Are some parts of Iraq currently possible to visit for the brave, adventurous, and open-minded traveller?
- By
- Aparna Patel
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- 31 Jul, 2023
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You can cross the Turkey-Iraq border at Silopi-Zakho and travel throughout Kurdish Iraq without any problems. In the past (before 2008), the border was a bit more difficult as the Turks and Iraqi border guards were much more suspicious of non-locals crossing, but now they don’t even look twice.
You’ll get a 10-day visa on arrival at the border although it is only valid in Kurdish controlled areas.
There are plenty of hotels in Dohuk, Erbil and Suleimaniyah (and smaller towns) of all levels of quality and you can move about easily by shared taxis. You can usually find someone who speaks English in the big cities, and Turkish is also widely spoken in addition to the local Kurdish and Arabic.
Security for Western travellers has not been an issue in Kurdistan for some time. At the worst, you might get hung up at one of the check points while the police go over your documents and inevitably let you through. Just don’t leave the three safe provinces, so don’t go to Nineveh (Mosul), Kerkuk or anything further south!
Chris Guillebeau, author of The Art of Non-Conformity blog, has an article on how he managed to get there.
It is possible to go to Iraq. Business people travel there regularly, although they normally travel with security.
There’s a pretty good summary of the area here. Kurdistan seems to be one of the more stable areas, and the border with Iran seems to be pretty scary.
I would be afraid to travel in Iraq, but then I’m also afraid to go to Colombia, which is reasonably safe.
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