The project and the people behind it
About Nature KRD
A free field guide to the natural places of the Kurdistan Region. Open the destination, confirm your GPS and submit a photo to add the place to your record — mountains, caves, lakes and waterfalls you have genuinely stood in.
Why this exists
Rooted in the mountains that raised us
The Kurdistan Region is a landscape of oak forest, limestone gorges, snow-fed rivers and villages older than any map of them. Nature KRD began from a simple observation: these places are loved but lightly documented, and the people who know them best are the ones who walk them. So we built a guide that only records a place once someone has genuinely stood in it.
That one rule does three things at once. It gives quiet valleys, forest trails and border villages the visibility they have never had. It turns the condition of a place into something visitors report rather than walk past, so litter and damage are seen early and cleared. And it points real footfall toward the guides, tea houses and family kitchens that have looked after these landscapes for generations.
Our mission
To make the nature of Kurdistan visible, cared for, and worth protecting — by turning every real visit into a verified record, every visitor into a caretaker, and every trip into income for the villages that keep these places alive.
Our vision
A Kurdistan where its mountains, waterfalls, caves and historical places are documented and protected by the people who visit them — and where the most overlooked valley gets the same care as the most famous waterfall.
Who runs it
An independent, community-built project
Nature KRD is not owned by a company, a ministry or a foundation. It is built and maintained by a small group of people in the Kurdistan Region who spend their weekends in these mountains, and it takes no sponsorship — which is why there are no ads, no subscriptions, and no destination anywhere in it that was paid for.
That independence is also the editorial policy. A place earns its page by being visited and photographed on site, not by being submitted or promoted. Nobody can buy a listing here, and the most overlooked valley is documented on exactly the same terms as the most famous waterfall.
Start somewhere real
Where to go in Kurdistan
Nature destinations
Mountains, waterfalls, lakes and caves across all four governorates, on one verified map.
Picnic and camping places
Family-friendly riversides, lakeshores and forest meadows with safety notes and road access.
Historical places
From the Erbil Citadel and Lalish to Assyrian reliefs and Neanderthal caves — nine thousand years, mapped.
Hidden gems
Quieter valleys and remote routes worth earning through real exploration.
Common questions
Where should I go in Kurdistan?
Nature KRD maps 32 verified destinations across Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok and Halabja: mountains like Halgurd and Korek, waterfalls like Gali Ali Beg and Bekhal, lakes like Dukan, caves like Shanidar, and historical sites like the Erbil Citadel and Lalish. Every place has GPS coordinates, difficulty, season and safety notes.
What are the best picnic places in Kurdistan?
Family-friendly picnic places in Kurdistan include Bekhal Waterfall with its streamside tea houses, the shores of Dukan Lake, the Zawita forest meadows near Duhok, and Ahmad Awa near Halabja. Nature KRD marks family-friendly destinations and safe camping areas on its map.
What historical places can I visit in Kurdistan?
The Kurdistan Region holds some nine thousand years of history: the Erbil Citadel (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Lalish, Shanidar Cave, the Assyrian reliefs at Khinis, the Jerwan Aqueduct, Jarmo, the Paikuli Tower, Sherwana Castle, Amedi Old Town and the Halabja Memorial. All are mapped on Nature KRD with directions and visiting notes.
Is Nature KRD free to use?
Yes. Nature KRD is completely free, with no subscriptions and no ads. It is a non-profit, independent project built to encourage hiking, environmental awareness, conservation and responsible local tourism in the Kurdistan Region.