50 Difficult Places
Difficult travel landscape used for the Iraq country guide

Middle East

Iraq

Mosul (now partially reopened post-ISIS), Erbil citadel, the Marsh Arabs, the ziggurat of Ur, Babylon, Karbala and Najaf shrines (with permission), the Malwiya Minaret at Samarra, and Iraqi Kurdistan mountain trekking. The hospitality culture is famously generous.

Extreme

Why It Is Difficult

Status, May 2026: Federal Iraq is stable in most cities by 2026 standards but ISIS sleeper cells active in rural Anbar and Diyala; Kurdistan Region (KRI) safer and more straightforward; southern Iraq (Najaf, Karbala, Basra) operational and welcoming. US presence reduced. Foreign tourist volume has grown from a trickle in 2019 to thousands per year.

Why It Is Worth Visiting

Mosul (now partially reopened post-ISIS), Erbil citadel, the Marsh Arabs, the ziggurat of Ur, Babylon, Karbala and Najaf shrines (with permission), the Malwiya Minaret at Samarra, and Iraqi Kurdistan mountain trekking. The hospitality culture is famously generous.

Practical Travel Notes

Currency: Iraqi dinar; USD widely accepted. ATMs in KRI work for Visa. SIM: Asiacell or Zain - coverage everywhere. Photography: never of checkpoints, military or oil installations. Female travel: most reports positive; conservative dress in shrines and the south.

Access And Logistics

Kurdistan (the soft start) Erbil - citadel (UNESCO), Qaysari bazaar, day trips to Lalish (Yezidi holy site) and Amedi. Sulaymaniyah - Amna Suraka prison museum, Halabja memorial. Hamilton Road, Rawanduz, Choman - mountain drives toward Iran. Federal Iraq Baghdad - Mutanabbi Street, the Iraqi National Museum, Kadhimiya shrine. Samarra - Malwiya spiral minaret (one of the great visuals in Mesopotamia). Karbala and Najaf - Imam Hussein and Imam Ali shrines; non-Muslims should arrange permission via tour operator. Babylon (Hilla), Ur (Nasiriyah). Chibayish - Marsh Arabs, mashoof boat trips through the reed channels. Basra - Shatt al-Arab waterfront, southern markets. Mosul - possible in 2024-26, but stick with a local guide; the city is still rebuilding.

Safety Considerations

Treat security as the core planning constraint. Avoid improvising routes, keep a conservative schedule, and re-check local conditions immediately before travel.

Visa Or Permit Notes

Visa-on-arrival for 30+ nationalities at Baghdad, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Najaf and Basra airports. USD 75 cash. Multiple-entry, 60 days. Works for both federal Iraq and Kurdistan. Kurdistan-only visa-on-arrival was the historic norm and still works if you’re only visiting KRI. Yellow fever certificate required if arriving from a yellow fever country. Guides and operators (from the archive) Bil Weda Tours, Iraqi Adventures, Mesopotamia Tours all run scheduled small groups.

Obfuscated Contact Leads

These archive leads are intentionally not clickable and not clean-copy formatted. Re-type them manually if a lead is relevant, and verify independently before relying on anyone.

Archive leadSafraty - Iraq specialist operator. Contact raadjoe15atyahoodotcom. 8-day customised tour ran ~USD 1,500-1,700 pp for 2, USD 2,500-2,800 single. "Good value" per the archive.
Archive leadIbraheem Falih (driver-guide, Federal Iraq). WhatsApp plusninesixfourseveneightzeroonefourzerothreefiveonethree. Recommended by multiple EPS members; reasonable price.
Archive leadIraqi Travellers Cafe (Facebook group) - useful community for independent travellers.
Archive leadFederal Iraq can be done independently but the archive contains a vivid 2017 report of detention 25 hours, passed between army bases, while trying to reach Mosul solo. The 2024-25 reports describe far smoother independent travel, but checkpoints north of Baghdad still want a local contact. Nasiriyah specifically requires a registered local sponsor: send passport copies and the minibus plate to a contact who pre-registers you at the security checkpoint.