on a thread in which you are involved. Surely it is no hardship to log in for a couple of minutes to check? :-)

Rojbash Shannon, chawani? To bashi? I really enjoyed Kurdistan, and stayed a bit longer than intended (which meant extending my visa, an interesting experience...). Highlights were Erbil and Akre, though all of it was good. I'm slowly getting round to building some Iraq pages, so I'll soon have some photos and writings on here...but if you're interested, here's my flickr page: flickr.com/photos/maykal/set...

hahaha ur crazy man how was your vacation? ne way can you pm me the tour operator you used and the costs associated with your journey. just anotheer question did you go beyond kurdish region south or is it too crazy there still thanks bro pablo

hahaha ur crazy man how was your vacation? ne way can you pm me the tour operator you used and the costs associated with your journey. just anotheer question did you go beyond kurdish region south or is it too crazy there still thanks bro pablo Hi Pablo, I didn't use a tour operator, just went independently, like the other five or six tourists I met there. Shannon (who posted above) is probably the best to ask, as he works for a tour company in Suleymaniyah. But it is very easy to get around on your own...plenty of hotels, easy to get between towns by shared taxi, etc.. Costs...well, it was comparable to Turkey, with budget accommodation for 15-25 dollars a night. Transport is not that cheap, as it is mostly by shared taxi and not by bus, but it's not ridiculously expensive either. I didn't leave Kurdistan during my trip. Well, no, that's not entirely true, as at one point the shared taxi I was in passed through a checkpoint out of Kurdistan for about 15 minutes between Erbil and Suleymaniyah, but it was still a Kurdish controlled area on the outskirts of Kirkuk...it just happened to be the route used by public transport. Otherwise I wouldn't recommend leaving Kurdistan for the south. For a start, the visa issued on entry to Kurdistan is only valid for that region and not the rest of Iraq...you'd need to get a proper Iraqi visa, which aren't being issued to tourists anyway. Secondly, it's just too dangerous at the moment. On the Lonely Planet forums, there was a guy who posted recently about his attempt at visiting Mosul...he sounded like the sort of person who was just going to say he'd been to a war zone, but he got himself and his taxi driver arrested at one of the checkpoints...that's probably the best thing that could have happened, as it stopped him getting into even more trouble in Mosul itself. Stick to Kurdistan for now! It's a beautiful and fascinating region and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. :@p

G'day leics, And this is why I've just seen this now... :( I guess I'm used to (and like) the system that the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree uses - each time there is a thread post, you do get an email.. makes it easy when you're talking about a dozen or more travel sites I contribute to.. anyways thanks for explaining how it works! :) Shannon.

G'day again Michael, I am well mate.. I'm glad you had a good time here and that you enjoyed Kurdistan! How many days did you have in total? By the way, I have linked to your Flickr page on our Facebook group - so expect a bump in traffic from people checking out your awesome photos.. :) Cheers, Shannon.