Alana Valley, a cool resort for Erbil’s summer heat

This valley is one of the most famous natural touristic attractions in the Kurdistan Region.

Goran Sabah Ghafour 2022/07/10 16:34

The Kurdistan Region's Alana Valley (Photo: Goran Sabah Ghafour)

Kurdistan Kurdistan Tourism in Kurdistan Region Tourism Gali Bag Waterfall

Locally called ‘Doli Alana’, this valley is one of the most famous natural touristic attractions in the Kurdistan Region, only 130km away from Erbil city, which is roughly an hour and twenty minutes driving.

Alana Valley is known for its icy cold, fresh water, green scenery, tall poplar trees and cool, refreshing air in heat of summer. Sandwiched between two mountains, the valley attracts hundreds of tourists per week, especially during the weekends.

“In Erbil, no long hours of driving, it is just about an hour and there go you will see the natural wonders in Doli Alana,” said Azzam Talhat, a tourist from Baghdad. “My family and I are enjoying this paradise, away from Baghdad’s deadly heat.”

Alana Valley offers tourists 80 cabinets where they can stay overnight to enjoy the quiet, chill night in the mountains across a river. The river is called the Alana River, which also provides water for Erbil’s famous Gali Ali Beg Waterfall.

“We’ve rented four cabinets for only 60 thousand dinars (50 USD) for a night and that is the best deal ever for this breathtaking attraction,” said Mazin Jalal, a local tourist in Erbil. “We are four families and we will stay two nights here, enjoying the fresh water and the cool air.”

Due to the tall trees on both sides of the river, the sunlight does not bother people, making a cool, shady spot to enjoy the swings that are built inside the river.

“My children have been on the swings since we got here in the morning,” Talhat noted. “This place needs to be promoted more and served better. You will never find a place like this in Iraq, so it’s better to keep it clean and develop it more.”

The local dwellers from Alana village and the people of Khalifan town complain about tourists who ignore hygiene.

“We kindly ask the tourists to visit and enjoy the place, but also, we kindly ask them to keep it clean when they leave,” said Rasul Haji, a dweller from Alana village told Kurdistan 24. “We also ask the government to develop this area, making it more attractive and promoting it.”

According to Jalal, tourists leave a lot of trash behind “I felt sad when I saw trash in the river, there must be some regulations for tourists to follow, otherwise, they have to pay a fine so that they will respect these natural attractions across Kurdistan.”

Edited by NA