Bekodyan, the highest tourist attraction in the Kurdistan Region

To see the highest tourist site in the Kurdistan Region, you need to drive two hours from Erbil to Choman and then walk seven to ten hours on foot. Then you will reach Bekodyan Pond, the highest natural tourist site in the whole region.

Bokodyan Pond is located on the Sakran Mountain, which is part of the Zagros Mountains chain, in Erbil’s Choman district.

The pond is named after the Bekodyan family who dwells in the Rezena village, which is in the Sarkapkan subdistrict in Ranya town. The Bekodyan family takes their herd for pasture during the summer. They were the first ones to discover the pond.

The pond is now a well-known site for local and international tourists.

“From Choman, we walked for seven hours to reach here,” Rasti Mahmoud, a local tourist from Erbil, told Kurdistan 24. “Once you reach here, you feel that you have not walked at all. It is incredible. You never forget the experience.”

Bekodyan Pond is popular in summer because there is always snow, even on the scorching summer days of July and August.

“Last year, I came here in August after walking for ten hours, and it felt like an early spring and very cold at night,” said Yousif Sarbast, a tourist from Kirkuk. “In Kirkuk, it was like 52 degrees Celsius, so the experience was amazing. However, this year I came back in June just to experience it at a different time. It is unbelievable at all times.”

The pond offers amazing landscapes, fresh drinkable water, green and white scenery, fresh air, and a quiet atmosphere.

“This is my first time, I feel good, and I enjoy the scenery and the nature’s silence,” said Aza Rahim, a local tourist in Soran. “I am planning to stay for four nights here, enjoying this paradise on earth.”

“We drove by car until Przhe, which is 30 minutes driving from Choman,” said Baran Haji from Choman. “Then we started walking. I come here often as it gives clean air and water. It is good for my health and mind.”

Tourists can join a growing number of mountaineer groups in the Kurdistan Region. In each city, there are now at least two mountaineer groups who hike through the mountains weekly.

“I joined Sulaimani Mountaineer Group for hiking, it is much easier, and they know the place very well, so you don’t need to be worried about anything,” said Sarbast.