Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Basra — The Venice of the East
Welcome to Iraq. Your Koryo Tours guide meets you at Basra International Airport. Transfer to your hotel. Afternoon orientation: walk the Shatt al-Arab corniche where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers merge. Visit the mythical “Tree of Adam” — a gnarled ancient tree said to mark the Garden of Eden. Evening: dinner at a traditional Basra restaurant featuring masgouf — Iraq’s legendary grilled carp. Overnight in Basra.
Day 2: Basra — Ports, Palaces & Poetry
Full day exploring Basra, Iraq’s second city and historic port. Visit the Basra Museum housed in a former Saddam-era palace — its collection spans Sumerian, Babylonian, and Islamic periods. Walk through the old suq where merchants trade in dates, spices, and the famous Basra pearls. Take an abra (traditional wooden boat) along the canals — hence Basra’s nickname “Venice of the East.” Visit the shrine of the poet Al-Mutanabbi’s burial site. Evening: meet local students at a cultural center for tea and conversation. Overnight in Basra. (B, D)
Day 3: Mesopotamian Marshes — The Garden of Eden
Journey into the Mesopotamian Marshes (Al-Ahwar), a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest wetland ecosystem in the Middle East. These marshes — thought by many scholars to be the biblical Garden of Eden — are home to the Ma’dan (Marsh Arabs), whose unique culture dates back 5,000 years. Board a traditional mashoof canoe and glide through reed channels, watching for water buffalo, kingfishers, and Basra reed warblers. Arrive at a traditional mudhif (reed guesthouse) — an architectural marvel built entirely from reeds, without a single nail. Sunset boat ride through the marshes, followed by a dinner of freshly caught fish grilled over an open fire. Stay overnight in reed huts, sleeping to the sounds of frogs and water lapping against the banks. Overnight in the Marshes. (B, L, D)
Day 4: Ur — Birthplace of Abraham & Sumerian Glory
Sunrise in the marshes — coffee on the water as mist rises from the reeds. Depart for Ur, one of the world’s most ancient cities and the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim). The Great Ziggurat of Ur — a 4,100-year-old stepped temple pyramid built by King Ur-Nammu — dominates the desert plain. Climb the reconstructed staircase to the upper platform for views across the archaeological site. Visit the Royal Tombs of Ur, where Sir Leonard Woolley discovered the “Great Death Pit” and the treasures of Queen Puabi in the 1920s. See the reconstructed house where Abraham is said to have lived. Continue to Nippur, the religious capital of Sumer, with its partially excavated ziggurat and temple of Enlil — the chief god of the Sumerian pantheon. Drive to Najaf. Overnight in Najaf. (B)
Day 5: Najaf — The Sacred City & Family Hospitality
Full day in Najaf, one of Shia Islam’s holiest cities. Visit the magnificent Imam Ali Shrine — its golden dome and minarets glitter above a vast courtyard filled with pilgrims from across the world. Walk through Wadi al-Salaam (“Valley of Peace”), the world’s largest cemetery where over 6 million people are buried across 1,500 acres. Visit the Great Mosque of Kufa, where Imam Ali was assassinated in 661 AD, and the nearby house where he lived. Afternoon: a truly special experience — visit a local family home for a cooking lesson and lunch. Learn to make Iraqi dishes passed down through generations, then share the meal with your hosts. Evening: sunset at the shrine, watching thousands of pigeons wheel against the golden dome. Overnight in Najaf. (B, L)
Day 6: Babylon & Karbala — Where Civilization Began
Morning drive to Babylon — the name alone evokes wonder. Walk through the reconstructed Ishtar Gate with its glazed blue brick dragons and bulls, just as Alexander the Great would have entered. Visit Nebuchadnezzar’s Southern Palace, see the foundations of the legendary Hanging Gardens, and stand before the Lion of Babylon — a 2,600-year-old basalt sculpture. Explore Saddam Hussein’s grandiose palace overlooking the ruins — a surreal contrast of ancient and recent history. Afternoon: drive to Karbala to visit the twin shrines of Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas — among the most spectacular religious sites in the Islamic world, their golden domes and minarets visible from miles away. Overnight in Karbala. (B)
Day 7: Ctesiphon → Baghdad — The Round City
Morning visit to Ctesiphon, the capital of the Parthian and Sassanian Empires. The Taq Kasra — the world’s largest single-span brick arch at 37 meters high — is one of the most astonishing architectural achievements of the ancient world, standing for 1,500 years. Continue to Baghdad, arriving by early afternoon. Walk Al-Mutanabbi Street — the legendary book market named for Iraq’s greatest poet — where bookstalls have lined the street every Friday for centuries. Continue through the copper souq and the bustling Shorja Market. Visit the Abbasid Palace, the only surviving Abbasid-era building in Baghdad, with its beautiful brickwork and iwan arches. Evening: tea at Shabandar Café, a Baghdad institution since 1917 where intellectuals, poets, and writers have gathered for over a century. Overnight in Baghdad. (B)
Day 8: Baghdad — Museums, Mosques & Modern Iraq
