An immersive exploration of Central and Southern Afghanistan. This 2000km road trip gives the visitor an insight into both the rural life of the Central highlands of Afghanistan and the rarely visited Pashtun heartlands of the south of the country.
We start in Kabul before taking the bone jarring Central route to Herat. En route stopping at Bamian, the lakes of Band e Amir and the iconic minaret of Jam. We pause for breath in Herat, the most architecturally complete city in Afghanistan. Then we follow the southern road stopping at the ancient city of Bost in Helmand, the ancient Afghan capital of Kandahar and the great city of Ghazni with its fort and 1000 year old towers.
The majority of these regions have been impossible to visit for two decades due to security concerns.
Highlights:
Arrival early in the morning.
Flights must arrive at 0730 or earlier.
Transfer to Peshawar.
Submit Afghan visa application and collect visa later that day.
City tour of Peshawar if there is time.
Overnight in Peshawar.
Drive from Peshawar to Islamabad via Taxila.
Fly from Islamabad to Kabul.
Overnight in Kabul.
A full day in Kabul to ensure we get all the necessary paperwork for the journey.
(At the time of writing this is slightly onerous but if it simplifies, we will move on from Kabul on this day.)
Overnight in Kabul.
Drive between Kabul and Bamian, the capital of the Hazarajat. When we arrive in Bamian we will have time to look at the hillsides containing many caves in which monasteries and Buddhist carvings were once situated.
Overnight in Bamian.
Day trip to Band e Amir.
The lapis lazuli blue waters of Band-e-Amir are often the highlight of any trip to Afghanistan. Legend has it that the dams that separate the 5 lakes were made by Ali, the prophet Mohamed’s cousin and son-in-law. However, geologists insist they are natural dams made from mineral deposits. The lakes contrast to the stark landscape surrounding them only adds to the beauty of this area.
Overnight in Bamian.
Drive Bamian to Chagcharan.
The majority of this drive will be on very bad roads.
Overnight in Chagcharan.
We have two days to drive from Chagcharan to Herat via the Minaret of Jam.
This will be done on very rough roads. We hope that the night will be spent camping underneath the stars at the minaret of Jam.
If not, we will stay in a basic local Chaikhana, or teahouse.
Overnight in Herat.
Full day in Herat.
Herat has the largest collection of ancient buildings in Afghanistan, and we will take a full day to explore the city and its surroundings including the Friday Mosque, the Tomb of Gowar Shad, the Masullah Complex and the atmospheric shrine of Khoja Ansari at Gazar Gah.
Overnight in Herat.
Drive from Herat to Lashkar Gah in Helmand province.
This will be a full day’s drive.
Overnight in Lashgar Gah.
Visit the Bost arch in Lashgar Gah in the morning.
Then drive to Kandahar in the afternoon.
Overnight in Kandahar.
Visit Kandahar.
The old capital of Afghanistan has several interesting sights including Chil Zena, (the 40 steps carved out the rock by the Mughal emperor Babur), the tomb of Ahmed Shah Durrani, the mosque of the cloak of the prophet and the covered bazaar.
Overnight in Kandahar.
Drive from Kandahar to Ghazni.
The city was the capital of the great Ghaznafid empire that ruled the region 1000 years ago.
Visit the towers and the fort of Ghazni.
Overnight in Ghazni.
Drive from Ghazni to Kabul in the morning.
Visit some sights of Kabul in the afternoon.
Overnight in Kabul.
Transfer to airport.
End of trip.
Untamed Borders Ltd,
Unit 1 465c Hornsey Road, Islington, London, N19 4DR
Untamed Borders Ltd is an England and Wales Ltd company number 6748438