Afghan Winter Tour + Buzkashi
We start in Kabul before taking a short flight across the Hindu Kush to Herat, the most architecturally complete city in Afghanistan. Then we will move on to Bamian where we spend three days exploring the valleys, the Buddha niches and the lakes of Band e Amir. It is an area that allows us to experience what life is like in rural Afghanistan in safety. Finally, we cross the spine of the Hindu Kush through to Mazar e Sharif to see the blue-tiled shrine of Hazrat Ali and the remains of the once great Silk Road city of Balkh. We also hope to take in a game of Afghanistan’s national winter sport – Buzkashi.
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Vacation Style Holiday Type
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Activity Level Moderate
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Group Size Small Group
We start in Kabul before taking a short flight across the Hindu Kush to Herat, the most architecturally complete city in Afghanistan. Then we will move on to Bamian where we spend three days exploring the valleys, the Buddha niches and the lakes of Band e Amir. It is an area that allows us to experience what life is like in rural Afghanistan in safety. Finally, we cross the spine of the Hindu Kush through to Mazar e Sharif to see the blue-tiled shrine of Hazrat Ali and the remains of the once great Silk Road city of Balkh. Hopefully taking in a game of Afghanistan’s national winter sport – Buzkashi.
Highlights:
- Experience the national sport of Buzkashi
- Discover the remains of the Buddhas of Bamian
- Explore Herat
- Visit the Shrine of Ali in Mazar e Sharif
- See the lakes at Band e Amir
Start Point: Kabul, Afghanistan
End Point: Kabul, Afghanistan
- All accommodation
- Breakfast
- Transport/transfers
- Guiding
- 6 internal flights within Afghanistan (Kabul-Herat/Herat-Kabul, Kabul-Bamian/Bamian-Kabul, Kabul-Mazar/Mazar-Kabul)
- Any necessary visas
- Insurance
- Flights to Afghanistan
- Entrance fees
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Drinks
- Tips
- Any additional flights needed in Afghanistan that may be necessary due to security concerns.
- Day 1 Arrive - Kabul
- Day 2 Kabul - Herat
- Day 3 Herat
- Day 4 Herat - Kabul
- Day 5 Kabul
- Day 6 Kabul - Bamian
- Days 7 - 9 Bamian
- Day 10 Bamian - Kabul - Mazar e Sharif
- Day 11 Mazar e Sharif – Balkh – Buzkashi
- Day 12 Mazar e Sharif – Samangan
- Day 13 Mazar - Kabul
- Day 14 Kabul - Panjshir
- Day 15 Kabul - End
We do not and cannot offer a uniform accommodation standard on our itineraries. We consider comfort, location, design, character, historical interest, and whether the money we spend will go into the pockets of the local community when we make our choices of where to stay.
The accommodation is based on two people sharing.
An optional single supplement is US$500 per person
- All accommodation
- Breakfast
- Transport/transfers
- Guiding
- 6 internal flights within Afghanistan (Kabul-Herat/Herat-Kabul, Kabul-Bamian/Bamian-Kabul, Kabul-Mazar/Mazar-Kabul)
- Any necessary visas
- Insurance
- Flights to Afghanistan
- Entrance fees
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Drinks
- Tips
- Any additional flights needed in Afghanistan that may be necessary due to security concerns.
We do not directly arrange international flights to Afghanistan. We can suggest routes and operators.
You can also contact the Untamed Borders dedicated team at Flight Centre for suggested routes.
Mail: untamedborders@rtwexperts.co.uk
Phone: +44(0) 844 560 9966
We do not arrange Afghanistan visas directly. We will provide visa support in the form of letters of invitation to assist in your Afghanistan visa application.
With the exception of breakfast, meals are not included as part of the trip. In our experience people sometimes want to eat different things in different places at different times. We know some great places and will also happily show you some of our favourite restaurants and tea houses. Some are luxurious, some are earthier, but all have character. However, we do not pretend to be the arbiters of good taste and are equally happy for you to go off and find your own favourites.
In Afghanistan, we take at least two vehicles when driving between towns if there is a big group for safety reasons. If there is a breakdown, we will not be left stranded. When we choose our vehicles and drivers, we take into consideration the road conditions, the length of the journey, and the competence of the man behind the wheel. In a country that should be the setting for a live-action version of the Wacky Races, it’s a matter we take seriously. Your comfort and enjoyment of the journey is our top priority.
Two Untamed Borders team leaders accompany you on this trip. This allows for greater security. It also means there will always be someone on hand to help or assist you, even if the other team leader is busy arranging something.
Sometimes we also hire local guides. If we are a large group, we may wish to split into smaller groups for city tours to allow greater flexibility and keep a lower profile. An additional local guide will enable us to do that.
Trips to Afghanistan create dangers all of their own. While we want you to have as much freedom as possible, we must state that the leader has the final word in regards to changing the itinerary for safety-related reasons. The route we have chosen passes through areas that we consider to be stable. However, we may have to alter the route or cancel sections of the trip at short notice if things change.
If there is an extra expense incurred due to the change of itinerary, then you may be asked to bear part of that cost. For example, if we have to fly between cities rather than drive.