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Does anyone know if there are any agencies in Baghdad like Global Exchange in Afghanistan?
What is the security situation like now in Baghdad?
#6, It's curious how you say you met Geoff one time in post #4 but now say you met several times. Can't keep your info straight? True violence was at it highest in 2006-2007 but violence is on the rise. 2012 has already passed 2009-2010 figures, and it's only March!
(1) I am currently on a tour in Southern Iraq with Babel Tours. So it seems that tour groups are still being allowed in.
(2) The well plugged-in Fluffy Bunny (yon rabbit has sharp pointy teeth) has warned of a major security lock-down in Baghdad during the Arab League Summit.
So it seems that right now travel in Baghdad itself is a problem, but other parts of Iraq are OK (at least if you are in an authorized tour group). I hope that Baghdad settles down soon when the Arab League event winds up.
Travelling in Baghdad has always been a problem, not just since fluffy is intepretating statistics. Bombings are daily-business and attacks from Sadr-City as well. It has never been easy the last 10 years to travel in and around baghdad and it will probably also not been easy the next years! For those security reasons it is also quite difficult to get a tourist visa, even if you are just travelling as a tourist outside baghdad. The difficulties, appart from the security situation in Iraq (not Kurdistan) are the many checkpoints overland. For almost every region, part of the country you need special permissions to travel around.
Kurdistan is Iraq. Tell me any agency that recognizes Kurdistan as a separate country. To say anything contradictory is absurd and just goes to show how little you know about the region.
It is unbelievable what you write..
I think you life quite dangerous staying in Kurdistan and saying that it is "Iraq". I never met a Kurdish man or women in Kurdistan who claimed to be "Iraqi", they call themselfs Kurds! maybe you life in "secondlife" in Kurdistan?
there is no sense anymore for me to answer to your nonsense.
I seriously recommend you to make some travellings, appart from just zapping through statistics and sitting on the computer. Travel and open your mind.
cheers,
Mj
I believe you that you made a lot of travellings, and I mean, that is fantastic! Also that you made it to Somalia, amazing. But you dont need to post staff just that you just posted staff. You and me, we both know, that you are not right.
And you know, you mentioned the money. The beautiful thing with travelling is, that you dont really need a lot of money to travel around, you just need an open mind.. that's why travelling is that beautiful, because you dont need to be rich or having a lot of money, everybody can do it. I met people, travellers (not in Iraq or Afghanistan), who live without money..or with just some Dollars in their throusers. they look everyday how they get on.
So go on, travelling, and have fun and enjoy,
All the best to you,
cheers,
Mj
The procedure in my case was that Babel Tours got me a standard tourist visa authorization letter from the Department of Tourism within the Ministry of Interior. That letter (in Arabic of course) apparently both authorizes me to receive a visa and authorizes me to travel "anywhere" in Iraq.
I used the letter (plus essential help from my tour guide) to obtain an actual visa on entering Iraq from Kuwait.
At most Iraq internal checkpoints, they simply glance at you and wave you through. At a small number, they also wanted to check my passport and visa. At a few special points, notably when entering Uruk, Larsa, Babylon, and Ctesiphon, we also had to dig out the authorization letter and have that checked and our presence noted down. This did not happen for Karbala.
So it seems that special permission is required to visit some (all?) archaeological sites and that a single broad access permission comes with a standard tourist visa.
http://www.expatforum.com/articles/visas-permits-and-immigration/iraq-visas-permits-and-immigration.html
fluffy, especiall you as a so called NGO worker should know about the above!!
good info for fluffy, that for special areas permissions are required!
so you cant just enter Uruk how ever you want or other archeological sites as I told you so many times (fluffy who claims living in Iraq but especially never made a step into it, he just stays in Kurdistan, and says that all his friends popp into Iraq and Uruk and other places for a weekend trip that easy..).
Into Kerbala I was stopped and hold for a long time. also at some other checkpoints. they wanted to know who I am where I am going etc. The one day i was travelling with a local southwards (to Ukhaider, Islamic Castle Palace) I was also stopped at a checkpoint because I didnt have a permission to enter this area (on a normal road). The reason why you were probably not stopped that many times was because you had a local on your side, a tourguide?
Good to have real impressions of another traveller like kgh. Enough for fluffy, that he is "inshallah" stopping posting his easy-getting-visa-and-authorisations stories.
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travel to Baghdad
Hi guys,Does anyone know if there are any agencies in Baghdad like Global Exchange in Afghanistan?
What is the security situation like now in Baghdad?
2
Hinterland Travel do it, so do Babel tours. But my understanding is both companies have cancelled any foreseeable trips as the security in Baghdad has gone to crap.5
Hinterland is still running tours to Iraq. I have a friend booked on one of Geoff's tours leaving in April.7
The security warnings i get at work here in Iraq, suggested there would be no tours. Security is at an all-time high with the upcoming Arab Summit on March 29th. A week of holiday has been declared around the summit dates. And traffic will be at a standstill, not to mention lack of hotel space. Many NGO and foreign workers not in the Green Zone have been pulled out of the city. I may be totally wrong. It will be interesting to see if the April 1st tour is still on.#6, It's curious how you say you met Geoff one time in post #4 but now say you met several times. Can't keep your info straight? True violence was at it highest in 2006-2007 but violence is on the rise. 2012 has already passed 2009-2010 figures, and it's only March!
8
Two slightly different topics have got tangled up in this thread: the overall travel situation in Iraq and the specific situation right now in Baghdad.(1) I am currently on a tour in Southern Iraq with Babel Tours. So it seems that tour groups are still being allowed in.
