Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Baghdad
Welcome at Baghdad International Airport. Transfer to your hotel. Afternoon orientation: walk Al-Mutanabbi Street and explore the copper market. Welcome dinner featuring Iraqi cuisine. Overnight in Baghdad. (D)
Day 2: Baghdad — Museums & Culture
Full day in Baghdad. Iraq National Museum — the world’s greatest collection of Mesopotamian artifacts. The Martyr’s Memorial, Abbasid Palace, and the Shorja covered market. Sunset Tigris River cruise. Overnight in Baghdad. (B)
Day 3: Babylon → Karbala
Drive to Babylon — walk through the Ishtar Gate, explore Nebuchadnezzar’s palace, see the Lion of Babylon. Afternoon in Karbala — the golden shrines of Imam Hussein and Abbas. Overnight in Karbala. (B)
Day 4: Najaf — The Sacred City
Full day in Najaf. The Imam Ali Shrine — one of Islam’s most magnificent mosques. Walk Wadi al-Salaam, the world’s largest cemetery (6 million+ burials). Visit the Great Mosque of Kufa and Imam Ali’s house. Afternoon: special opportunity to visit a private religious library with centuries-old manuscripts. Overnight in Najaf. (B)
Day 5: Uruk → Ur — The First Civilizations
A profound day of archaeology. Uruk — the world’s first true city, where writing was invented. Walk the ruins of temples dedicated to Inanna and the White Temple on its ziggurat. Then Ur — the Great Ziggurat, standing 4,100 years later. The Royal Tombs and the House of Abraham. Overnight in Nasiriyah. (B, L)
Day 6: Mesopotamian Marshes — Overnight in Eden
Full day and night in the Mesopotamian Marshes. Traditional mashoof canoe through the reed labyrinth. Visit Ma’dan villages, watch water buffalo, and learn about a 5,000-year-old way of life. Lunch and dinner in a mudhif (reed guesthouse). Sunset and sunrise boat rides — the marshes at dawn are transcendent. Overnight in a reed hut. (B, L, D)
Day 7: Return to Baghdad & Departure
Sunrise in the marshes — one last look at the water world that inspired the Garden of Eden. Drive to Baghdad International Airport for departure. Seven days in the cradle of civilization — you will never see the world the same way again. (B)
