Habbaniyah Lake

Lake Habbaniyah is a large body of water in the desert of Anbar, fed from the Euphrates through a regulator and used for flood control as well as irrigation, and in the 1980s a substantial tourist city was built on its shore with hotels, chalets, pools and a marina, which was for a time the main domestic holiday resort in Iraq. The complex declined and was damaged over subsequent decades, and reconstruction and reopening have proceeded in phases. The lake itself is broad and shallow with sandy shores, warm for swimming in the shoulder seasons, and birds use it on migration. It sits on the road west from Baghdad and is a domestic destination rather than an international one.

What you actually see

• The desert lake - a broad shallow sheet of water in flat country.
• The resort complex - hotels, chalets and pools in stages of repair.
• Sandy shores - the beaches used for swimming and picnics.
• Migrating birds - waterfowl and waders using the lake in season.

When to go

November to April; Anbar summers are extreme. Spring brings migrating birds and the most comfortable weather. Iraqi holidays fill the resort.

Honest expectations

The resort has been through damage and partial reconstruction and standards vary a great deal between the parts that are open. Water levels fluctuate with Euphrates management. Facilities can be run-down. Current access advice for Anbar province should be checked.

Nearby

Ramadi lies west; Hit is further up the Euphrates.