# Welcome to Iraq – a travel diary from Erbil to Baghdad

- Link: https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/blog/desert-horizons-2025-part-3-iraq/
- Published: 2025-10-13T16:44:47+02:00
- Author: Filip Chochół

Ten wpis jest również dostępny w języku:  [⌊Switch to Polski⌉Polski](https://warsawtravelers.pl/blog/desert-horizons-2025-czesc-3-irak/)

 Table of contents

## **Hey there, fellow traveler!**

This is already the third part of our little travel log — the unfiltered road stories,
just as they happened. Turkey is behind us, and we’re moving on: Iraq (Erbil, Baghdad),
followed by a short stop in Kuwait. Fewer “postcard moments,” more everyday reality—
checkpoints and stamps, heat like from an oven, generators instead of power, friendly
honks, and plenty of genuine kindness along the way.

This is still a road diary, not a guidebook. The places where we stayed longer and
actually explored are covered in separate posts — there you’ll find practical tips,
maps, and local food worth hunting down.

If this is your first time here, take a look at the previous parts:

 * 👉 Part 1 – [From Poland to Turkey (first stage)](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/blog/desert-horizons-2025-part-1-europe/)
 * 👉 Part 2 – [Turkey: Istanbul, Ankara, Cappadocia, Şanlıurfa](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/blog/desert-horizons-2025-part-2-turkey/)

And the whole mission control for the trip — the route map, partners, and all the
stages — is right here: 🏍️ [Desert Horizons 2025 project page](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/desert-horizons-2025/).
So, seatbelts fastened? Let’s keep going.

## **Day 14: Thursday, September 11, 2025**

🇮🇶 [Iraq, Erbil (Autonomous Region of Kurdistan)](https://maps.app.goo.gl/DHsuNG3U516412BeA)-
> 🇮🇶 [Iraq, Baghdad](https://maps.app.goo.gl/xBJyW8rbN6DSKFaS8)

Greetings from Erbil. We covered yesterday in a separate post — if this is your 
first time here, check it out to read about where we ate, how we sorted out a physical
SIM card, and what surprised us in the capital of the Kurdish region.

Today, we’re heading to Baghdad. And yes, we know — with these temperatures, we 
really should’ve left at dawn. This habit of starting late will come back to bite
us on the road to Kuwait, but more on that later. We carried the bags down to the
garage, packed everything up, grabbed some water, and filled the tank before leaving
the city (we couldn’t find a gas station that accepted cards).

A bit past Erbil, we hit the first checkpoint on the way to the federal part of 
Iraq. A checkpoint is simply a security control point run by the police or military—
you slow down, show your documents, they might ask a few questions, and then you
move on. The officers invited us into their booth, checked our passports and visas,
handed us bottles of water, and told us straight up: if we ever feel something’s
not right, just call 911. That kind of thing really changes how you see the ride.

If you’re curious about what it’s like to ride a motorcycle in Iraq — the road rules,
what to expect at checkpoints, and what not to do — we’ve covered it all in a separate
post.

We passed around six checkpoints along the way. Each one took maybe two to five 
minutes — passports, visas, sometimes a quick “where from, where to.” The closer
we got to Baghdad, the heavier the traffic and the rougher the road. Speed cameras?
Nowhere to be seen. At the final checkpoint before entering the city, we waited 
a bit longer, but only because they were getting us some water. A soldier leaning
on his rifle looked like a scene straight out of a movie, and we definitely caught
people’s attention in the city — honks, waves, thumbs up — lots of friendly energy.

We parked right under the security guard’s watchful eye. The guys were keeping an
eye not just on the hotel, but on our bike too, so we didn’t feel unsafe at all.

We skipped evening sightseeing today — ordered food through Talabat (shawarma, of
course… what else, since it’s basically been our main diet this whole month haha),
and at a nearby grocery store, we even spotted Polish products. Seeing Łaciaty cream
cheese in Baghdad honestly cracked us up a bit. 😅

The power outages really caught us off guard. In practice, it works like this: the
city grid cuts out quite often, so neighborhoods and hotels rely on their own or
shared diesel generators. When the main power goes down, the generator kicks in.
It keeps the lights and air conditioning running, but there’s a downside — the noise
and exhaust fumes can easily sneak into your room if the window’s open.

We cover this topic in more detail in our post about safety and travel logistics
in Iraq — here we’ll just say, don’t be surprised if the hum of your air conditioner
changes a few times during the night.

