Hinterland Travel

Iraq- Mesopotamia-Kurdistan


	Mesopotamia


	The present situation in Mesopotamia has improved vastly this year and we have successfully operated several tours. We are looking forward to 2010, adding some of the previously off-limit sites to our itinerary. Also, a new feature, will be access to Saddam Palaces and other associated sites. Geoff continues to lead the tours and maintain his links with the country and its people.


	North Iraq Kurdistan and Kurdistan Iran


	We began to explore the Kurdish World in 2007, operating via Turkey and Iran. We continue the experience in 2010 / 2011

All bookings and deposits made in in the calendar year prior to departure will attract a ground tour discount of 7.5%.

Mesopotamia Tour Dates 2010

17 day tours
6^th March; 3^rd April; 9^th May; 8^th September; 5^th October and 2^nd November.

9 day tours
Shorter tours for those with less time, incorporating the highlights of our 17 day tours.
6^th March; 3^rd April; 9^th May; 8^th September; 5^th October and 2^nd November.

Kurdistan and Mesopotamia
21 day tours departing September 4^th

Turkey, Kurdistan Iraq and Iran
21 day tour departing 14^th May

MESOPOTAMIA

Itinerary for 17 day tours

As per our intended dates (above). All tours will be led by a Hinterland Travel tour leader plus an English speaking Iraq tour guide. Accommodation will be included.

Costs and style of accommodation and meals will, at first, be subject to constant change - but our policy is, as always, to keep costs down as much as possible for our clients and to see as much as can be fitted in the time available. For a real experience of ancient, historical, modern or recent history combined with all those fascinating facets of religious history, past and recent then three weeks is required, but for those without the time to spare, our 9 day tours gives a taster of the delights of Iraq. We will also offer glimpses of Saddam residences where possible.

* as dedicated friends of Iraq and wanting to contribute our share to the future of the country, we ask all interested travellers, for now and in the future, to send into us your names and contact details so that we can update you regularly as to the travel opportunities in Iraq. Email - hinterland@btconnect.com


	17 day Tour


	Day 1	London to Instanbul (flight)
	Day 2	Istanbul to Baghdad (flight). Afternoon excursions.
	Day 3	Baghdad
	Day 4	Baghdad to Samarra to Erbil
	Day 5	Erbil excursions
	Day 6	Erbil to Nimrud and Mar Benham to Baghdad
	Day 7	Baghdad excursions
	Day 8	Baghdad to Babylon to Borsippar to Kerbala
	Day 9	Kerbala to Ukheider to Al Tar caves
	Day 10	Kerbala to El Khifal to Kufa to Najaf
	Day 11	Najaf to Nippur to Uruk to Nasiriya
	Day 12	Ur to Eridu to Tel Ubaid to Nasiriya
	Day 13	Via Marshes to Basra
	Day 14	Basra excursions and Shatt Al Arab
	Day 15	Return to Baghdad
	Day 16	Full day Baghdad with excursions
	Day 17	Baghdad to Istanbul to London (flight)

That's the bare bones of our schedule. Basic costs from Ł2,300 plus international flights and visas.


	9 day Tour as per our intended dates above


	Day 1	Arrive Baghdad, afternoon excursions, overnight Baghdad
	Day 2	Baghdad city tour - Khadimain Shrine, Palace and school; National Museum, Mirjan Mosque, tel Harmal. overnight Baghdad
	Day 3	Drive to Samarra Mosque and Minaret. Possibly visit the assyrian site of Assur, then to Erbil, provincial capital of Kurdistan. Overnight Erbil.
	Day 4	Erbil city excursions and visit to der Mar Matti Monastery. Overnight Erbil
	Day 5	Return to Baghdad via the Assyrian site of Nimrud and Der Mar Benham Monastery. Overnight Baghdad
	Day 6	Baghdad excursions includung Ctesiphon Arch and Saddam crossed swords. Overnight Baghdad.
	Day 7	To Babylon, Borsippa and Kish, Mespoptamian cities. Overnight in the shrine city of Kerbala.
	Day 8	Drive via the shrine cities of Najaf and Kufa. Overnight Baghdad
	Day 9	Depart from Baghdad

Ground cost Ł1,600


	Our New tour - Turkey into Kurdistan Iraq and Southern Iraq.


