Iraq Transportation

  An Up-Armored HMMWV
by EGerard
 
  • An Up-Armored HMMWV
      An Up-Armored HMMWV
    by EGerard
  • A MaxxPro MPV (Mine Protected Vehicle)
      A MaxxPro MPV (Mine Protected Vehicle)
    by EGerard
  •   Transportation
    by kitty_jo
  •   Transportation
    by fabrice
  • Traffic in Dohuk
      Traffic in Dohuk
    by maykal
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Crossing the border into Turkey

by maykal

After the ease of entering from Turkey, I naively thought it would be the same in the opposite direction. I got a taxi from Zaxo to the border, and was dropped off at the same taxi rank I first arrived at, where Turkish drivers touted for business, offering rides to Silopi, Cizre, Mardin and Diyarbakir. Stick to Silopi, it's cheaper and closer, and there are buses on to the other cities from there. While waiting for other passengers, you'll be sent to the passport office to photocopy your visa stamp and info page. Pass your passport to one official, who will type a few things up, put it on a huge pile of other passports and leave them for another official deal with. After a bit of a wait, you'll be stamped out of Iraq, and the next phase of waiting can begin.Your driver will drive round to the customs section, where taxis and private cars wait in a loooooooong queue on one side of the...

Crossing the border from Turkey

by maykal

The main point of entry for tourists will probably be the Ibrahim Khalil crossing between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan. Crossing into Iraq is relatively easy; you need to get yourself to either Cizre or Silopi (regular buses from Diyarbakir and Mardin), then take a shared taxi to the border. Silopi is closest to the border, although I have heard things about a taxi mafia operating there...I took a taxi from Cizre with two other Iraq-bound passengers I met on the bus, and it worked out at 20TL per person. The drivers cross the border twice a day, so know the system well and guide you through it. The Turkish side is simple...pass the officials your passport when asked, and don't mention anything to do with Kurdistan...you're going to Iraq, not Kurdistan. After a few minutes, you'll pass into no-man's land and cross the Habur river. A huge Kurdish flag flutters over the plush passport control...

Shared Taxi

by maykal

The best way to travel around Iraqi Kurdistan is by shared taxi. These wait at bus stations (known as Karaaj in Kurdish) for enough passengers, and once they are full, they set off. Unlike shared taxis in other parts of the Middle East where four passengers are crammed into the back and two share the front seat, things are a lot more comfortable in Iraq, as the driver is only allowed to take 4 passengers, and rules of wearing seatbelts are strictly enforced by the many traffic police on the roads. Buses also travel on the same routes, but on certain services, these enter parts of Arab-controlled Iraq, and so are not exactly safe for tourists. Some taxis also pass into Arab Iraq briefly, so it is always worth finding out the route before getting in the taxi. Services between Dohuk and Hewler (Erbil) run on two routes. One passes very close to Mosul, one of the most dangerous cities in...

Up-Armored All The Way

by EGerard

The only safe way to travel around Iraq right now is in an Armored Vehicle. The only people really coming here are with the US Military and other Coalition Forces, or the UN and some NGO's. Either way, they provide Armored Vehicles for transportation. Another popular means of transport within the country is by helicopter. It's fast, safe, and regular (except when their are sand storms).

Tip Photo
Zahko to Dohuk

by Aopaq

The hotel I was staying at sent a boy up the street with me and he flagged a car down and arranged my ride from Zahko to Dohuk. It seems these shared cars are common modes of transportation and it only cost me about $5 to go from Zahko into downtown Dohuk. There were a couple of checkpoints along the way (leaving Zahko and entering Dohuk) but they were very hassle-free.

UH 60 Black Hawk

by american_tourister

The safest way to travel around Iraq is by air. The bird of choice is the UH 60 Black Hawk. It is fast, manuverable, nimble, has redundant systems, and is a proven work horse.The Black Hawk carries us around from place to place and gives us very short travel times to deal with. I am very, very grateful that the Army allows us to travel by air.

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Silopi (turkey) to Zakho (Iraqi Kurdistan)

by jkseddon

$25 for a car. It is a short distance but there are taxes the driver must pay, so the price is inflated. You can only cross with a car. As soon as you arrive in Silopi everyone will know why you are there.Do not tell the Turkish authorities you are going to the Kurdish areas. Tell them you're going somewhere else even though they will laugh at you and say you will be killed. Making some fake letters from an 'employer' is what got me in, but I'm not sure if this is necessary.Do not have any papers in your bags or on your person that refers to Kurdistan or Kurds.On the Iraqi side (across a small river) the PKK customs point will give you a paper to keep in your passport. In May 2004 they did not stamp passports.

The best and may be the only...

by OMR

The best and may be the only available now is the road way from Jordan...Currently, all the visitors to Iraq should come by Bus or by taxi from Amman of Jordan... In the eastern part of Amman the Iraq Taxis Park is the best place to hire a taxi, also the bus station is located there.... Traveling by air is very limit now...Other ways are available now... The road way from syria, by taxis.Or the sea way from UAE and BahreenGetting around, the best thing I suggest you to do there is to hire a care with a driver. Rent a car is not that known there (not sure about that)... but still my advice to hire a care with the driver for cirten days... and you have to infomr the hotel you are living in (and may be than can help you to arrange that) some infomration about your driver.

Tip Photo
since december 2001,there is...

by fabrice

since december 2001,there is a regular flight with jordanian airlines amman-bagdad;also charter flights with Gulf Falcon:damas-bagdad and beyrouth-bagdad;formaly,the best way was a bus from amman,abdali station:amman-bagdad,16 hours to reach bagdad,you might stay 7 hours at the border,you will probably have to bear an AIDS test at the border,which will cost you 50$;you can try a collective taxi:amman-bagdad;the border with iran is now open;if you travel with an agency or tour-operator,they will take you in charge from amman to amman;at the iraqi consulate in amman,you can get a tourist-visa to iraq,provided of course that you have never heard of israel in your life

Tip Photo
Because of the embargo on Iraq...

by al-murtuza51

Because of the embargo on Iraq by UNO. there is no Air lines working there so the viseters must come accroce Iran Or Syria OR Jorden the Distant is about 900 KM between Baghdad tehran the same with Amman and DimiscusAlso there is see line between UAE.& IRAQ from Dubai to Basrah Nowadaysthe indevidual or groups must contact any Iraqi tourist company mention his all particolars mention the nerest Iraqi Embassy to his place so that send visa to that embassy , then he must go and stamp visa, In burder must Pay for his resedance and transport at least 350 Usd for 6 nights with the guide

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Reviews and photos of Iraq attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Iraq sightseeing.

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  how the easy way to go to sulemany, Iraq? I'm from Indonesia. how to go there by plane? I meant the step. which airplane should i... 

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A: There is a direct flight from Istanbul to Suleymaniye by Turkish Atlasjet airline. This is the most convenient way of going there.... 

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