Here’s a short travel guide for anyone who wishes to visit Iraqi Kurdistan now.

Getting there

The best route in is via Turkey from which you have two options. Many people fly to Diyarbakir and take a taxi for around 150 USD to the border. If you are traveling the area anyway and wish to see other cities along the way, you’ll need to take a series of dolmuses to Silopi, which is the border town. From wherever you are, you’ll need to head first to Cizre and then catch a dolmus to Silopi which isn’t far away. Once you arrive, as a foreigner, you’ll likely be pounced on by taxi drivers asking to take you to “Ibhrahim Khaleel” which is the name of the border. The other name is “Habur.” Depending on your negotiating skills, you’ll probably pay around 70 Turkish lira for a driver to take you through and drop you off at the reception area in Iraqi Kurdistan. They’ll also take you to a nearby copyshop to make a copy of your passport and your entry stamp into Turkey.

The entire process should take an hour or so total. Exiting the Turkish side is usually quite easy and the Kurds will take your passport, give you tea and ask you to wait. Unless they have some reason to suspect you of something, they will ask you a few questions about why you’re coming to Iraq and stamp you out. From there, you’ll be left at the reception area where much newer taxis will take you to Zakho for about 10,000 Iraqi dinar. One USD is around 1,300 dinars. There doesn’t seem to be any kind of exchange office so your taxi driver will probably offer to exchange some money for you, naturally at a rate in his favor.

Getting Around

Zakho is a nice little town though not really worth much of your time, except for its famous bridge and perhaps to change money. There are a wide range of hotels there so if you’re staying the night (depending on when you arrive) ask your driver to take you to one. The average room price is around 20 USD. If you’re continuing on to Dohuk, you may want to first head to the market where men sitting on front of cardboard boxes will change dollars, turkish lira and dinars. Then take a 2,000 dinar taxi to the bus area and catch a shared bus to Dohuk for around 3,000 dinars. Have your passport handy as there are checkpoints when entering and exiting all Kurdish cities and many on the roads as well. Dohuk is 45min to an hour away.

In Dohuk, there are also many many hotels so ask a fellow passenger to show you to one, or the main street where you’ll find many. Prices in all of Iraq range from 15 to 25 USD a night and the rooms are rarely worth it though the ubiquitous satellite tv isn’t bad for those boring evenings. Dohuk is small and also doesn’t have that much to offer but it’s a great place to get acclimated to being in Kurdistan. There’s a massive statue of Mulla Mustafa Barzani a bit outside of town, a waterfall in the mountains, a nice market and a Chaldean Church which always seems to be closed. Otherwise, there isn’t much to do for sightseeing.

From Dohuk, you have a few options. Amadiyah which is northeast of Dohuk is a nice day trip. However, most people will want to continue on to Erbil or Hewler in Kurdish. You’ll need to take a shared taxi which will cost you 20,000 dinars. The taxi usually goes south near Mosul so don’t panic, you dont leave Kurdistan though come about 20km from Mosul. In total, the ride takes a bit over 2 hours and again, have your passport ready because you’ll need it often. Peshmerga stations are about every 2km though they are only to keep a lookout and aren’t checkpoints.

In Erbil, there are also a great deal of hotels so asking a fellow passenger or your driver is the best way to find one, or at least find the area where most are. Erbil is a much bigger city and has plenty to do so you’ll want to stay a few nights there. You can also continue on to Suleymaniyah with another shared taxi.

Other

Iraqi Kurdistan is completely safe and if you don’t look Kurdish, you should expect to be stopped by secret police and have your things searched at every checkpoint. Don’t worry, this is what keeps Kurdistan safe. You have 10 days in Kurdistan before you have to report to the residence office.

Kurdistan is well worth visiting and the most surprising thing is how absolutely normal it is. People aren’t used to tourists and will be a bit confused as to why you are there, but nevertheless very hospitable. Travelers should remember Iraq is much more expensive than Turkey and that in addition, it’s a cash country so have plenty of US dollars for your time there. Enjoy!

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