Thursday 16th May – Erbil

• Arrive at your convenience into Erbil – the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq which is well connected from many countries within Africa and most of Europe.
• Those who arrive early can use this time to check out Erbil’s bazaar or visit the Erbil citadel, one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in the whole world, with an opportunity to shop for souvenirs.
• Pre-tour meeting will be held at the lobby of Karwan Saray Hotel at 6:00pm once the Southern Iraq group members arrive to discuss tour itinerary and to meet your fellow travellers and YPT guide.
• Dinner and drinks will be in Erbil’s Christian neighbourhood.
• Overnight in Erbil.

Friday 17th May – Duhok

Morning

• We begin the day nice and early with breakfast, then begin a two-hour drive to Lalish.  This is the most sacred town for the Yazidi people and is extremely interesting as it is now maintained by only a few families, waiting for the Yazidi refugees spread out all over the world to come back
• We then head to the St. Matthew Monastery (Mar Mattei), the oldest Christian monastery in all Iraq and one of the oldest still in existence, period. Built into the side of Mt Alfaf in 363AD, it has a long and storied history of war and turmoil, yet somehow it has survived to the modern day.

Afternoon

• Next, we drive onwards to Duhok, which is a pleasant old town with its roots in the Dasini tribe of Yazidis for our overnight stay.
• On our way to Duhok, we’ll stop off at a local restaurant for a traditional Kurdish lunch.
• After arriving in Duhok, we’ll kick off a city tour and be sure to visit the Grand Bazaar and maybe even the ‘Dream City’ amusement park for those feeling up for some rides!
• When we’re done exploring, we’ll check out what tasty local food we can have for dinner in Duhok before checking out some nightlife.
• Overnight in Duhok

Saturday 18th May – Rawanduz

Morning

• In the morning, we’ll be having our breakfast at the Peshmerga Martyrs Cafe. The Peshmerga are the Kurdish military and have kept this region safe from the likes of ISIS.
• After this we continue to Gara mountain to see the Saddam Hussein’s palace at the peak, featuring a truly spectacular view fit for a dictator.
• From here, we go to Amadiya town, otherwise known as the ‘City of the Sky’. When you get a look at it, you’ll certainly see why! Perched atop a plateau, the whole town gives a beautiful view over the surrounding region. While here, we’ll be checking out the local sites, including the ancient gate of Amadiya.

Afternoon

• Following lunch, we embark on one of our longer journeys: the four-hour drive to Rawanduz.
• We’ll be stopping along the way for pictures at the Shamarda cave, an important archaeological site where remains of 10 Neanderthals were found between 1957 and 1961. We’ll also stop for refreshments.
• Walking tour of Rawanduz before we head for dinner and drinks.
• Overnight in Rawanduz where we stay in our own cottages for a little cottage party!

Sunday 19th May – Sulaymaniyah

Morning

• After breakfast at the resort, we’ll go to one of the waterfalls that is located in the deepest gorge in the Middle East.
• Drive the famously scenic Hamilton road. The road was built by AM Hamilton in the early 1930’s for what he hoped would unify the peoples of the region.  Sadly, the road itself has been fought over many times, especially during the war with Iran.
• We continue our journey stopping at various waterfalls and mountains for pictures.

Afternoon

• Lunch at a countryside restaurant.
• We take another scenic drive of around 3.5 hours to the second major city of Iraqi Kurdistan, and the most important regarding tourism, Sulaymaniyah.  We will be stopping along the way for refreshments and picture opportunities.
• In the evening, we take a walk around this historical city, visiting its parks and bazaar.
• Sulaymaniyah has a great street food scene so we go to the bazaar to try some of the local specialities for dinner.
• Overnight in Sulaymaniyah.

Monday 20th May – Halabja – Sulaymaniyah

Morning

• After breakfast we visit the Red House Prison (Amna Suraka). Here, Saddam’s regime imprisoned, and tortured Kurds suspected of being anti-Baath. We can visit the prison and torture cells used at the time. There is also a new part of the museum dedicated to the war against ISIS.
• If there wasn’t time to visit the bazaar the previous day, we’ll be checking it out now.
• Lunch at a local joint in Sulaymaniyah.

Afternoon

• We take the 1,5-hour drive to Halabja. Halabja was the scene of the mass chemical attack on the Kurdish people by Saddam’s Ba’athist regime that killed and wounded thousands.  Here, we will look at the various shrines to the scene of this atrocity, as well as visit a local museum.
• Return to Sulaymaniyah. If we’ve got time, we’ll head to Goizha Mountain to see the beautiful view of Sulaymaniyah above when the sun sets.
• Dinner in one of Sulaymaniyah’s finest restaurants!
• Overnight in Sulaymaniyah.

Tuesday 21st May – Sulaymaniyah – Erbil

Morning

• Breakfast at a local place in Sulaymaniyah.
• Early departure back to Erbil.
• Stop by old Koya Caravanserai and the Koya Fortress – fortress towns in Kurdistan left over from the time when the Ottoman Empire had control over almost the entire Middle East.
• We then complete the scenic two-hour drive back to Erbil.

Afternoon

• We head to the Citadel for sunset, which, although it has seen better days, is still worth a look.  We then head into the bazaar where your local guide will help you find some last minute bargains.
• We have a farewell dinner near the bazaar.
• It is fair to say you do not know a country until you have done a bar crawl, so we finish our time in Iraqi Kurdistan by seeing it off with a last night celebration
• Overnight in Erbil.

Wednesday 22nd May – Erbil

• Breakfast at hotel
• Tour concludes – YPT is also able to arrange post-tour accommodation or advice for flights.

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