(2) The well plugged-in Fluffy Bunny (yon rabbit has sharp pointy teeth) has warned of a major security lock-down in Baghdad during the Arab League Summit.
So it seems that right now travel in Baghdad itself is a problem, but other parts of Iraq are OK (at least if you are in an authorized tour group). I hope that Baghdad settles down soon when the Arab League event winds up.
9
fluffy-bunny, you are surprising me again and again.. you are not staying in "that" Iraq we are talking about mate, so don't bring yourself up that much in this forum. you have to make a difference between Kurdistan (Northern Iraq) and Arab/Mesopotania Iraq where you have never been to. Just because you are staying in Kurdistan part (where it is quite more easier to get in and also easy to travel around) you don't have to claim everybody that you are in IRAQ. The Iraq where you are is completely different from the rest of the country.Travelling in Baghdad has always been a problem, not just since fluffy is intepretating statistics. Bombings are daily-business and attacks from Sadr-City as well. It has never been easy the last 10 years to travel in and around baghdad and it will probably also not been easy the next years! For those security reasons it is also quite difficult to get a tourist visa, even if you are just travelling as a tourist outside baghdad. The difficulties, appart from the security situation in Iraq (not Kurdistan) are the many checkpoints overland. For almost every region, part of the country you need special permissions to travel around.
10
Yes, there are many checkpoints. But there are no special permissions. Once you have a visa for Iraq, you can travel anywhere. Local Arab Iraqis can get special permits to travel to Kurdistan, especially when driving themselves. Same in the opposite direction. But this has nothing to do with international tourists.Kurdistan is Iraq. Tell me any agency that recognizes Kurdistan as a separate country. To say anything contradictory is absurd and just goes to show how little you know about the region.
11
haha, alright, if you say that fluffy.. incredible that you are allowed to write your staff.. you are completely wrong, but it is everything said in the last posts. the area around Uruk, there you need a permission, to enter Nimrud, Azzur, you need a permission, many other regions, you are stopped and need permission. to drive from Baghad into Kerbala, big checkpoint, where you have to show permission. To drive overland down from Baghdad to Najaf, many checkpoints, where you need permissions.It is unbelievable what you write..
I think you life quite dangerous staying in Kurdistan and saying that it is "Iraq". I never met a Kurdish man or women in Kurdistan who claimed to be "Iraqi", they call themselfs Kurds! maybe you life in "secondlife" in Kurdistan?
there is no sense anymore for me to answer to your nonsense.
I seriously recommend you to make some travellings, appart from just zapping through statistics and sitting on the computer. Travel and open your mind.
cheers,
Mj
12
Your idea of "buying" a visa and just need to pay 350USD, and than travel around at any place you want in Iraq, is completely non-sense. I don't know where you got that staff from. And as i said, everybody who seriously tried to get an Iraq visa, knows that!I believe you that you made a lot of travellings, and I mean, that is fantastic! Also that you made it to Somalia, amazing. But you dont need to post staff just that you just posted staff. You and me, we both know, that you are not right.
And you know, you mentioned the money. The beautiful thing with travelling is, that you dont really need a lot of money to travel around, you just need an open mind.. that's why travelling is that beautiful, because you dont need to be rich or having a lot of money, everybody can do it. I met people, travellers (not in Iraq or Afghanistan), who live without money..or with just some Dollars in their throusers. they look everyday how they get on.
So go on, travelling, and have fun and enjoy,
All the best to you,
cheers,
Mj
13
A quick comment on visas and "permissions".The procedure in my case was that Babel Tours got me a standard tourist visa authorization letter from the Department of Tourism within the Ministry of Interior. That letter (in Arabic of course) apparently both authorizes me to receive a visa and authorizes me to travel "anywhere" in Iraq.
I used the letter (plus essential help from my tour guide) to obtain an actual visa on entering Iraq from Kuwait.
At most Iraq internal checkpoints, they simply glance at you and wave you through. At a small number, they also wanted to check my passport and visa. At a few special points, notably when entering Uruk, Larsa, Babylon, and Ctesiphon, we also had to dig out the authorization letter and have that checked and our presence noted down. This did not happen for Karbala.
So it seems that special permission is required to visit some (all?) archaeological sites and that a single broad access permission comes with a standard tourist visa.
14
in most points you are right kgh. Without this letter you don't get visa (if fluffy is talking about his boss form an NGO than it is much easier getting a visa than a normal traveller, so also kgh hat to arrange his letter over the ministryhttp://www.expatforum.com/articles/visas-permits-and-immigration/iraq-visas-permits-and-immigration.html
fluffy, especiall you as a so called NGO worker should know about the above!!
good info for fluffy, that for special areas permissions are required!
so you cant just enter Uruk how ever you want or other archeological sites as I told you so many times (fluffy who claims living in Iraq but especially never made a step into it, he just stays in Kurdistan, and says that all his friends popp into Iraq and Uruk and other places for a weekend trip that easy..).
Into Kerbala I was stopped and hold for a long time. also at some other checkpoints. they wanted to know who I am where I am going etc. The one day i was travelling with a local southwards (to Ukhaider, Islamic Castle Palace) I was also stopped at a checkpoint because I didnt have a permission to enter this area (on a normal road). The reason why you were probably not stopped that many times was because you had a local on your side, a tourguide?
Good to have real impressions of another traveller like kgh. Enough for fluffy, that he is "inshallah" stopping posting his easy-getting-visa-and-authorisations stories.