Full-day immersion in Baghdad. Begin at the Iraq National Museum — home to one of the world’s greatest archaeological collections, including treasures from Ur, Nineveh, Nimrud, and Babylon. The Assyrian reliefs, the Sumerian lyres, and the exquisite “Mona Lisa of Mesopotamia” (the Lady of Warka) are breathtaking. Visit the Martyr’s Memorial — the split turquoise dome commemorating Iraqi soldiers — and the adjacent Monument to the Unknown Soldier. Walk through liberated Tahrir Square, the epicenter of recent history. Afternoon: visit the historic Mustansiriya Madrasa, one of the oldest universities in the world (built 1227 AD). Cruise the Tigris River at sunset. Dinner in the Karrada district — Baghdad’s lively commercial heart. Overnight in Baghdad. (B)
Day 9: Samarra → Ashur — Spiral Minarets & Assyrian Empires
Drive north to Samarra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Great Mosque of Samarra and its Malwiya Minaret — a 52-meter spiral tower — is one of the most iconic structures in Islamic architecture. Climb the spiral ramp to the top for views across the Tigris Valley. Visit the Abu Dulaf Mosque with its smaller spiral minaret. Continue to Ashur (Qal’at Sherqat), the first capital of the Assyrian Empire and a UNESCO site. Walk among the ruins of temples, palaces, and ziggurats that date to 2500 BC. The city that gave its name to an empire and a god now sits in haunting solitude on a cliff above the Tigris. Drive to Mosul. Overnight in Mosul. (B)
Day 10: Mosul — The Phoenix City
A full day in Mosul, a city rising from the ashes. Visit the Al-Nuri Mosque with its leaning “hunchback” minaret (Al-Hadba) — destroyed in 2017 and now being painstakingly reconstructed by UNESCO. Walk through the Old City’s narrow alleys where traditional Mosuli houses with their distinctive “shanashil” (wooden bay windows) are being restored. Visit the Syriac Catholic Church of Al-Tahira (the Immaculate Conception) — one of the oldest churches in Iraq, now rebuilt. Explore the Mosul Museum. Visit Bashiqa, a town near Mosul with one of Iraq’s last surviving Yazidi temples. Evening: meet local activists and artists working to rebuild Mosul’s cultural life. Overnight in Mosul. (B, D)
Day 11: Lalish — The Heart of Yazidi Faith → Duhok
Journey to Lalish, the holiest site of the Yazidi religion. Nestled in a narrow mountain valley, Lalish’s white conical shrines represent one of the world’s most ancient and misunderstood faiths. Walk barefoot through the sacred precinct — the temple of Sheikh Adi, the sacred spring of Zemzem, and the olive groves where pilgrims tie colorful fabric strips to trees as prayers. Yazidi cosmology combines elements of Zoroastrianism, Islam, and ancient Mesopotamian beliefs. Continue to Duhok, a vibrant Kurdish city. Visit the Duhok Bazaar and enjoy Kurdish cuisine — kebabs, dolma, and freshly baked bread. Overnight in Duhok. (B)
Day 12: Amedi — The Mountain Citadel & Rawanduz Gorge
Drive to Amedi, one of the most dramatically situated towns in the Middle East — a 4,000-year-old settlement perched on a flat-topped mountain with sheer cliffs on all sides. The views across the valleys of Kurdistan are spectacular. Walk the ancient streets, visit the mosque built on the ruins of a Zoroastrian fire temple, and see the ancient gateway carved with Assyrian reliefs of kings. Continue through the Rawanduz Gorge — a stunning canyon known as the “Grand Canyon of Kurdistan” with waterfalls cascading down its walls. Stop at Bekhal Waterfall and the Shanidar Cave, where Neanderthal burials dating back 65,000 years were discovered — among the earliest evidence of ritual burial in human history. Overnight in Shaqlawa, a popular Kurdish mountain resort town. (B, L)
Day 13: Dokan Lake & Sulaymaniyah — Kurdish Culture
Morning cruise on the turquoise waters of Dokan Lake, surrounded by the Zagros Mountains. Continue to Sulaymaniyah, the cultural capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. Visit the Amna Suraka (Red Security Building) — the former Ba’athist torture prison now transformed into a powerful museum documenting the Kurdish genocide (Anfal campaign). It is sobering, essential, and a testament to the Kurdish spirit. Visit the Sulaymaniyah Museum, the second-largest archaeological museum in Iraq. Afternoon: stroll through the city’s parks and the vibrant Salim Street. Stop at Halabja, the site of the 1988 chemical attack, to pay respects at the memorial. Overnight in Sulaymaniyah. (B)
Day 14: Erbil — The Oldest Continuously Inhabited City
Drive to Erbil (Hawler in Kurdish), capital of the Kurdistan Region. The Erbil Citadel — a UNESCO World Heritage site — rises 32 meters above the city on a tell that has been continuously inhabited for at least 6,000 years, making it one of the oldest continuously occupied settlements on Earth. Walk the citadel’s alleyways, visit the Textile Museum and the Kurdish Heritage Museum. Descend to the Qaysari Bazaar — a labyrinth of covered market lanes dating to the 13th century where you can find Kurdish carpets, handmade knives, honey, and spices. Afternoon: visit the Jalil Khayat Mosque, Erbil’s largest, and the Sami Abdulrahman Park. Farewell dinner at a rooftop restaurant overlooking the citadel lit up at night — the perfect finale. Overnight in Erbil. (B, D)
Day 15: Departure from Erbil
Final morning in Erbil. Transfer to Erbil International Airport for your departure flight. You leave Iraq with a profound understanding of a land where civilization itself was born — from the first cities of Sumer to the ziggurats of Ur, from Babylon’s hanging gardens to Kurdistan’s mountain citadels. Iraq: the cradle, the crossroads, the comeback story of our time.
