A new trekking trip is being launched in April 2025 through the Zagros Mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan, as the area continues to see a growing number of tourists.

The adventure travel company, Untamed Borders, is leading the 15-day adventure along the newly formed Zagros Mountain Trail. The 215km route is the latest attraction in the area's expanding tourism offer, which defies to falter, despite the challenges facing the sector in other nearby nations.

Seven million tourists visited Iraqi Kurdistan in 2023, up from around six million the previous year. Now in ambitious plans the Kurdistan Regional Government hopes to further these figures, with an end goal of attracting 20 million tourists annually by 2030.

These positive steps are in contrast to many other parts of the Middle East, which have seen a sharp fall in tourists, due to the conflict in Gaza, Isreal and Lebanon, along with the wider regional tensions.

The Kurdish north of the country enjoys relative stability and has a diverse number of attractions for visitors. The early signs show the tourism push is working, with 1.7 million people visiting Iraqi Kurdistan in the first four months of 2024 alone.

The new trekking trail connects remote communities, using ancient pilgrimage routes and trading and shepherds' paths, finishing at the foot of Iraq's tallest mountain, Halgurd. Along the way it passes through lush valleys, travels through canyons, past waterfalls, trails the Great Zab River and goes up and over steep mountain passes.

The region's natural beauty and temperate climate is one of its main selling points, meanwhile, further north, near the border with Iran, you can also ski. The Korek Mountain Resort, which includes modern ski lift facilities, opened in 2014 and over the recent winter season it attracted between 3,000 and 4,000 people per day. Untamed Borders takes international guests to ski in the nearby Choman area every year, where they compete alongside locals in the mixed ability Iraq Ski Rally.

The region has also attracted film crews in the past, due to the high quality of the skiing terrain. The first ever ski ascent & descent of Halgurd, was turned into a film called Adventure Not War, produced by the North Face, which Untamed Borders organised logistics for.

Along with excellent hiking and skiing options, beautiful mountain roads and remote villages, the region also contains bustling cities and a lot of fascinating ancient history. This includes Erbil Citadel, one of the oldest continually inhabited places on earth and a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the spiritual home of the Yazidi people, in Lalish.

It also boasts a rich tapestry of cultures, religions, and communities, along with favourable visa arrangements for tourists, including a visa on arrival for many nationalities. It's all these factors, which are drawing an increasing number of visitors to Iraqi Kurdistan and the authorities' ambitious plans to hit 20 million by 2030, may not be far out of reach, with continued good planning.

This is just the latest in an increasing number of new trekking routes in the Middle East. Untamed Borders is also launching a new group trekking adventure in Yemen in January 2025 and there are other new long-distance routes in Jordan and the Sinai Peninsula. All of these are part of a larger project called the Abraham Path.

Untamed Borders' new trekking trip to Iraqi Kurdistan take place between 5th and 19th April 2025. You can book and find out more information here.