Days 1-3: Southern Iraq — Basra to the Marshes
Arrive Basra. Shatt al-Arab boat ride, Ashar bazaar, Basra Museum. Day 2: drive to the Mesopotamian Marshes — boat through reed channels, visit Ma’dan villages, sunset birdwatching, overnight in a traditional mudhif. Day 3: Ur — the Great Ziggurat and royal tombs. Nippur — the holy city of Enlil where Sumerian kings were crowned. Drive to Najaf.
Days 4-5: Najaf, Babylon & Karbala
Day 4: Najaf — Imam Ali Shrine, Wadi al-Salam cemetery (world’s largest), Kufa Mosque. Overnight in a local family home — home-cooked dinner, conversations about life in Iraq’s holy city. Day 5: Babylon — Ishtar Gate, Processional Way, Lion of Babylon, Saddam’s palace. Karbala — Imam Hussein Shrine with its golden dome.
Days 6-7: Baghdad
Day 6: drive to Baghdad. Iraq National Museum (Warka Vase, Nimrud Gold, Assyrian lamassu), Al-Mutanabbi Street booksellers, Shabandar Café. Day 7: Abbasid Palace, Martyr’s Memorial, Al-Kadhimiya Mosque, Tigris riverside dinner.
Day 8: Samarra & Ashur
Samarra — the Malwiya Spiral Minaret (52 meters high, built 851 AD, UNESCO World Heritage site). Climb the external spiral ramp for panoramic Tigris views. Continue to Ashur — the first capital of the Assyrian Empire (3rd millennium BC), on the banks of the Tigris. See the ziggurat remains, temple foundations, and the desolate beauty of this nearly unvisited archaeological site.
Day 9: Mosul & Baghdida
Morning: Mosul — the Old City. See the Al-Nuri Mosque (its leaning minaret, “Al-Hadba,” was destroyed by ISIS in 2017; reconstruction is underway) and witness the rebuilding of Mosul’s historic neighborhoods. Afternoon: Baghdida (Qaraqosh) — Iraq’s largest Christian town, heavily damaged during ISIS occupation but now resettling. Visit the rebuilt Church of the Immaculate Conception. Continue to Bashiqa, a town shared by Christians and Yazidis. Overnight Erbil area.
Day 10: Lalish — The Yazidi Holy Sanctuary
Full day at Lalish, the holiest site of the Yazidi religion. Nestled in a green valley in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan, Lalish is a complex of white stone temples and shrines associated with Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir (12th century). Yazidis walk barefoot through the site — shoes are removed at the entrance. The central temple contains the tomb of Sheikh Adi, a sacred spring flowing through underground chambers, and the “Door of Wishes” where pilgrims tie colored cloth knots. The Yazidi faith is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions, predating Christianity and incorporating elements of Zoroastrianism and ancient Mesopotamian beliefs. Your guide will explain the Yazidi creation myth (involving a peacock angel), the community’s devastating persecution by ISIS (declared a genocide by the UN), and their ongoing recovery. Afternoon: Shanadar Cave — a Neanderthal burial site where archaeologists found evidence of flowers placed with the dead 60,000 years ago (one of the earliest known examples of ritual burial). Overnight Shaqlawa mountain resort.
Day 11: Rawanduz Canyon & Shaqlawa
Morning: Rawanduz Canyon — Iraq’s answer to the Grand Canyon, with dramatic limestone cliffs, waterfalls, and a famous zigzag road descending into the gorge. Zipline across the canyon (optional). Afternoon: Shaqlawa — a popular Kurdish mountain resort town with cool breezes, waterfalls, and mountain views. Visit Dokan Lake for a boat ride. Evening: Kurdish feast of grilled kebabs, dolma (stuffed vegetables), and mountain tea. Overnight Erbil.
Day 12: Erbil Citadel & Departure
Morning: Erbil Citadel — a UNESCO World Heritage site continuously inhabited for at least 6,000 years, making it possibly the oldest continuously inhabited settlement on Earth. The citadel sits on a 32-meter tell (mound of accumulated human occupation) with Ottoman-era houses, a Kurdish textile museum, and panoramic views over Erbil’s modern city. Visit the Qaysari Bazaar below the citadel — a labyrinth of 13th-century covered alleys selling Kurdish carpets, honey, spices, and gold. Transfer to Erbil International Airport for departure.