	Day 1	London to Istanbul to Diyarbakir (flights).
	Day 2	Diyarbakir city tour.
	Day 3	Cross into Kurdistan Iraq travel to Dohuk.
	Day 4	Excursions, Ain Sifni, Lalish Temple of the Yezidi, Batavian Gorge for Assyrian Reliefs.
	Day 5	Travel to Erbil . City tour or Mar Matti Monastery.
	Day 6	Travel to Sulaimaniyah via Rawanduz.
	Day 7	Excursion to Halabja.
	Day 8	Visit Assyrian Nimrud, overnight Erbil.
	Day 9	Travel via Mar Benham and Samarra to Baghdad.
	Day 10/11	Baghdad excursions.- Ctesiphon Arch etc.
	Day 12	To Babylon, to Borsippar and Kish - Sumerian cities to Holy Kerbala.
	Day 13	To Ukheider, Al Tar Caves to Kerbala.
	Day 14	To El Khifal the shrine of Ezekial, Kufa, and The Shrine city Najaf.
	Day 15	South into Sumeria . Ancient Nippur and Uruk to Nasiriya.
	Day 16	We visit the Sumerian sites of Ur, then Eridu and Tel Ubaid to Nasiriya.
	Day 17	We skirt the Marsh Arab area to Basra.
	Day 18	Basra city and excursions.
	Day 19	Return to Baghdad.
	Day 20	Depart to Istanbul (flight).
	Day 21	Istanbul to London (flight).

Note. This is a very packed tour and we see much more than the brief description given above. Obviously there is the utmost interest in the most recent events and we shall do our best to see what is available, such as any Saddam Palace vacant of troops and the events around Tikrit. Hotels have been badly treated by all concerned so our tour will be very varied in the quality of hotels that we can use. This state of affairs will improve. Until there is a completely stable situation everywhere in Iraq our schedule will be subject to changes in order of visiting places and sometimes having to omit sites. We hope always to replace those sites with something of interest. We are always looking to add sites in any event.

Note. For those with less time available we can arrange for you to travel on just part of the tour. This has to be a feasible logistical section and individual travel transfers at the individuals extra cost. Please enquire.

Costs 2010

Ground tour costs - these are subject to change but we have a costing from Ł2,460 sterling. However our costs will include all ground transport, group airport transferes, internal flights, site entrance fees, tour guide, Hinterland Travel tour leader, some local guides, guards if necessary, Hotel accommodation, breakfast and dinner in Mesopotamia only.

Not included - International Flights, individual airport transfers and airport hotels (if required), travel insurance, visas, main meals (subject to change), main meals in Turkey and Kurdistan Iraq until Day 8 as above.

Flights - At the moment these are subject to great change. Flights into Baghdad at present travel via Amman, Damascus, Istanbul, Bahrein etc.We need to have our clients arrive on a single day and mostly together for visa arrangements. We will advise group flights and these can be arranged through IKB of London www.YoushouldTravel.com. Please note in these developing years of travel resuming into Iraq there are constant changes with flights, schedules, prices, taxes etc.. We cannot be held responsible for these changes.


