Backpacking Iraq

[maxg]

Hello!
Just throwing this topic out there... I know that Iraq is more secure now than it was a few years ago, but is it safe enough to travel without security arrangements? Has anybody made any experiences in the last few years traveling in Iraq? I'm especially interested in the archeological sites in the south (Uruk, Ur, Lagas, Babylon...).

[TautTruffle]

Same question. Anyone?

[merodrem]

I only feel qualified to say that the kurdish region is safe except for Qandil mountains where the PKK is based and regularly gets bombed my Turkey. But still, the probability of being at the wrong place at the wrong time is very low. The border areas and the mountains are also mined. I have a good friend in Slemani who knows the region well, MP for details.
The south of Iraq and Basra region is said to be okay-ish, but I have no personal knowledge on this place, just relying on travelriskmap.com. For Bagdad region and the rest of the country, there is still a risk. The same friend (who grew up in bagdad) told me that the situation improved, but people can still get kidnapped and foreigners are targetted. I could tell you that my sister went to Bagdad in april and made it alive, but it's not worth much I guess you're most likely to survive if you go there. My opinion is that you have ponder how much the archeological sites matter to you.

[Ccandelario430]

Hello. I spent two months backpacking through Federal Iraq, not Kurdistan, from March to May 2022. I visited Baghdad, south to Basrah, Nasiriyah (day trip to Chubayish and the marshes) Samawah, Najaf, Kerbala, Hillah (Babylon), back to Baghdad, then north to Samarra, Tikrit, Mosul and Ninewah province, and Kirkuk. I traveled completely independently with shared taxis, minubuses, and buses and stayed at cheap budget hotels. I never felt unsafe and made a lot of Iraqi friends during my trip. I'd like to come back this winter.

[Ccandelario430]

Baghdad is a fascinating city, and I found it to be quite similar to Cairo or Lahore in that it's incredibly chaotic and densely populated yet chalk-full of centuries of history. I got around mostly by public transport and by walking. On my first visit to Baghdad at the beginning of my trip I stayed at the, quote, unquote, "safe" hotel in the international hotel zone on Saadoun Street, but on my second visit towards the end of my trip I stayed at three different budget hotels in Alawi near the Iraq Museum as it's a much more convenient location to be able to easily reach all the main attractions on foot or a short and direct minibus ride. The city is jam-packed with history, including the Abbasid Palance, Mustansariyah Madrasa, Al Murjan Mosque, Abu Hanifa Mosque, Qishla Ottoman Barracks, Zubayda Mosoleum, Sheikh Omar Tomb, Muttanabi Street and Shabandar Café, Coppersmith Market, Iraq Museum, and a lot of the city's history just sits there in plain sight covered in a thick layer of dust without having really been documented in English. It's definitely a place I want to return to once my Arabic improves more so that I can really discover all these fascinating bits of history.

I'm a "digital nomad" and found the upscale cafés at the Baghdad Mall to be excellent for working.

[TautTruffle]

Ccandelario, that's really interesting. One thing you did not mention: your physical appearance. It may be uncomfortable to hear it, but independent travel in places without tourists is SO much simpler when one can pass for a local. And conversely, much more complicated - and maybe dangerous - when one cannot.

[yungexma]

How should one approach traveling in Iraq (specifically Kurdistan in my case) given the recent events in Israel?
I’m interested in hearing some perspectives on this and if there seems to be a change in the risk factor.

[Ccandelario430]

TautTruffle, I'm currently in Iraq again! I wouldn't say I look particularly Iraqi, although I'm often mistaken for Lebanese/Syrian/Turkish. I try not to stand out too much by the clothes I wear but recently I was in Baghdad and decided to do a lot of walking around the city, and so I dressed in hiking boots, cargo pants, a short-sleaved shirt, a baseball cap, and a backpack, pretty much the typical Western backpacker look. The only difference I noticed that day was people were a lot more outwardly friendly and curious to know where I was from and why I was visiting, whereas normally they don't say anything unless I start talking to them first. I'd say back in 2022 Iraqis seemed confused and somewhat mistrusting of foreign tourists ("Why would you visit Iraq?"), but now that there are more of us they are much more accepting and welcoming ("Thanks for visiting Iraq!").

Additionally, the Facebook group Iraqi Travellers Café recently organized a Baghdad Walking Tour, the second one they've done, I think. There were some 15 of us from several different countries (US, Italy, Poland, Russia, China, etc.) and we all had a great time wandering around the souqs and cafés of Old Baghdad. They've got a Night Walking Tour scheduled for March 23.

[Ccandelario430]

yungexma, everything seems normal. I think there may have been some protests in October but as of right now you wouldn't know there's anything going on.

[Francesco1966]

Hi, I have been in Iraq around mid January for ten days, moving around like an ordinary Iraqi (on foot, taxis, shared taxis), and everything has been fine. Of course the country is in a messy state, and much more so "Federal Iraq" than Iraqi Kurdistan, there are many checkpoints along the roads etc., but people are very friendly, and I (middle aged Italian man) never felt threatened.