Come to IRAQ!
Dates: September 29th – October 7th 2023
Country: Iraq
Cost: €2,400
Availability: Spots available
Due to high demand and after FOUR successful trips already, we have decided to add another Iraq trip for 2023!
So, are you ready to embark on this eye-opening adventure? Join us as we delve into the real magic of Iraq, unravelling the layers of misconceptions and revealing the true beauty of this remarkable country and its people.
Get ready for a true authentic travel adventure that will not only transform your perception of Iraq but also leave you with unforgettable memories!
This trip will be led by Jennifer, who came on the very first group trip to Iraq in November 2021, and has since travelled with Janets Journeys girls to both Ethiopia and Syria.
What’s Included
- Tour guide, including at least one female member to arrange access to the holy shrines
- Entry tickets
- Transportation
- Accommodation
- All meals
- Logistic support and permission access to all mentioned places
Excludes:
● Additional snacks and any extra activities
● International Flights
● Travel insurance
● Tips for guides etc
- Visa
Accommodation
Throughout our stay in Iraq, we will stay in a mixture of 3* and 4* hotels.
All rooms on all trips are shared, with 2 people in each room. We will partner you with an adventure buddy – an amazing way to make new friends! You’ll be moved around to pair up with a new friend every couple of nights.
All rooms will be twin sharing, private rooms.
Itinerary
Day 1 - Baghdad
VIP Transfer from the airport to the hotel, welcoming from the team and check-in.
A tour of Baghdad landmarks will be arranged in the afternoon, if arriving time before sunset. This will include statues from the Arabian Nights and other historical monuments.
We’ll do sunset on Mutanabbi street, one of the most vibrant streets in Old Baghdad.
End the day with a traditional group dinner.
Day 2 - Baghdad
7 AM Start the day with “Qaimar Arab” breakfast near Tahrir Square – the eastern gate of Baghdad with the monument of freedom.
Visit Old Baghdad – various local markets such as copper market “Al Safafeer”, antique market “Khan Al Mudalal”, Souq Al Sarai, Souq Al Sarajeen, and Books market “Al Mutanabbi street”.
Visit heritage sites such as Madrasa Mustansiriya School, Clock of Qishla, and the Abbasid Palace.
This tour will be followed by a boat tour at the Tigris and a photo next to the Mutanabbi statue and include lunch at one of the famous restaurants along Hayder Khana street, we can also grab a treat from both Al Shahbender cafe and Haj Zbala Juice shop.
3 PM – Visiting Taq Kasra (the Arch of Ctesiphon) which is considered a landmark in the history of architecture and the largest single-span vault of unreinforced brickwork in the world. Served as a royal capital of the Parthian and Sasanian. Baghdadi grills for dinner or any of your choice.
Day 3 - Babylon
7 AM After breakfast, we will head to Babylon, named a UNESCO world heritage site in 2019. The drive will take about 1 ½ hour. You will visit the historical city, rebuilt Ishtar Gate, procession street, the foundations of the real Ishtar Gate, Babylonian temples, the lion of Babylon, the maze, southern & northern palaces, the place where Alexander the Great passed away. We then will drive up the hill to see one of the governmental palaces that was built during the 1980s and has a very beautiful view.
After lunch, we will head to Birs Nimrud, visiting The Ziggurat of Borsippa known as the “Tongue Tower”. This was an important ancient city of Sumer and has a religious edifice in honor of the god Nabu.
We will then drive to Karbala and check into the hotel. At night, we will visit the shrines with golden domes of Imams Hussain and Abbas, the sons of Ali Bin Abi Talib and shrine museums.
Overnight: Karbala / night 3.
Day 4 - Nasiriyah
Today, we will head 3 hours south to Nasiriya to visit the grounds of The Great Ziggurat of Ur, a UNESCO world heritage site since 2016 and the former capital of Mesopotamia during the Sumerian time.
The site includes Abraham House, Sholgi Palace, and the oldest arch of its kind at the entrance of Dub-Lal-Makh Temple.
Dinner and prepare for VERY early start tomorrow.
Overnight: Nasiriyah / night 4.
Day 5 - Iraqi Marshes
4 AM We will drive to Chibayesh and have a marshland experience – one of the highlights of my tours to Iraq!
Start with a local breakfast in the mud house and then it is followed by a sightseeing tour in numerous floating villages – the Gardens of Eden (birds, fishes, buffalos, reed, plants, and meeting the people of Ahwar). It is one of the largest ecosystems in the world and a UNESCO world heritage site since 2016. After the tour will be a meal of a special kind of fish in Iraq which lives only in the marshlands. You will have the tea from the reed house – Al Mudheef.
Stories from local people “Al Maadan” who have adapted to life on the water over the centuries.
Tour in the local market of Chibayesh and then drive back to Baghdad and check-in for one night.
Before sunset, a tour in Modern Baghdad will include Mansour and Karada areas, visiting some spots that locals visit daily and having a last delicious dinner in Baghdad.
Overnight: Baghdad / night 5.
Day 6 - Samarra and Hatra
7 AM Heading to Samara’a visiting the beautiful Abbasid Caliphate architecture and artistic relics, twisted minarets, and lake palace, the great mosque of Samarra. The shrines of two Imams. This historical city has been on UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2007.
After lunch heading to Hatra, an important historic religious center with its strategic position along caravan trade routes. Hatra was one of the first Arab states to be established outside of Arabia. (Sometimes closed).
Overnight: Mosul / night 6.
Day 7 - Mosul
Start the day with a local breakfast of local Moslawies bakery (Manaqeesh) and start discovering the reconstruction of the old city, especially the Al-Nuri mosque and Al Tahira church, by reviving Mosul initiative’s spirit UNESCO. Also visiting Bash Tapia castle.
Having lunch “Kubba of Mosul” which is the most delicious meal made by locals.
After that, we head to Bakhdida or Qaraqosh to visit Church Square, the place where the Pope prayed for Iraq during his historic visit to Iraq in March 2021.
Overnight: Erbil or Akre
Day 8 - Nature in Kurdistan / Erbil
Sunrise hike to Akre mountain, followed by local breakfast. Hit the road to visit Lalish, the holiest place in the Yezidi religion, which is one of the oldest religions in the middle east, and we can see the unique architecture with conical shaped domes.
Local lunch and driving to Erbil to visit the Erbil Citadel for sunset, followed by a walk in the local market. Kebab Erbil for dinner.
Overnight in Erbil / Fly home
Day 9 - Fly home from Erbil
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast depending on your flight departure before heading out to the airport.
Want to join?
Click here to send an email to janetsgrouptrips@gmail.com letting me know briefly WHY you want to come, and then I’ll let you know if a spot is yours or not. Once I email you back and confirm, you can pay the deposit to secure your spot.
**ONLY 11 SPOTS AVAILABLE**
Terms and Conditions
Your deposit is non refundable.
For the balance of your payment, I can refund you the full amount (minus your deposit) up to 8 weeks before the trip begins should you have an emergency / illness / need to cancel.
Anything closer than 8 weeks, I cannot refund you. I suggest you take out travel insurance that covers trip cancellations, that way should something happen like you get Covid, you will get a full payout from your insurance company.
Feel free to email me should you have any questions about payment methods, payments schedule etc.