	South Eastern TURKEY, IRAQ KURDISTAN and North Western IRAN


	Our focus is the Kurdish ethnic areas of Turkey, Iraq and Iran. Certainly Kurdistan Iraq has been little explored in the travel field and has not been linked as we are now doing.
		Eastern Turkey
	Day 1	Depart London via Istanbul to Diyabakir.
	Day 2	Full day in Diyabakir.
		Kurdistan Iraq
	Day 3	Drive via Mardin to Border, crossing into Kurdistan Iraq via Zakho to Dohuk.
	Day 4	Full day in Dohuk and surrounding country visiting Lalish and Yezidi village of Ain Safni and the Assyrian reliefs at the Bavian Gorge/canal.
	Day 5/6/7	Departure for Erbil (Howler). Our circuital road route (due to present Iraq crisis) takes us very close, if not across, to the Battlefield of Gaugamela where Alexander finally broke the Persian King and effectively his Empire and we cross the Greater Zab river most probably where Alexander also crossed. In Erbil we visit the Citadel, Museum and Markets. Also we intend to visit the Monastery of Der Mar Matti outside of the city. When we leave Erbil we travel to Sulamainiye either cross country via Dokhan or via Kirkuk depending on the security situation. We intend to visit or find the site of Jarmo. A pre pottery Neolithic, 6,000 B.C. village.
	Day 8/9/10	From Sulamainiye we visit Halabja and the notorious prison Amna Suraka. Traveling on via Dokhan Lake we stop at Rawanduz - historically important and marvellous country. Now for 2008/9 we extend our tour to travel further north possibly to visit Sharindar cave and also the Amadiyah Castle before stopping at either Dohuk or Zakho.
	Day 11	Given the present political /security situation we travel back across to Turkey and Cizra, ending our almost endless day, travelling through marvellous scenery to Hakkari. The actual crossings into Turkey are subject to change at moment.
		Iran
	Day 12	We cross into Iran and stay at Miandoab.
	Day 13	This day see us visit the marvellous ancient site of Takht e Soleiman( the throne of Soleman). Surrounded by city walls with a volcanic lake in the centre, this is great history .After we travel to the heart of Kurdish Iran and stay in Sanandaj.
	Day 14	Kermanshah, is our next large city and here are the Sassanian Grottoes. The Rock inscriptions at Bistoun , first deciphered by Rawlinson are not far and we also stop to see The Temple of Anahita en route to Hamadan, that once Royal Persian City.
	Day 15/16	Turning north we travel to Takestan and Zanjan visiting the great Mausoleum of the Mongol Sultan at Soltaniyeh en route. Our next stop is at Ardabil where we see the magnificent Shrine of Sheik Safi od Din, founder of the Safavid dynasty. Also the famous Adabil carpet originated from here.
	Day 17/18	Tabriz, a pulsating trading Turkic City is where we are and its bazaar is well worth the hours spent in there, carpets and yet more carpets. The famous Blue Mosque is close by and the museum a delight.
	Day 19	We finish our Iran section tour with an Armenian Christian day. Jolfa, the Church of St Stephen and Kara Kelisa (near Maku), the Church of St Thaddeus. Magnificent, isolated. We cross to Dogubayazit in Turkey for the night.
		Turkey
	Day 20/21/22	Two nights in Van with excursions around the lake, the Seljuk tombs and Akdamar Island, with its Armenian Church. Van was the centre of that slight;ly mysterious Empire of Urartu circa 800 B.C contemporary with the Assyrians. We depart on the morning of day 22 on tour completion.
		Note We can cut the tour to suit individual arrangements - (1) avoid Iran (2) departure from Hamadan to Tehran and complete tour (15/16 days) or extend to include Esfahan/Shiraz apply for quotes.

The Ground tour cost is Ł2,460 for 22 days.

Included in this cost - all ground transport (hired local transport in each country), accommodation and breakfast, local guides for Kurdistan Iraq and Iran, Hinterland Travel Tour Leader, listed excursions, border entry taxes.

Not included - International flights, airport transfers and any hotels asscoiated with flight arrangements (where required), main meals, visas, single room supplements, insurance, site/camera entrance fees and any extra site guides.

General Information For the above tour we will be travelling around on a mixture of hired vehicles but mostly by minibus. We expect to have Kurdish /Farsi speaking guides with us for Kurdistan Iraq and Iran.. The Hotel accommodation is based on twin room occupancy, the standards will vary enormously. Single rooms, when available, will require a single supplement. For this particular tour we will all have to be tolerant of local conditions and accept flexible arrangements.

Special Note. All passports must be acceptable to each country that we travel in as several sections of this tour travel across, and through, politically sensitive areas.

Other information

Each tour is led by a Hinterland Travel tour leader in addition to the English speaking Iraqi tour guide. All land transport is by local Iraqi vehicles. Note - everything is subject to change without notice. At the present time (2010) armed guards are provided only when the local situation has demanded it. All passports must be acceptable to the relevant authorities, in Iraq, Jordan and possibly Syria and or Turkey and or Kuwait. Note - everything is subject to change without notice.

Some important points

We have an open age policy - as long as you are fit and healthy. We do ask clients over the age of 75 to supply us with a letter stating that they are fit to travel. We travel around by Iraqi road transport, comfortable air conditioned coach or minibus with an Iraqi driver. Bottled water is carried at all times on the vehicle. The Hotel accommodation is based on twin room occupancy. The standards will vary enormously from 1/2 to 4/5 star rating. Many of the hotels have been either severely damaged or occupied by the Coalition Forces. This will obviously change during the next few years. Single rooms will be sought for clients so wishing but when available there will be a charge. The group size will be a maximum of 15 to 20 clients, average group 12 persons comprising of all ages, mostly English speaking.

A deposit of Ł350 per person is required to book any tour. Individual or special group arrangements for Iraq are welcomed but have to fit into current security requirements.