IRAQ

 

Day 1 (23 October) | Arrival in Baghdad

 

Pickup from the airport at 9:30 am on the Emirates Airline and go through the immigration processes.

 

12:30 pm visit Martyr Monument dedicated to Iraqi soldiers who died in 80’s Iraq-Iran war, Iraqis today generally consider it a commemoration of all the martyrs of Iraq

 

03:00 pm visit Ctesiphon It is considered a landmark in the history of architecture, with its massive arched design which happens to be the largest in the world of unsupported bricks.

 

Go to and visit The famous statue of Shahryar and Scheherazade, represented by the famous story of the Thousand and One Nights. Where we see Scheherazade standing with her hand raised, telling her stories on Shahryar who is sitting in front of her, leaning on his chair, listening to her stories, watching her start with a common tradition of her tales, which is (Tellme, O happy king......) and ends with (Schherazade realized the morning and

stopped speaking).

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Visit Al-Kadhimiya is one of the important neighborhoods in Baghdad and enjoy the beautiful night market and also includes the Al Kadhimiya holy Shrine (golden Dome) The tomb of Imam Musa al-Kadhim and his grandson, Imam Muhammad al-Jawad, one of the most prominent Muslims and the seventh imam of Twelver Shiites.

 

Overnight in Baghdad

 

Accommodation: Shanashel Palace

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*Recommended flight from Bangkok: Bangkok-Baghdad departs on 23 October 01:35-09:35 by Emirates (check-in the night of 22 October)

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Day 2 (24 October) | Babylon - Karbala

 

Checkout from the hotel

 

Tour to the ancient ruins of Babylon cradle of Mesopotamian civilization dated 18th - 6th BC, with the Hanging Gardens, that was supposed to be attached to the Palace of King Nebuchadnezzar. Appointed as Seven Wonders of Hellenic World, have a presence in various literature sources but its physical existence has never been proven

 

Saddam Palace nowadays Museum, Perched on top of Babylon, as the palace was inspired by the Babylonian palace of King Nebuchadnezzar.

 

Go to Karbala

 

Go to restaurant and hotel for resting

 

Visit Imam Abbas shrine that contains the tomb of the Al-Abbas B. Imam Ali was one of the greatest Islamic and historical characters. He reflected the real brotherhood trait during Al-Taff battle when he sacrificed himself to protect his family, in addition to granting his palms for the sake of defending the Islamic values

and idealism of Ahlul-Bayt, which Yazid was seeking to alter.

 

Imam Hussein shrine that contain the tomb of the imam Hussein He is the second son of Imam Ali and the second grandson of the Messenger of Allah Muhammad after his brother Imam Hassan.

 

Overnight in Karbala

 

Accommodation: Awlad Al Hasan Hotel

 

Day 3 (25 October) | Najaf - Ur

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Go to Najaf City

 

See over the Najaf cemetery(Wadi-us Salaam) It is the most important tomb seen in the city of Najaf in Iraq, the largest cemetery in the world, containing nearly six million graves and was included in the World Heritage List.

 

Go to Nasiriyah city

 

Visit Ziggurat of Ur The ziggurat is the most distinctive architectural invention of the Ancient Near East. Like an ancient Egyptian pyramid, an ancient Near Eastern ziggurat has four sides and rises up to the realm of the gods. However, unlike Egyptian pyramids, the exterior of Ziggurats were not smooth but tiered to accommodate the work which took place at the structure as well as the administrative oversight and religious rituals essential to Ancient

Near Eastern cities. Ziggurats are found scattered around what is today Iraq and Iran, and stand as an imposing testament to the power and skill of the ancient culture that produced them.

 

06:00 pm check-in Hotel

 

Overnight in Nasiriyah

 

Accommodation: Somerion Hotel

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Day 4 (26 October) | Marshes of Iraq - Basra

 

Marshes of Iraq are the largest wetlands in the Middle East. They not only provide habitat to hundreds of bird and fish species, but they are also home to thousands of Marsh Arabs are returning more and more to their historical heartland. Draining of The Marshes We stop to have some rest and drink the traditional tea and meet the locals and have some chat with them talking old stories, then we will take a boat trip using the old traditions boat called “shakhtura” through the maze of marshes and have the famous

 

lunch time and eat the famous masgouf (fish grilled using reeds instead of woods,) inside one of the houses build by reeds only called “almutheef”

 

Go to Al-Qurnah

 

Tree of Adam It is a tree that the people of the region believe grew in the place where the Prophet Adam descended to the earth and where the Prophet of God Abraham prayed.

 

This does not stem from Islamic beliefs. Rather, this place is frequented by many foreign Jews and Christians, and it seems that it constitutes one of their holy places.

