You will have some complications when entering from Turkey as you will not get an Iraq visa at the border. You can fly from Erbil to Baghdad and get an Iraq visa at the airport, then return to Erbil and continue your journey by bike.

From north to south I would recommend Mosul - Samarra - Baghdad. All very interesting places to visit. Some areas (Hatra, Hirmal mountains for example) are not so safe so stick to the highway between Mosul and Samara. Mosul is very calm, secure and friendly. One of my highlights from Iraq.

The south is full of archaeological sites, Eridu, Uruk and Nippur were the highlights for me, though the more accessible sites of Ur (near Nasiriyah), Babylon (near Karbala) and Aqar Quf (just outside Baghdad) are also fantastic (but restored). Try to add on a stop in the Marshes.

As for camping, I would say it is safe, but probably not a good idea. Firstly, the country is mostly a flat plain with few natural campsites. Iraq is totally unaccustomed to individual tourism and if locals/police find you, they may find your behaviour very unusual or suspicious. If the police were to find you, you can expect hours of (friendly) questions and an escort to a local hotel which can be frustrating. Don't get me wrong, Iraqis are just about the most welcoming and friendly people I have met, but I doubt camping would be much fun. The only place I have done it was in Kurdistan on a previous visit, and even there I had to keep a low profile (I had already been moved on from one site near Halabja).

EO

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EurasiaOverland a memoir of one quarter of a million kilometres by road through all of the Former USSR, Western and Southern Asia.