Kurdish Mountain Trail Wins International Tourism Award

November 06, 2025

The Zagros Mountain Trail on Monday won the Best Wider World Tourism Project award as part of the international British Guild of Travel Writers (BGTW) International Tourism Awards.

Launched over 40 years ago, the BGTW International Tourism Awards scheme recognizes excellence in tourism projects.

“We’re thrilled for our local partner in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to be recognized among so many incredible initiatives,” the Abraham Path Initiative, an international nonprofit that financially backed the mountain trail, said in October.

“Stretching for 215 kilometers across the Zagros Mountains in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the trail provides a unique opportunity for hikers to discover one of the Middle East’s least visited and most misunderstood regions,” the nomination said.

“The project joins together pre-existing pathways, many of which have been used for hundreds of years by the communities who live there,” the co-founder of the Zagros Mountain Trail, Leon McCarron, previously wrote for Kurdistan Chronicle.

“The ambition of the ZMT is to reimagine these traditional paths as a modern-day cultural route that can be enjoyed by both local and international walkers.”

“Bravo to the BGTW for recognizing the Zagros Mountain Trail! The ZMT team’s big vision and small steps into Kurdish communities succeeds in bringing visibility and honor to the people and magnificent mountains of this region,” Anisa Mehdi, who was Executive Director of the Abraham Path Initiative when the ZMT was launched in 2023, told Kurdistan Chronicle.

“I’ve watched this environmentally friendly project grow since 2018, under the leadership of Lawin Mohammad, Miran Diyazee, and Leon McCarron. I’m immensely proud.”

Lawin Mohammad, the co-founder of the Zagros Mountain Trail, told Kurdistan Chronicle that he is “deeply proud and delighted to see the trail win the Best Wider World Tourism Project 2025 award in London. This recognition shines a light on the vital role that hiking trails play in promoting sustainable tourism, cultural exchange, and a deeper connection with nature around the world.

“What makes this award particularly special is that the project was not nominated by any of the founders, but by Richard Collett, a traveler who recently hiked the trail with a local service provider. Knowing that this recognition came directly from a hiker’s personal experience makes it even more meaningful.

“We are thrilled to see visitors enjoying the Zagros Mountain Trail and sharing such positive feedback which gives a true reflection of the region’s beauty, hospitality, and the growing global passion for sustainable adventure tourism.”