When to go
As regards to the temperatures, the best times to visit Iraq are
spring and autumn: in the north (see Mosul, Sulaymaniyah), below 1,000 meters (3,300 feet), the best months are April and from mid-October to mid-November, while in the center and south (see Baghdad, Basra), they are March and November: in this way, you avoid both the scorching heat of summer and the possible cold in winter. Sometimes, however, in these periods, it can rain, especially in the north.
In May and October, the temperatures are already well above 30 °C (86 °F) and can already approach 40 °C (104 °F); on the other hand, it almost never rains.
What to pack
In
winter: in the north and north-west (Mosul, Nineveh, Rutbah), bring warm clothes, a jacket, a hat, a raincoat or umbrella, and a scarf; in the mountains of Kurdistan, bring mountain clothing with warm boots; in the center and south (Baghdad, Basra), spring/autumn clothes, a jacket and a sweater, and a hat for cold nights.
In
summer: in the whole country at low altitude, from north to south, bring lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing; light and long shirts and pants of natural fibers (cotton, linen), a sun hat, and a desert turban; in the north and north-west (Mosul, Nineveh, Rutbah), you can bring a light sweatshirt for the night and early morning. In the mountains of Kurdistan, light clothes for the day, a sun hat or desert turban, a sweatshirt or sweater for the evening, a jacket for the highest peaks, and hiking shoes.
Back to the climate of
Iraq