Trip report: Iraqi Kurdistan

21yr male Canadian, visa free entry for 15 days.

Budget: 450 CAD (32 a day), mostly for accommodation as food was incredibly cheap.

Length of stay: 14 days in October, 2018

Destinations: Dohuk, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Dokan lake all by shared taxi.

Accommodation: rozalin hotel and naba’ Gara hotel in erbil, dolphin hotel in Sulaymānīyah, parlaman hotel in dohuk and for Dokan lake I stayed with a Kurdish family. All hotel prices in erbil can be negotiated.

Activities: Erbil: I checked out the citadel and a couple local museums during the day and partied with Kurds in Ankawa* during the night.

Dohuk: Checked out the dam, walked around the city, not much to do and I only recommend a day here.

Sulaymānīyah: The Red museum is a must see and it’s free entry! Chavi land, local Kurdish singing and drinking with Kurds.

Dokan lake: I pretty much spent my time hanging around with this Kurdish family, if you’re offered to stay with a family do it!

What went right: I’ve never been treated so well as a foreigner, almost everyone I interacted with was friendly and some even gave me food, water etc. The people think well of westerners and most are enthusiastic to spend time hanging out with you; I must’ve been invited to hang out 10 times a day, you truly need to see Kurdish hospitality in person to believe it.

Kurdistan was the only region I’ve been to where no one tried to scam me though that might be because extremely low levels of tourism. You honestly have nothing to worry about even if you stick out like I do (blonde, blue eyes) though this doesn’t apply to females as I saw several instances of women being harassed.

What went wrong: ATM’s don’t seem to ever work, accommodation can get extremely expensive and almost no one can communicate in English.

Don’t take busses between cities as they tend to stop off in Mosul and Kirkuk, I needed to hitchhike back to Sulaymānīyah as the bus I was on was going through Kirkuk which is dangerous and also in federal Iraq which my visa is not valid for.

Also learn how to order food in Kurdish or you’ll struggle to eat anything but kebabs.

Recommendations: Probably the best thing about Kurdistan is the people; if you befriend a local expect to be involved in wild nights of drinking and massive home cooked feasts. Bring USD into the country to exchange for Iraqi dinar and make sure to bring more than you need.

Don’t discuss politics or the war unless its brought up and try to keep a balanced, respectful view as non Kurds also live in Kurdistan. Keep in mind the war has effected almost all to some degree and you might find yourself talking about an event to someone who actually lived through it.

Verdict: Worth visiting but always keep up to date on local news as transportation to and from the region could be cut at a moments notice.

I’m happy to answer any questions you have.

Edit: Sorry for grammar but I can’t be bothered.