0 reactions
pshtTrip report: IRAQ + advice
As the title suggests, I backpacked through all of Iraq for about one month. I guess the first thing that comes to people's minds when they hear this is SAFETY. I won't sit here and convince anyone that it is safe. All I can say is that I felt incredibly safe during my time here. Since ISIS was defeated in 2017, stability has significantly improved. Also, a big part of feeling safe is the fear of getting mugged, "jumped," etc. I felt like there was a nonexistent risk of this happening. The people of Iraq are probably the most hospitable in the world. Like, you can't go anywhere without being offered a free meal and a place to stay. If you don't want to read this long post, I have several videos about traveling in Iraq - with English subtitles! www.youtube.com/@NicholasTsakon://chat.openai.com/c/www.youtube.com/@NicholasTsakonas.
Because Iraq has a level 4 DO NOT TRAVEL warning, it does not see many tourists. Do you ever wish you could have experienced Bali before all the influencers flocked there? Or travel to South America in the 50s? I feel like going to Iraq now is the closest you can get to that feeling of actually exploring another world that has not yet been changed by globalization and tourism.
Transportation: The absolute most common and cheapest way of traveling in Iraq is through shared taxis. Every city has a "garage" (this is what they call their taxi stations). You just go here, tell the taxi drivers where you are going, and they will lead you to a car waiting to fill up with people. This can take anything from 1 minute to HOURS. My advice is to go in the mornings. Also, don't take a taxi just outside of the garage; they are not registered. By the way, the prices are fixed so there is no worry about getting scammed or having to bargain too hard, just double-check the price and destination.
Accommodation: This was my biggest expense. There are no hostels at all in Iraq. Hotels range from roughly $15-20 a night at the absolute cheapest. More common is $40+. But I traveled alone and many rooms had multiple beds so I guess it would be much cheaper if you travel in a group. Although I did spend some nights with friendly locals who invited me to their homes when I accidentally traveled to cities with no hotels (Shiladze and Choman) in Iraqi Kurdistan. They have hotels, but I was there in the off-season.
Money: Bring USD and exchange at the black market rate around 1600 Iraqi dinar to USD. If you withdraw cash at an ATM you get 1300 IQD to USD. Black market is not as dodgy as it sounds. Just go to a forex exchange office and look at the rates and make sure it isnt 1300.
Saddams Palace overlooking Babylon https://preview.redd.it/di5u5yfseupc1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c6ed91bd860651d6dd46c9064d22f175644b6fd6
Food: For example, a Coke and a falafel were less than a dollar. A shawarma was around $1. If you want to eat at a restaurant expect maybe $5-10 for a nice meal. My food costs were very low.
What to see: Najaf and Karbala - holy cities nearby each other with incredible shrines. Also, the biggest cemetery in the world is here.
Babylon - very cool ruins; also, Saddam Hussein has an abandoned palace nearby, very cool to explore. Mosul - this was the capital of ISIS. Walking around here is very strange. The city seems to have recovered nicely. But the contrast of seeing people getting by with their everyday life with blown-up buildings behind them is a real trip.
Iraqi Kurdistan is where you can explore amazing nature. The mountain town of Amedi, Akra, Rawanduz, Choman, are all amazing places for those of you that love nature and mountains. Erbil: Only spent half a day here. But very developed, even has a Burger King.
#activity #nature ats
source
As the title suggests, I backpacked through all of Iraq for about one month. I guess the first thing that comes to people's minds when they hear this is SAFETY. I won't sit here and convince anyone that it is safe. All I can say is that I felt incredibly safe during my time here. Since ISIS was defeated in 2017, stability has significantly improved. Also, a big part of feeling safe is the fear of getting mugged, "jumped," etc. I felt like there was a nonexistent risk of this happening. The people of Iraq are probably the most hospitable in the world. Like, you can't go anywhere without being offered a free meal and a place to stay. If you don't want to read this long post, I have several videos about traveling in Iraq - with English subtitles! www.youtube.com/@NicholasTsakon://chat.openai.com/c/www.youtube.com/@NicholasTsakonas.
Because Iraq has a level 4 DO NOT TRAVEL warning, it does not see many tourists. Do you ever wish you could have experienced Bali before all the influencers flocked there? Or travel to South America in the 50s? I feel like going to Iraq now is the closest you can get to that feeling of actually exploring another world that has not yet been changed by globalization and tourism.
Transportation: The absolute most common and cheapest way of traveling in Iraq is through shared taxis. Every city has a "garage" (this is what they call their taxi stations). You just go here, tell the taxi drivers where you are going, and they will lead you to a car waiting to fill up with people. This can take anything from 1 minute to HOURS. My advice is to go in the mornings. Also, don't take a taxi just outside of the garage; they are not registered. By the way, the prices are fixed so there is no worry about getting scammed or having to bargain too hard, just double-check the price and destination.
Accommodation: This was my biggest expense. There are no hostels at all in Iraq. Hotels range from roughly $15-20 a night at the absolute cheapest. More common is $40+. But I traveled alone and many rooms had multiple beds so I guess it would be much cheaper if you travel in a group. Although I did spend some nights with friendly locals who invited me to their homes when I accidentally traveled to cities with no hotels (Shiladze and Choman) in Iraqi Kurdistan. They have hotels, but I was there in the off-season.
Money: Bring USD and exchange at the black market rate around 1600 Iraqi dinar to USD. If you withdraw cash at an ATM you get 1300 IQD to USD. Black market is not as dodgy as it sounds. Just go to a forex exchange office and look at the rates and make sure it isnt 1300.
Saddams Palace overlooking Babylon https://preview.redd.it/di5u5yfseupc1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c6ed91bd860651d6dd46c9064d22f175644b6fd6
Food: For example, a Coke and a falafel were less than a dollar. A shawarma was around $1. If you want to eat at a restaurant expect maybe $5-10 for a nice meal. My food costs were very low.
What to see: Najaf and Karbala - holy cities nearby each other with incredible shrines. Also, the biggest cemetery in the world is here.
Babylon - very cool ruins; also, Saddam Hussein has an abandoned palace nearby, very cool to explore. Mosul - this was the capital of ISIS. Walking around here is very strange. The city seems to have recovered nicely. But the contrast of seeing people getting by with their everyday life with blown-up buildings behind them is a real trip.
Iraqi Kurdistan is where you can explore amazing nature. The mountain town of Amedi, Akra, Rawanduz, Choman, are all amazing places for those of you that love nature and mountains. Erbil: Only spent half a day here. But very developed, even has a Burger King.
#activity #nature ats
source
| 13,000 mlx | |
| 13 | |
| 0 |