 * ⌚️ **Travel time:** 5 hours 48 minutes;
 * 🛣️ **Distance: **365 km;
 * 🏍️ **Average speed:** 75 km/h

 [ ⌊Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition document showing temporary registration of vehicle with stamps and signatures⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-iraq-temporary-registration-scaled.jpg)

 [ ⌊Motorcycle cockpit at night during the Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition in Kurdistan, with navigation screens and cars ahead.⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-026.jpeg)

 [ ⌊Two riders wearing helmets in a street parking area in Kurdistan during the Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-025-scaled.jpeg)

## Day 16: September 13, 2025, Saturday

🇮🇶 [Iraq, Baghdad](https://maps.app.goo.gl/xBJyW8rbN6DSKFaS8) -> 🇮🇶 [Iraq, Babylon](https://maps.app.goo.gl/UuT17Y92wmdWn3AV9)-
> 🇮🇶 Iraq, Baghdad

The day before, we explored Baghdad on foot and with Careem (the local version of
Uber). Before sightseeing, we rode the bike over to the **[Hamraa Insurance office](https://www.facebook.com/reel/673070898593298)**—
they were the ones insuring our motorcycle during our stay in Iraq. We chatted about
local realities, got a few small gifts, filmed a short reel for them, and then headed
out for “lunch”. Calling it lunch is a bit of an understatement — Lebanese food 
came in full “you don’t say no” mode, and we definitely came back a few portions
heavier.

But back to September 13th — that day we made a trip to Babylon. Yes, that Babylon
from history books, the one that always felt so far out of reach.

On the way, we passed two or three smaller checkpoints, and right before entering
Babylon province, we hit a bigger one where things took a bit longer. They invited
us into an office — probably the local checkpoint chief — and started asking questions:
if we had accommodation nearby, where we were from, and whether we were YouTubers.
For a moment, I got chills, while Jadzia — as always — stayed totally calm.

Using Google Translate, we explained that we were staying in Baghdad, didn’t have
luggage, and there was no point paying for an extra night.

It all ended on a really warm note — group photos, a few fridge magnets with our
Warsaw Travelers logo from us, and big smiles from them. At first, we had no idea
what was going on or why, but it turned out to be nothing more than genuine curiosity
and kindness.

Along the way, we saw one of Saddam Hussein’s former palaces from a distance — you
can’t go in, supposedly due to renovations. A shame, really, since we know some 
people manage to get photos there with a local guide — but we didn’t have anyone
like that with us. Too bad, because that was a real piece of history right in front
of us.

Baghdad to Babylon:

 * ⌚️ **Travel time:** 1 hour 47 minutes;
 * 🛣️ **Distance:** 107 km;
 * 🏍️ **Average speed: **79 km/h

 [ ⌊Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition group posing outside Iraq Baghdad insurance company building sign in Arabic⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-028.jpeg)

 [ ⌊Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition flag over Baghdad, Iraq, against a clear blue sky⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-031-scaled.jpeg)

 [ ⌊Motorcyclist posing beside an adventure bike in front of the Iraq Babilon gate at Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-030-scaled.jpeg)

 [ ⌊Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition in Iraq Babilon: group poses with motorcycles and a uniformed officer outdoors.⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-029-scaled.jpeg)

 [ ⌊taciaty naturally whipped cream cheese tubs in a display case at Iraqi grocery during Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-027.jpeg)

On the way back, we tried to reach Taq Kasra — the Arch of Ctesiphon. We took the
backroads through smaller towns and accidentally got a bit too close to a military
area. At one village checkpoint, they stopped us for about twenty minutes — we had
to wait for someone higher up to approve our passage.

In the meantime, the officers asked if we had everything we needed; for a moment,
we thought they were asking us for money, but it turned out they actually wanted
to give us some, just in case we were out of cash. They even offered us water. Absolute
hospitality. In the end, we found out Taq Kasra was closed anyway, so we let it 
go and took the longer way back.

In the evening, we took a walk along **al-Rasheed Street.** The first impression
was a bit eerie — dim lights, lots of hanging cables, hardly any people — and then
suddenly, the bright lights of **Zaza Caffe** made everything feel normal again.
Soldiers were patrolling the area, waving to us, and once more someone offered us
water. We’ll share more about Baghdad itself — how to get around and the best spots
to visit — in a separate post.

Babylon to Baghdad:

 * ⌚️ **Travel time:** 2 hour 57 minutes;
 * 🛣️ **Distance:** 133 km;
 * 🏍️ **Average speed: **57 km/h

## **Day 17: September 14, 2025, Sunday**

🇮🇶 [Iraq, Baghdad](https://maps.app.goo.gl/wzSZEq8U1dJeJdSr6) -> 🇰🇼 [Kuwait, Kuwait City](https://maps.app.goo.gl/aqLM8o3ZEAQuwSHMA)

Leaving before noon was a huge mistake. The sun was blazing like an oven — 43–45
°C on the thermometer, and probably closer to 50 inside the helmet. The navigation
counted the kilometres painfully slowly while we were melting inside our mesh gear.
On both sides of the road stretched endless heaps of garbage — massive, unbroken
strips of plastic that went on for hundreds of kilometres before the Kuwaiti border.
The people in the country are incredibly kind, but that landscape of waste really
gets to you.

