Testimonials

Vladimir Blaha

June, 2012

This past May (2012) I have spent a great week in Kurdistan, Iraq, traveling with "The Other Iraq Tours" (now Explore Mesopotamia). Though I was told this region of Iraq is quite safe, I found it even better. I have found it prosperous and stable. My two guides, Pedro and Balin, were very knowledgeable and answered all my questions to my full satisfaction. Both went past their duties to make me understand their country.

Marcia Henderson

May, 2012

The Other Iraq Tours (now Explore Mesopotamia) is just that.... Who would think Kurdistan (northern Iraq) has such dramatic and stunning scenery ! Balin, our guide, was proud to share his culture and historical sites. Soo much to experience and enjoy. Kurds are quite hospitable and delightful. Always, I felt safe and did not even consider being in Iraq as dangerous. A road less traveled, although worth the effort.

Cathrin Schaer

January, 2012

It's not every day you get to visit a country that's been in the headlines this much. Although I knew I wasn't going to be roaming the streets in a flak jacket…I wasn't quite sure what to expect and was a little nervous. I think traveling here (Kurdistan) did what traveling is well known to do: it broadened my mind. Meeting the people in any country… makes a place more real., I look back and think it was a damn fine thing that I got the chance to.

Jim O'Brien, Undiscovered Destinations

December, 2011

The Other Iraq Tours (now Explore Mesopotamia) is an extremely professional company with a high level of personal service and a great attention to detail, doing everything possible to ensure a successful visit to a fascinating part of the world, and making it accessible and enjoyable for visitors. Kurdistan has great potential as a destination, and The Other Iraq Tours is superbly placed to be able to show travelers the best it has to offer.

Mara Ussino - Asti Italy

October, 2011

Kurdistan! It’s a real miracle, if you think of the awful conditions of the rest of Iraq. In Iraq all you can find is war and destruction, one of the worst and most dangerous countries in the world, then you cross the border (to Kurdistan), you are always in Iraq but in a completely different place, safe, rich, peaceful, you can go everywhere without problems and dangers. Think of the differences between Erbil and Mosul… here peace and welfare, there death and despair… and they are in the same country and so close! Kurdistan should be a model for the rest of the world, and it’s really incredible that in western countries nobody speaks about it, it’s like Kurdistan doesn’t exist.

Personal testimony from a tour with us

September, 2011

I just wanted to thank you for a lovely visit to Iraq. Balin was a terrific guide. He is deeply knowledgeable, very customer-oriented, flexible, and resourceful. He was a pleasure to be with. I was more than surprised that he chose to tour with me instead of being home for the birth of his first child. That is truly going above and beyond! In any case, I had a terrific time. I still hope to visit other parts of Iraq someday.

Michelle Higgins, New York Times

January, 2011

Visitors can tour significant cultural landmarks like Erbil’s citadel, which dates to the Assyrian empire, and the site of the Battle of Gaugamela, which ended in the defeat of the Persian king Darius III by Alexander the Great and led to the fall of the Achaemenid Empire. The biggest lure is the opportunity for authentic cultural encounters.

KTV, Kurdsat, Zagros, UTV

June, 2010

In the last two months, more than 65,000 Arab, foreign, and Kurdish tourists have visited tourist sites in Erbil province.

Supplement to USA Today

June, 2010

The Kurdistan region has become a model of economic management, tolerance and progress ... and boasts an enviable reputation as an oasis of stability and security.

How to visit "The Other Iraq?" The Other Iraq Tours (now Explore Mesopotamia) offers year-round services with flexible packages. It has done so much to influence the growth of the fledgling tourism sector and has brought groups to the Kurdistan Region from the USA and as far away as Australia. The feedback from these groups has been overwhelmingly positive.

Australian 83 years old tour adventurer - Anne Bourne

May, 2009

The people of Kurdistan are very kind; everyone here wants to talk to foreigners. What the newspapers and TVs say about Iraq, car bombs and killing every day, it is not what it looks like, Iraqi Kurdistan is very safe.

Experienced and keen adventurer who has seen nearly 100 countries - Marian Leadbitter