Climbing Halgurd

Within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Zagros Mountains rise more than 3,000 meters, or nearly 12,000 feet, above sea level. Wildlife can be difficult to spot, but these mountains are home to everything from bears and large game animals to elusive predators such as leopards. I originally had my sights set on Cheekha Dar along the Iranian border, but locals convinced me that Halgurd would be the better climb. Cheekha Dar is only slightly higher, while Halgurd is the highest major peak located wholly within Iraq and was said to offer a much more scenic route. After seeing views like this, it wasn’t a difficult decision.

For mountain adventures in this part of Iraqi Kurdistan, Choman makes an excellent base. The town sits deep within the Zagros Mountains and provides access to hiking, climbing, camping, and some spectacular scenery. Even the drive here was part of the experience, winding through steep valleys and canyons on the way into the mountains.

Along the way I stopped at Gali Ali Beg Waterfall, one of the best-known natural landmarks in Iraqi Kurdistan. The waterfall drops through a narrow mountain gorge and is famous enough to appear on Iraqi currency. It was a great introduction to the dramatic terrain surrounding Choman.

Halgurd would be beautiful during almost any season, but I climbed it near the end of fall when the first snows of the year had begun covering the higher valleys. Lower elevations still held some autumn color while the mountains above were already turning white, giving me several seasons of scenery during the same hike.

I climbed with my friend Salar, who had already made an incredible 112 trips up Halgurd. Having someone who knew the mountain that well certainly made route finding easier, especially once we reached the snow-covered sections higher up.

I’ve seen photographs of these mountains during spring when the lower slopes turn bright green and fill with wildflowers. My late-fall visit offered something completely different. A storm had moved through shortly before the climb and left beautiful rime ice covering plants and rocks. These spiky plants were some of my favorites to photograph, although they definitely weren’t something I’d want to fall onto.

I also came across these tracks in the fresh snow. At first I thought they might belong to a much larger animal, but they turned out to be rabbit tracks. Even when the animals themselves stayed hidden, there were signs that wildlife was moving through the mountains around us.

From the starting area, you can look back toward Choman and the surrounding mountain valleys. The climb itself isn’t exceptionally long, and the overall elevation gain is manageable compared with many higher mountains I’ve climbed. The less interesting part is that the route initially follows a road through a long sweeping curve before finally heading toward the mountain itself.

Once we left the road behind, the hike became much more interesting. The scenery opened into rugged ridges and valleys typical of the Zagros Mountains, with the Iranian border not far away. From parts of the route I could even see a military outpost across the border.

The route eventually became steeper and rockier as we approached the upper mountain. From a distance this section looked like it might require a serious scramble, but most of it remained straightforward hiking. There were only a few places where using my hands made the climb easier.

After passing the rocky section, we returned to deeper snow and finally had a clear view of the summit block. By this point the landscape felt far removed from the image of Iraq that most people picture, with snowy mountains stretching across the horizon in every direction.

Halgurd can be climbed in a matter of hours, although there are plenty of places in the surrounding mountains where you could turn the trip into a longer camping adventure. Here I am at the summit with two locals who joined me for this fantastic mini adventure. Between the snow, rugged Zagros scenery, and completely unexpected mountain environment, climbing Halgurd became one of my favorite experiences in Iraq. The next time I return to this region, I’d love to spend more time rock climbing and exploring some of the surrounding peaks.