 

Al-Multaqa (Meeting point) We will see the meeting point of Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet and form Shatt al-Arab river

 

Go to Basra and check-in Hotel. Overnight in Basra

 

Accommodation: Atlas Hotel

 

Day 5 (27 October) | Basra - Baghdad

 

We will take boat trip in Shat alarab and see the view of sadam Palace for the river side

 

Shanashel They are houses from the fragrance of the past and the charm of heritage, with a heritage and cultural nature, and what made them unique them is their wooden balconies decorated with skill and mastery, and their large courtyards, and their stained-glass windows, and their high surfaces, as most of them, are still weak, in light of the erosion of their foundations, cracked ceilings, and cracks Its walls are eroding its ornate balconies

 

Back to Baghdad, Overnight in Baghdad

 

Accommodation: Shanashel Palace

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Day 6 (28 October) | Samarra - Mosul

 

08:00 am leave hotel

 

visit Samarra spiral minaret One of the prominent distinctive Landmarks of Iraq because of its unique shape because of the ascending spiral conical design,

 

Al burqa Palace One of the historical palaces built by Caliph Abu al-Fadl Jaafar al-Mutawakkil as a palace for convalescence, rest and recreation at the time.

 

Go to Mosul City

 

visit hatra was an ancient city and strongly fortified caravan city and capital of the small Arab Kingdom of Hatra, located between the Roman and Parthian/Persian empires. Hatra flourished in the 2nd century and was destroyed and deserted in the 3rd century. Its impressive ruins were discovered in the 19th century

 

Overnight in Mosul

 

Accommodation: Modern Plaza or Royal city

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Day 7 (29 October) | Mosul - Baghdad

 

Leave hotel and drive to Mosul city and visit Bash Tapia Castle is a ruined 12th-century its also one of seven castles within Mosul's city wall. The castle was damaged by Timur in 1393, and was later rebuilt by the Ottoman Empire

 

Visit The Old City of Mosul one of the oldest neighborhoods in the Middle East, this was the last ISIS stronghold, so it was completely wiped out in a matter of weeks, and the several-hundred-year-old buildings were all destroyed.

 

Visit the Great Mosque of al-Nuri, the oldest mosque in Mosul (12th century), today under reconstruction. This is where the historical ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, self-declared the ISIS caliphate, the first and only time he ever appeared in public.

 

Visit Al Tahira church, The church was partially destroyed by ISIL during its campaign to destroy cultural heritage during 2014–2017. A reconstruction effort was organized by UNESCO with the support of the United Arab Emirates

to rebuild the church.

 

Accommodation: Shanashel Palace

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Day 8 (30 October) | Baghdad - Departure

 

Visit Liberation Square one of the main squares in Baghdad where This square played an important role in some of the revolutions, marches and uprisings that took place in the city of Baghdad,

 

Then we will have a short boat trip over Tigris river and cross the river and Al-Mutanabi street : Al-Mutanabbi Street is considered the oldest cultural market for the people of Baghdad, where the trade of books of all kinds and fields flourishes.

 

Al-Qishla It is one of the heritage buildings of Baghdad, which is located in the building of the Al-Muwaffaqia School. Its construction dates back to the second half of the nineteenth century AD, during the Ottoman era.

 

Visit the Abbasid Palace

 

Then we will walk through the Old bazar And see also the copper Market. then we will have some rest to drink the traditional Iraqi tea and Dried lime tea in Al-shabander It is one of the most famous old cafes in Baghdad.

 

Go to the Airport at 5:00pm to departure at 7:45pm

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*Recommended flight to Bangkok: Baghdad-Bangkok depart on 30 October 19:45-12:05 (+1 day) by Flydubai/Emirates

 

 

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Includes:

 

• 3/4 star Hotel accommodation double room sharing with breakfast

• Transportations and airport transfers

• Local guide team

• Trip leader from TEAM SAGA

• Accommodations for the team outside Baghdad

• All entry fees mentioned in the itinerary

• Boat trip with dining in marshes

 

Excludes:

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• Round-trip international flight to/from Baghdad

• Lunches and dinners

• Visa fee

• Insurances

• Drinks and shisha

• PCR test if needed

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Saga club discount: You are automatically offered our club membership after your first expedition. The following discount applies: 3% on 2nd trip, 5% on 3rd trip, 7% on 4th trip or 10% all after. This cannot be combined with the early bird discount. 

 

Payment & Deposit:

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• 50% deposit payment is required for reserving your spots

• Balance payment is due 60 days before the departure date. Failure to do so will result in cancellation of booking.

• If the booking is made within 60 days of departure date, full payment is required. 

 

Cancellation policy:

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• In any case of cancellation, 20% of the deposit payment is refundable or the whole amount can be kept as credits for any other Saga expeditions within 2 years of the cancellation date. 

• In any case of cancellation, if full payment is made, a full refund will be issued minus a 10% cancellation fee and any cost to the third parties.

• If the cancellation is due to COVID19, a full refund will be issued minus any cost incurred. We always attempt to maximize the refund for our client’s benefit! 

• In the event of premature departure during the expedition for any reason, no refund will be issued.

• Saga Expeditions is not responsible for any cancellations or changes in flights and visas. Please have your travel insurance for entire duration of your trip

 

Important note:

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All of our expeditions take you through one of the most challenging roads in the world. While the Saga team endeavors to make the itinerary as accurate as possible, it should be considered as an approximate agenda of activities rather than a rigid schedule. Trip itineraries are subject to last-minute, and on-the-ground revision due to weather, road conditions, government and local restrictions, and other reasons beyond our control. Note that the order of visits and excursions can be modified according to local conditions (i.e. state of roads, market days etc.). If some visits and/or tours could not be done due to external conditions, they will be replaced when possible. Your safety is always our first priority!