eigenvector

Do you mind posting a photo of the visa stamp or sticker (with your info blacked out, of course)? I'm assuming it is not the "normal" Iraq one?

palermo

Great trip report. Thanks for posting.

The old christian building looks amazing.

DanielW

And no more visa waiver for the USA.

MA330

This is exactly what it looks like:
Iraqi Kurdistan visa stamp

Compared to the regular Iraqi one (which is very hard to get btw)
Iraqi visa stamp

MA330

Indeed but that shouldn't stop anyone from visiting certain countries.

Calchas

I can see if your employment for instance is dependent on you regularly visiting the US, you might not want to mess that up. Sure you can get a visa, but it takes time and isn't guaranteed to be successful.

camsean

Thanks for answering

extramileage

I know of some EU citizens who've been to Iraq after these rules were point in place. Getting a long term visa to the US was not an issue for them.

DanielW

I got a 10 year visa no issues. My interview was all of two questions. No problems at US border control too, and I had been to several dodgy countries (Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Sudan, Somalia etc.).

Antonio8069

Amazing TR. Thanks for it.
A couple of years ago, I was at hostel in IST. A guest book recorded the travels by young people (no pics) who traveled freely throughout region in the 1990's. I realized then it would be very difficult to visit now. Thankfully, you proved me wrong. Can't wait for the next instalment.

MA330

Thanks for the kind words. I believe the most important thing for such travel is to have a good guide with useful contacts... and there's also lots of friendly locals always willing to help.

tlott

Great TR! Can't believe how well maintained the monastery is. Beautiful. Why did you decide to visit Ba'ashiqa? Just figured it was nearby, so why not?

My wife and I also visited Iraqi Kurdistan a few months ago. We began in Sulaymaniyah and drove to Erbil with a few stops along the way.

Had a great time and did not feel the least bit unsafe (although we did not visit any areas affected by the war). People were very welcoming. If you're interested in visiting, I wouldn't let recent events dissuade you. Even in the midst of the Mosul conflict, there were very few apparent signs of the war next door. Kurdistan has a lot to offer. When the wider area becomes more stable, I would expect their tourism sector to grow quite a bit.

We also hired Sardar to drive us from Suley to Erbil (thanks to DanielW for referring him to me). I can't recommend him enough to anyone else interested in visiting Kurdistan.

MA330

My plan was just to visit the monastery. I asked Sardar to take me somewhere more special where we could move around freely with no fighting nearby so he came up with this village. I also can't recommend him enough to anyone - probably one of the best guides I've had so far (and also thanks to Daniel for passing his details).

From what I know there's lots of undercover warfare in the Kurdish controlled areas of Northern Iraq - the population passes information about suspicious activities to the security apparatus.

Madone59

Wow, what a trip report!! Thank you for your great photos, and for sharing ^

MA330

Thank you very much!