Visiting the Rawanduz Canyon - Republic of Iraq - Kurdistan Region
Posted: May 28, 2025 | Tagged: Kurdistan
From Akre, I continued my backpacking adventures through Iraqi Kurdistan, in a shared taxi, to Soran. I travelled with the English chap I met in Duhok. In the absence of any kind of public transport network other than shared taxis, it certainly made travelling cheaper.
We stopped at the Zagros Hotel. Closed. We continued to the next place on Google Maps, the Hotel Sky Soran, also closed. WTF. Then to the Didam Motel. Same story.
Our last option was the Diana Palace, which everyone was telling us about. It sounded posh. It looked posh. But single rooms were bargained down to 35,000, and the massive spread for breakfast was the game changer.
The story with all the hotels being closed, well, the manager said that the authorities had closed them down for not being up to standard. Let that be a lesson in itself!!
The guy running the reception was a top bloke! He told us exactly how it was. No lies.
We stopped at the Zagros Hotel. Closed. We continued to the next place on Google Maps, the Hotel Sky Soran, also closed. WTF. Then to the Didam Motel. Same story.
Our last option was the Diana Palace, which everyone was telling us about. It sounded posh. It looked posh. But single rooms were bargained down to 35,000, and the massive spread for breakfast was the game changer.
The story with all the hotels being closed, well, the manager said that the authorities had closed them down for not being up to standard. Let that be a lesson in itself!!
The guy running the reception was a top bloke! He told us exactly how it was. No lies.
The top attraction in Soran is the Rwandz (also spelt Rawanduz) Canyon, 7 or 8 km away.
(There is also the Geli Ali Bag Waterfall, which we didn't go to. Never see the point in going to see waterfalls in the dry season, except when you are talking about Victoria Falls, which I have seen in both the wet and dry season.)
I have to remind my readers that it is the middle of May and the temperatures are already hitting 36 degrees Celsius. The sun is debilitating. They say that March is the "Best Time to Visit Kurdistan" when the weather is a little more comfortable.
We took a taxi to the village of Rawanduz and headed for the viewpoint overlooking the Rawanduz River. The views didn't disappoint:
(There is also the Geli Ali Bag Waterfall, which we didn't go to. Never see the point in going to see waterfalls in the dry season, except when you are talking about Victoria Falls, which I have seen in both the wet and dry season.)
I have to remind my readers that it is the middle of May and the temperatures are already hitting 36 degrees Celsius. The sun is debilitating. They say that March is the "Best Time to Visit Kurdistan" when the weather is a little more comfortable.
We took a taxi to the village of Rawanduz and headed for the viewpoint overlooking the Rawanduz River. The views didn't disappoint:
The area by the power lines was all fenced off. Would have made a cracking viewpoint:
There are two sides to Rawanduz. The west side looks over the river, as seen above and the other side, which is the actual canyon as per Google Maps.
Then we walked to the other side of the town for views of the Rawanduz Canyon:
Then we walked to the other side of the town for views of the Rawanduz Canyon:
Continuing on, from a small viewing platform opposite the Obaw Restaurant, we were rewarded with these awesome views:
We refreshed with some water and sodas at the Obaw Restaurant and then continued down to the next viewpoint:
I have seen some reports of people hiking through the Canyon. That would have been cool:
From there, we hitched back to town.
Accommodation in Soran
As mentioned above, the Diana Palace seems to be the only hotel still open in Soran. Rooms cost 35,000 IQD. They are very comfortable. Breakfast is included. Cash only! Fast Wi-Fi.
Getting from Akre to Soran
From the Laween Hotel in Akre, we walked down the road for 20 minutes and then stuck out our thumbs. It seems that hitchhiking is not so common here in Kurdistan. A taxi stopped. We negotiated a fare and jumped in.
This is the only negative thing I have to say about Kurdistan, and I was there for just under 3 weeks, staying in 5 different towns/cities with a couple of day trips too. The people are great - friendly, helpful, hospitable. The hotels, albeit the one in Akre, were very good. Just that the public transportation in some parts just sucked.
This is the only negative thing I have to say about Kurdistan, and I was there for just under 3 weeks, staying in 5 different towns/cities with a couple of day trips too. The people are great - friendly, helpful, hospitable. The hotels, albeit the one in Akre, were very good. Just that the public transportation in some parts just sucked.
Getting from Soran to Erbil
In the early evening, we were in the centre of town and we spied a minivan. This was a rare sighting. We inquired about it and the possibility of there being some sort of transport beyond the shared taxis, existing in Kurdistan. Indeed, there was. 3 km on the edge of town was the Erbil Garaj, located behind the Kaya Cafe. It's on MapsMe but NOT on Google Maps!
Shared taxis run from Soran to Erbil, 10,000 IRD based on 4 sharing or 6,000 for a seat in a minivan. Our hotel guy confirmed this and said that between 10 and 11 was the best time to get there. So after a more leisurely breakfast, we rode another cab and boy, we had timed it right. We got the last two seats. At 9:50, we were on our way. The ride was 104 km and took 1 hour 40 minutes if I recall. The ride ended on the main road on the way into Erbil, near the Erbil Terminal. It would have been interesting to have actually gone into the terminal to see what other transport options were available.
Shared taxis run from Soran to Erbil, 10,000 IRD based on 4 sharing or 6,000 for a seat in a minivan. Our hotel guy confirmed this and said that between 10 and 11 was the best time to get there. So after a more leisurely breakfast, we rode another cab and boy, we had timed it right. We got the last two seats. At 9:50, we were on our way. The ride was 104 km and took 1 hour 40 minutes if I recall. The ride ended on the main road on the way into Erbil, near the Erbil Terminal. It would have been interesting to have actually gone into the terminal to see what other transport options were available.
