Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Basra
Welcome at Basra International Airport. Transfer to your hotel. Afternoon exploration of Basra — the Shatt al-Arab corniche, the old suq, and the canals that earned Basra its nickname “Venice of the East.” Welcome dinner: masgouf (Tigris carp) grilled on an open flame, served with Iraqi bread, pickled mango (amba), and aromatic rice. Overnight in Basra. (D)
Day 2: Basra → Mesopotamian Marshes
Morning visit to the Basra Museum and the old merchant quarter. Drive to the edge of the Mesopotamian Marshes. Board a traditional mashoof canoe and enter the wetland labyrinth. Arrive at a Ma’dan (Marsh Arab) village — meet your hosts, explore the mudhif (communal reed house), and learn about a culture that dates to Sumerian times. Sunset canoe ride through the reeds. Dinner of freshly caught fish grilled over reeds. Overnight in a reed hut — one of the most unique accommodations in the Middle East. (B, L, D)
Day 3: Marshes → Ur → Nasiriyah
Sunrise in the marshes — coffee on the water as the reeds turn gold. Drive to Ur, birthplace of Abraham. The Great Ziggurat dominates the desert plain — climb to the upper platform. Explore the Royal Tombs and the house of Abraham. Continue to Nasiriyah. Overnight in Nasiriyah. (B)
Day 4: Nasiriyah → Najaf — Family Homestay & Cooking
Drive to Najaf. Visit the Imam Ali Shrine and the vast Wadi al-Salaam cemetery. Then the highlight of today: visit a local family for an afternoon cooking class and homestay experience. Learn to make Iraqi dishes — qeema (spiced minced meat with chickpeas), timman (Iraqi rice), and dolma (stuffed vegetables). Share dinner with the family, drink endless tea, and hear their stories of life in Iraq’s holiest city. Stay overnight in a traditional guest room. Overnight in Najaf (family home). (B, L, D)
Day 5: Kufa → Babylon → Karbala
Morning at the Great Mosque of Kufa and Imam Ali’s house. Drive to Babylon — walk through the Ishtar Gate, explore Nebuchadnezzar’s palace, and see the Lion of Babylon. Visit Saddam’s palace overlooking the ruins. Continue to Karbala for the evening — the illuminated golden shrines of Imam Hussein and Abbas are magical after dark. Overnight in Karbala. (B)
Day 6: Karbala → Ctesiphon → Baghdad
Morning at the Karbala shrines. Drive north to Ctesiphon — the Taq Kasra, a 37-meter single-span brick arch built 1,500 years ago, still stands as one of the most astonishing structures of the ancient world. Arrive in Baghdad. Walk Al-Mutanabbi Street, browse the copper souq, and have tea at Shabandar Café — Baghdad’s intellectual meeting place since 1917. Overnight in Baghdad. (B)
Day 7: Baghdad — Museums & Modern Life
Full day in Baghdad. Iraq National Museum — Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Islamic treasures. The Martyr’s Memorial and the Abbasid Palace. Afternoon: explore Karrada, Baghdad’s lively commercial district with its cafes, juice bars, and fashion boutiques. Evening: sunset cruise on the Tigris River. Overnight in Baghdad. (B)
Day 8: Samarra → Ashur → Mosul
Drive to Samarra — climb the spiral Malwiya Minaret (52 meters) for a view across the Tigris Valley. Continue to Ashur (UNESCO), the first Assyrian capital, perched on a cliff above the Tigris — haunting and magnificent. Evening arrival in Mosul. Overnight in Mosul. (B)
Day 9: Mosul — Rebirth of a City
Full day in Mosul. The Al-Nuri Mosque and its leaning “hunchback” minaret under reconstruction. The Old City’s narrow alleys and traditional Mosuli houses. The Syriac Catholic Church of Al-Tahira. Visit Baghdida (Qaraqosh), a Christian town where residents have returned to rebuild. Meet local youth groups working on cultural revival. Overnight in Mosul. (B, D)
Day 10: Lalish → Rawanduz → Shaqlawa
Journey to Lalish, the holiest site of the Yazidi faith — white conical shrines in a mountain valley, utterly unique. Walk barefoot through the sacred precinct. Continue through the Rawanduz Gorge (Kurdistan’s Grand Canyon) with its dramatic waterfalls. Visit Shanidar Cave, where Neanderthal burials from 65,000 years ago were discovered. Arrive in Shaqlawa, a Kurdish mountain resort. Overnight in Shaqlawa. (B)
Day 11: Dokan Lake → Sulaymaniyah → Erbil
Morning boat cruise on turquoise Dokan Lake. Drive to Sulaymaniyah — visit the Amna Suraka (Red Prison Museum) documenting the Anfal genocide, a sobering but essential experience. The Sulaymaniyah Museum and the city’s vibrant parks. Afternoon drive to Erbil. Evening: explore the Qaysari Bazaar and farewall dinner overlooking the illuminated citadel. Overnight in Erbil. (B, D)
Day 12: Erbil Citadel & Departure
Morning at the Erbil Citadel (UNESCO, 6,000+ years of habitation). Transfer to Erbil International Airport. Twelve days, one cradle of civilization — Iraq leaves an indelible mark. (B)
