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10-day trip from Baghdad visiting Arrival in Basra, Basra City and Marshes & Ur. Operated by Fable Tour in Iraq.
Highlights
- Sunset boat cruise where the Tigris and Euphrates meet at Basra
From Basrah: 10 days in Iraq: Key Facts
| Price | From $4225 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 10 days |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Choose from 1 available option
From Basrah: 10 days in Iraq
Full description
A 10-day trip out of Baghdad taking in Arrival in Basra, Basra City, Marshes & Ur and Najaf, Uruk & Karbala. There are 10 stops in all.
The running order is Arrival in Basra, then Basra City, then Marshes & Ur, then Najaf, Uruk & Karbala, then Babylon & Baghdad, and on from there.
The price covers transportation, Tour guide, Entrance tickets and Hotel Accommodation. It does not cover anything not mentioned, so budget for those separately. Two travellers pay $4225 together rather than $4225 each, because this is priced per party and not per head.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Arrival in Basra
Arrival in Basra
Basra City
The 7th-century Imam Ali Mosque, one of the oldest surviving structures of its kind in the region. Then the Basra Museum, housed in a former palace overlooking the water, with a superb collection of Mesopotamian artefacts. In the evening, a boat cruise on the Shatt al-Arab, where the Tigris and Euphrates meet — passing rusting presidential yachts and watching daily river life go by. Overnight in Basra, with the city lights on the water.
Marshes & Ur
Drive into the Marshes, the largest wetlands in the Middle East and a UNESCO-listed landscape of extraordinary birdlife. Meet the Marsh Arabs and step inside a mudhif — a cathedral-like reed house built by a technique unchanged for 4,000 years. Lunch is masgouf, river fish grilled slowly over an open reed fire, a Sumerian recipe still cooked the same way. Continue to Nasiriyah for the Ziggurat of Ur (c. 21st century BC), the best-preserved monument of Sumerian architecture.
Najaf, Uruk & Karbala
Uruk, the world’s first true city. Writing, bookkeeping, city planning and the division of labour all began here 5,000–6,000 years ago; the great terraced temple complexes of Inanna and Anu still mark the skyline. It is the ground the Epic of Gilgamesh grew out of. Najaf’s shrine complex, a masterpiece of gold domes, mirrorwork and tilework. Nearby, Wadi al-Salam — 600 hectares and 1,400 years of continuous history, one of the most extraordinary landscapes anywhere. Evening in Karbala
Babylon & Baghdad
Babylon — the Ishtar Gate with its glazed brick dragons and bulls, the processional way, and the hilltop palace with sweeping views over the ancient city. En route to Baghdad, stop at Ctesiphon to stand beneath the Taq Kasra, the largest single-span brick vault in the world and the last great monument of the Persian empire in Iraq. Overnight in Baghdad.
Baghdad
The Abbasid Palace and the Mustansiriya School, one of the oldest universities in the world. A walk down Al-Mutanabbi Street, the booksellers’ quarter, and traditional Iraqi tea in an old café. Then the Martyrs’ Monument, a striking piece of modern sculpture, and the ziggurat of Aqar Quf (Dur-Kurigalzu), built in the 14th century BC. In the evening, dinner with a local family — the best introduction to Iraqi hospitality there is.
Samarra & Hatra
The Great Mosque of Samarra with its 52-metre spiral Malwiya minaret, once the largest mosque in the world, and the golden-domed Al-Askari shrine. Continue to Hatra, the richest surviving Parthian city anywhere — a desert caravan capital of the 1st–2nd centuries AD whose columns and temples blend Roman and Eastern design. Overnight in Mosul.
Mosul, Lalish & Alqosh
Mosul, ancient Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian empire and site of Ashurbanipal’s great library. Explore the old souq — the daily pulse of the city — and the Old City, still beautiful under its scars. Then Lalish, the principal temple of the Yazidis, a serene valley sanctuary of conical spires. On to Alqosh and its cliffside monastery, heart of the Chaldean community. Evening arrival in Erbil.
Erbil
Begin at the monastery of Mar Mattai, perched high on the mountain between Mosul and Erbil, home to a celebrated collection of Syriac manuscripts. Then the Erbil Citadel — one of the longest continuously inhabited places on earth, occupied since at least the 23rd century BC — plus the old bazaar and the Mudhafaria Minaret. The plain below was the battlefield of Gaugamela, where Alexander defeated Darius III in 331 BC. Overnight in Erbil.
Rawanduz Valley
Into the mountains: Ali Beg Waterfall and the spectacular Hamilton Road toward the Iranian border. A walk along the river through the gorge, finishing with a riverside picnic.
Includes
- Transportation
- Tour guide
- Entrance tickets
- Hotel Accommodation
Excludes
- Anything not mentioned
Important information
Meeting point
The operator confirms the exact meeting point and time once your booking is confirmed, and you will have it well before the day. If you would rather know before you book, message us on WhatsApp and we will ask them for you.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts