Tour provider launches Iraq adventure trips

The adventure travel provider Wild Frontiers is staying true to its mission of breaking down barriers and bringing people from different cultures together with its latest trip: a wild, eye-opening tour through Iraq. Robbie Hodges reports 

Far be it for travel provider Wild Frontiers to curate a tame itinerary. In April, the B-corp-certified company announced the latest addition to its portfolio: a 15-day tour through Iraq that will take travellers from the urban sprawl of Baghdad out to the rugged mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. 

The announcement marks the first time that Wild Frontiers has offered trips to Iraq since 2013 when the nation’s deteriorating political situation prompted the company to pause its programming. Those embarking on the first expedition, scheduled for October 2025, will cover cities, some of the oldest sites of civilization in the world and scenes of epic natural beauty. 

The trip will start with a boat trip deep into the Iraqi Marshlands, with its thriving biosphere of flamingos, pelicans and herons, where guests will meet and observe the cultural practices of the Marsh Arabs. 

After spending time amid Iraq’s quieter, more rural communities, guests will be thrust into iconic cities like Babylon and Baghdad where they’ll visit holy shrines, local markets and tea houses. Highlights of the trip include visits to the archaeological sites of Ur and Uruk, to Al-Qurnah (the purported birthplace of the Garden of Eden) and the mountains that skirt northern Iraq. 

Wild Frontiers has long been a forerunner in regenerative tourism, with a model that aims to harness tourism to improve the social, environmental and economic conditions of the destination. Ten trees are planted per passenger on each trip, with a portion of the fee going towards Wild Frontiers foundation community projects and renewable energy projects. 

At time of writing, the Iraq tour contravenes the UK government’s foreign travel advice meaning that UK travellers will need special insurance for the trip. It’s priced at £5,495 for two people with a £625 single supplement. 

While perhaps the most news-worthy due to Iraq’s particularly contentious relationship with the West, the Iraq: Babylon & Beyond tour is just one of many thrilling trips launched by Wild Frontiers under its new Pioneer Collection.

Other Pioneer experiences include visiting gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo, hiking northern Pakistan and wild camping in the Algerian part of the Sahara desert.   

This tight edit of carefully planned trips, which traverse some of the world’s most exciting and less-obvious destinations, has been curated in line with Wild Frontiers’ mission statement to “challenge perceptions and inspire connections”.