Ancient Citadels and Mountain EdenS

March 19 ⇾ March 26
October 05 ⇾ October 12

In addition to our regular group departures to Kurdistan, we also offer tour services for private travel parties and lone wolves alike. As a traveller-oriented boutique operator, tailored trips and bespoke adventures are our bread and butter. Get in touch for more info on our Bespoke Kurdistan Tours! 

DAY 1 to DAY 2 – WELCOME TO KURDISTAN

  • Meet-and-greet at Erbil International Airport and transfer to our hotel of choice in central Erbil.

  • The first two days will be devoted to the Kurdish capital Erbil and the diverse humanity inhabiting it: the Old Citadel, the Jalil Khayat Mosque, the Christian neighbourhood of Ankawa, and – of course – the local bazaar too: a labyrinthine network of streets, alleys, merchants, and hustlers.

  • Overnight in Erbil.

Bespoke Experiences • Cooking class and traditional meal with a local Kurdish family in Erbil and an exclusive meeting with representatives of the Yazidi community in Lalesh.

DAY 3 – LALESH

  • In the morning we'll head northwest to Lalesh, the holiest site of the Yazidis, a strictly endogamous ethnoreligious group sadly known for the persecutions they endured in Syria and Iraq at the hands of the so-called Islamic State.

  • We'll then continue to the impressive mountain monastery of Alqosh, an important centre of Christianity in Iraq, before moving further north to Duhok, a major Kurdish town near the Turkish border.

  • Overnight in Duhok.

DAY 4 TO DAY 5 – Rawanduz

  • We'll start the day early and drive east to Amadiya, home to one of Saddam Hussein’s former mountaintop palaces.

  • After lunch we'll head further east towards Rawanduz, a traditional mountain town surrounded by arguably the most beautiful landscapes in the region.

  • Besides the routine pauses for food, toilet and random landscape pictures, we'll break the four-hour-long journey from Amadiya to Rawanduz stopping at the impressive Shanidar cave complex overlooking the Great Zab River Valley.

  • We'll then spend the following day exploring Rawanduz and the neighbouring natural areas: deep gorges, green pastures, scenic mountain slopes, isolated Kurdish hamlets and the Jabal Karukh Mountain Resort, home to the only cable car in Iraqi Kurdistan.

  • Overnights in Rawanduz.

DAY 6 – HAMILTON ROAD

  • Transfer to to Sulaymaniyah, the second biggest city in Kurdistan, along the legendary Hamilton Road, a true infrastructural marvel built by Kiwi civil engineer Archibald Milne Hamilton, who narrated this larger-than-life endeavour in a 1937 book entitled Road through Kurdistan.

  • Major stops along the way to Sulaymaniyah will include the historic hill station of Shaqlawa and the lakeside town of Dokan.

  • Overnight in Sulaymaniyah.

DAY 7 – HALABJA

  • We'll spend the day exploring the southern fringes of the Sulaymaniyah Governorate, visiting Halabja, the dramatic theatre of a mass chemical attack perpetrated by Saddam's regime against the local Kurdish population, as well as the traditional village of Tawela and the tranquil Darbandikhan Lake.

  • Overnight in Sulaymaniyah.

DAY 8 – FAREWELL TO KURDISTAN

  • After enjoying a last Kurdish meal together, we'll take care of your transfer to either Erbil International Airport or Sulaymaniyah International Airport in accordance to your flight plan.

  • Possible tour extensions to this itinerary include: Soviet Armenia and/or Soviet Georgia.

  • End of the tour.

1695 €

INCLUSIONS
Double/twin hotel accommodation (breakfast included), private transport in Kurdistan (car/minivan), all entrance fees, English-speaking guiding service, 24/7 on-site and remote assistance.

EXCLUSIONS
Single supplement, international flights, main meals (lunches and dinners), extra drinks, visa fees (if required), tips, travel insurance.

KURDISTAN TOURS