Mount Halgurd

Halgurd rises to around 3,600 metres in the Zagros close to the Iranian frontier and is generally reckoned the highest mountain lying entirely within Iraq, since higher summits on the border are shared. It sits in the Halgurd-Sakran national park, an area of high ridges, snowfields that last into summer, alpine meadows with wildflowers, and valleys with shepherd camps. Climbing it is a two or three day trip from Choman with a camp at altitude and a long scree ascent, not technical but sustained and high. Guides are required, both for route-finding and because this is a frontier area where unexploded ordnance from past decades has been a hazard and cleared routes must be kept to. Ibex and bears live in the range.

What you actually see

• The high ridges - Zagros summits and snowfields above three thousand metres.
• Alpine meadows - wildflowers on the slopes in early summer.
• Shepherd camps - seasonal grazing in the valleys below.
• The border country - the frontier ranges running into Iran.

When to go

June to September; snow closes the high ground for the rest of the year and lingers into early summer. July and August are the settled months. Nights at altitude are cold in any season.

Honest expectations

A guide is compulsory and staying on cleared routes matters because of ordnance left from past decades. Permits are required for the border zone. There is no infrastructure, no rescue and no marked trail. The ascent is long and high.

Nearby

Choman is the base town; Rawanduz lies southwest.