When people imagine Iraq, they rarely picture wetlands stretching to the horizon, narrow boats gliding between tall reeds, or families welcoming visitors with fresh buffalo cream and warm bread at sunrise. Yet in the southern Iraqi marshes, life continues to exist much as it has for centuries: quietly and uninterrupted. Few outsides make their way here.
Recently, tour guide Zoe, known online as Zoe Discovers, brought a group of travellers to experience this landscape firsthand. In this conversation, she reflects on guiding her team through the marshes and discovering a side of Iraq few visitors get to see. Her experience offers a glimpse into a region that reveals itself to those who make the journey.
For those who may not know you, can you introduce yourself and share how you became interested in traveling to unconventional countries? In particular, how did you decide to visit the Iraqi marshes?
I’m Zoe, originally from the UK but I’ve been living abroad for over a decade now. I started working in tourism for Koryo Tours, driven by both a love of travel and a love of people, and by a desire to show people the reality behind the headlines. I now operate in several different countries including Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen.
Koryo Tours specialises in tours to unusual destinations and those misunderstood or misrepresented in the media. Iraq has incredible history and culture, as well as amazing people and landscapes to explore. This, combined with how safe it is now to visit, made it a perfect destination for us.
We always tried to do things differently and focus more on cultural aspects and unusual experiences. The marshes ticked all the boxes, politically and historically interesting, both in terms of recent and ancient history. It is also an area that is struggling. Being able to bring a group here to support the local population adds to the sustainability of the travel experience, and also helps to educate our travellers in the many different aspects of life in Iraq.
For me, it’s mainly about reminding people that humans are humans, no matter who or where we are. We’re more similar than we are different, and a country is never a sum of its politics.
Can you walk us through your experience in the southern marshes: what did you do, who did you meet, and what moments stood out?
We arrived in the marshes for lunch and stayed until the following morning. We stayed overnight with a Marsh Arab community who showed us around their settlement of reed houses, buffalo stables, and communal spaces where they host guests and cook meals. We slept in tents inside the traditional reed houses, both for warmth and for privacy. It’s the first time I took a group here for this experience but it seemed to work out well!
One of the highlights was watching them prepare the catch of the day: the fresh masgouf cooked over an open fire. Later we took a boat deep into the marshes, weaving through tall reeds before reaching an open clearing where the engines were turned off and we sat quietly watching birds overhead as the sun set.
A moment that stood out to me was one of the mornings in the marshes. It was so peaceful all around, the sun was out, the sunrise boat trip was amazing. The breakfast was the best breakfast in the whole trip – fresh buffalo milk and cream with the date paste. The hospitality of the local family was amazing and it was lovely to be living amongst them and their buffalo.
What did you learn about the culture and daily life of the Marsh Arab communities?
Life in the marshes revolves around family, community, and the natural environment. Many homes are traditional reed houses built using techniques that have been used for thousands of years, and communities are organised into small clusters separated by the natural walls of the reeds.
Water buffalo play an important role in daily life, providing milk and cream used in meals, while fishing is another key livelihood. Meals are typically shared communally on the floor with fresh bread, vegetables, and fish. What struck me most was how closely daily life is tied to the marsh environment itself.
Many visitors to Iraq tend to focus on cities like Baghdad or Erbil, often overlooking the southern marshes. In your view, what makes the marshes unique, and why should they be on travellers’ radar?
The marshes are completely different from the rest of Iraq. When people imagine the country they usually picture desert landscapes or historic cities like Baghdad and Erbil, but here you find a vast wetland ecosystem filled with reeds, waterways, and small communities living on islands surrounded by water.
I think everyone on their first trip to the country has their opinions completely flipped, and the same goes for southern Iraq. The people are so friendly and so welcoming, and I think the biggest misconception is the safety. It really is so safe in Iraq, and especially in the marshlands! There, life carries on despite what may be happening in international politics, which usually affects the bigger cities more.
What makes it especially unique is that this way of life has existed here for thousands of years. The reed houses, the boats, and the reliance on fishing and buffalo are all part of a lifestyle deeply connected to the landscape. Visiting the marshes offers a glimpse into a culture and environment that you simply don’t encounter anywhere else.
One of the biggest differences is how cold it can get. You don’t imagine having to wrap up warm in Iraq, even in winter!
What advice would you give to travellers who are interested in visiting the southern marshes for the first time?
The biggest piece of advice is to embrace the experience for what it is. Staying overnight in the marshes is not luxury travel. It can be cold in winter, extremely hot in summer, muddy underfoot, and facilities are fairly basic.
But that’s part of what makes it memorable. If you go expecting a comfortable hotel stay you might be disappointed, but if you go with an open mind it becomes a really special experience. Spending time with local hosts, exploring the marshes by boat, and simply enjoying the quietness of the landscape.
Find out more: Zoe Discovers and Koryo Tours
- Published: 11th March, 2026
- Location: Basra
- Country: Iraq
- Editor: Defne Mercan Hocaoglu
- Category: Tourism