At one of the stops, some kids were watering the grass. A simple hand gesture — “
pass the hose” — and a moment later, we got the cold shower we desperately needed.
Jadzia felt the relief the most — the first signs of overheating had started to 
show, so we began stopping more often. The problem was, there was barely any shade
to pull over into. Along the way, we passed bunkers and old military remnants — 
a clear reminder that this isn’t your typical European highway.

At a gas station where we were waiting for the fuel truck to arrive, someone brought
us a whole bowl of fresh figs — not a few, a whole bowl 😂. Nice gesture, but what
do you even do with that on a motorcycle? I don’t eat figs, so Jadzia got the full
gift set. She ate as many as she could, and we “passed on” the rest — explained 
with hand gestures to some people in another car that it was a gift “from us,” and
the bowl started making its way around between cars xD.

But at another gas station, we ran into a small scam — a young guy at the pump claimed
we were short by about 10 PLN for the fuel, which should’ve set off a red flag right
away. With that heat, though, we didn’t have the energy to argue — oh well, lesson
learned. A bit later, another kid started fiddling with our camera on the bike, 
and we had to chase him off.

Two little incidents in a row like that do stick in your memory, though it’s important
to mention the bigger picture — nothing like that happened again during the rest
of our stay in Iraq.

Wherever you go, there will always be people who try to take advantage of a moment
of distraction — the key is not to generalize and remember that these are exceptions,
not the rule.

Leaving Iraq took a while. Jadzia had to go through a personal check — I didn’t.
Passports were inspected, and a dog sniffed through the luggage. Pretty standard
for a border, though it felt like the officers cared more about following “procedure”
than actually getting people through efficiently.

Right outside the Iraqi passport control building, we were immediately surrounded
by fixers — local middlemen who, for a fee, guide you through the process, tell 
you where to go, sometimes fill out forms, and help with translation. They charge
for it — around 70 PLN for “help”, which is quite a bit in local terms. We paid,
and things moved faster.

At the final step, another service dog — this one so overexcited he nearly tore 
open one of our roll bags, and completely shredded the suitcase of the guy behind
us. Didn’t look like he’d actually found anything; more like pure enthusiasm… or
lack of training.

 [ ⌊Motorcycle dashboard showing 196 km and 44°C, with Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition in Iraq on road signage visible⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-034-scaled.jpeg)

 [ ⌊Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition: rider in helmet holding snacks on an Iraq on road stop beside tanker trucks⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-033-scaled.jpeg)

 [ ⌊Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition at Iraq border departures and passport control sign with motorcycles nearby⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-035-scaled.jpeg)

On the Kuwaiti side, the atmosphere changed right away. First came passports and…
coffee, tea, and some snacks — incredibly kind welcome. The bike went through an
x-ray scan, while Jadzia was invited to an air-conditioned room for women (and only
she got tea — a nice, though slightly mysterious, tradition). The heat still wasn’t
letting up, so that cool room felt like heaven.

Then came the mandatory vehicle insurance. The officer spent a long time staring
at our Polish registration certificate and decided to use… the Warsaw post office’s
ZIP code as the license plate number. An “international” document, yet entirely 
in Polish — no wonder it caused some confusion.

We reached the hotel in the evening, completely wiped out. The bike was parked right
by the entrance, the reception kept an eye on it, and we put out Jadzia’s “meltdown”
with… Taco Bell. Instant recovery — good as new. We didn’t worry about theft in 
Kuwait at all. Honestly, throughout the whole trip, those thoughts rarely crossed
our minds — maybe a brief moment or two back in Serbia or Bulgaria, but that was
it.

We watched a few videos in the background, took a shower, and crashed. Tomorrow —
sightseeing in Kuwait and our first real taste of everyday life here.

 * ⌚️ **Travel time:** 10 hours 22 minutes;
 * 🛣️ **Distance:** 669 km;
 * 🏍️ **Average speed:** 100 km/h

## **Time to relax in Kuwait**

After that marathon of kilometres, we finally slowed down — Kuwait was our chance
to catch our breath. A bit of city scenery, the bay, full-blast air conditioning,
and the simple things that feel best after a long ride. This won’t be an epic chapter—
the next part will be shorter, just like the country itself — but the vibe definitely
deserves its own page in our travel diary.

If you’re curious about what to see and how we spent our time in Kuwait City — where
to go by the water, what to eat, and how to handle the little practical things —
we’ve got a separate post for that. This diary, though, is a different story altogether.
And now, let’s keep going — [join us for the next part from Kuwait, this time a bit more relaxed and unrushed](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/blog/desert-horizons-2025-part-4-kuwait/).
😊

[We also put together a full budget breakdown for the whole trip.](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/blog/trip-cost-desert-horizons-2025-finances/)
Kuwait even gave us one of the nicest surprises when it comes to fuel prices 💸😄