Welcome to one of the most amazing regions you may ever visit! Kurdistan is not an independent country (yet!), but an Iraqi semi-autonomous region located between Turkey and Iran. Here you’ll find tons of historic sites, breathtaking landscapes, scenic roads, and friendly people that’ll welcome you anywhere.
The region is subdivided in 4 governorates, and for each we wrote an article with our selected highlights (except for Sulaymaniyah and Halabja, which are described together):
We also wrote individual articles featuring the most important cities in Kurdistan:
Within these pages above, we’ll find all the information about the places mentioned below. By doing this, we could simplify in great extent the contents of the current article.
How we got there
The region has two international airports (Erbil and Sulaymaniyah). We landed in Sulaymaniyah International Airport just because the flights were cheaper and designed our plan accordingly.
The plan was to drive on the first day to the farthest governorate, stopping on the way for some sightseeing, and then calmly proceed backwards to end our trip in Sulaymaniyah again.
How we moved aroud
As we can see on the image below, we had a number of spots to cover in our 10 days. This is only possible by renting a car in Iraq, which we recommend to do if you’re fairly experienced in driving in foreign countries. Moving with private and shared taxis would be too slow and much more expensive than a rental, all things considered.
Until recently it was not possible for foreigners to rent vehicles here, but that changed a few years ago. Apart from the regular Peshmerga (army) checkpoints, we found that driving in Kurdistan is no different from driving in Jordan for example.
A safe bet to get your rental in Sulaymaniyah would be Cihan Motors, located near the city centre. They’re associated with Hertz (it’s possible to book online on hertz.com) and we used their services. Please do keep in mind that they’re closed on Fridays, so plan accordingly. If traveling to Erbil, there are options in the city or the airport itself.
- Rent-a-car: 383€ / 405$ for 9 days (we did the 10th day on foot as it was destined for the city of Sulaymaniyah)
Day 0: day of arrival
We arrived to Sulaymaniyah Airport from Doha using Qatar Airways. The flight landed at about 3am, as scheduled. We took a taxi to the hotel (Khan Saray) and slept for a few hours.
- Taxi from the airport to Slemani city centre: 14-19€ / 15-20$
Day 1: Sulaymaniyah -> Duhok
Our rental pick-up was scheduled for 10:30am. The paperwork was easy to fill out and the payment almost straightforward (we tried to use Revolut first but it still does not work in Iraq). We were driving to Duhok in no time.
On the way there, we detoured to Lake Dukan and Ranya (do not forget to take the longer, scenic mountain road south of the lake).
We chose Kristal Hotel to stay the next three nights in Duhok. The hotel has an eighties feel to it, but it’s very central and we found the staff very welcoming. We may find several restaurants and the bazaar within walking distance. The hotel itself has no dedicated parking but it was not hard to find a spot for our rental.
- Slemani -> Dukan Lake -> Ranya -> Duhok (383km; 6h27)
Days 2-3: Duhok and around
2nd day:
- Morning: Lalish
- Lunch and afternoon: Duhok (Duhok Dam, Azadi Park, Peshmerga Cafe)
3rd day:
- Morning: Alqosh and Rabban Hormizd Monastery
- Lunch and afternoon: Duhok (bazaar, Zawa Mountain)
Day 4: Duhok -> Erbil
On the 4th day we traveled to Erbil, but once again we took the long way there to see some highlights on the road. Instead of going southeast, we headed northeast to see Saddam’s abandoned villa and Amedi.
We stayed at Erbil View Hotel for four nights. It’s a moderate walk from the citadel (roughly 1,5km) but the panorama makes up for that. There’s a private parking lot right in front of it, which we used.
- Duhok -> Saddam’s Villa -> Amedi -> Erbil (266km; 4h50)
Days 5-7: Erbil and around
5th day:
- Erbil
6th day:
- Morning and lunch: Aqrah
- Afternoon: Mar Mattai Monastery
7th day:
- Morning: Geli Ali Bag waterfall, Bekhal waterfall, Rawanduz canyon
- Lunch: Soran
- Afternoon: Mt. Halgord
Day 8: Erbil -> Slemani
Using the same process as before, we proceeded to Suli on the 8th day. The morning was relaxed, roaming aimlessly in central Erbil, where we had lunch. Afterwards we drove to Slemani, not without a visit to the Qizpaqan tomb on the way. We also stopped at the modest fortress of Koya but it was closed by then.
Back in Sulaymaniyah, we returned to Khan Saray Hotel (which we already wrote about) for two more nights here.
- Erbil -> Koya -> Qizpaqan Tomb -> Sulaymaniyah (192km; 2h54)
Days 9-10: Slemani and around
9th day:
- Morning: Halabja
- Lunch and afternoon: Bawra
10th day:
- Sulaymaniyah (after returning the rental at 9:00am)
We returned home on a late night flight (departing from Suli at 4:25am). P.S.: our flights were booked through Qatar Airways.
And that was our plan for a roadtrip in Kurdistan! If you have any queries or suggestions, feel free to use the comment section below!