A note from James Willcox, Founder
Alongside our regular destinations, the past few months has seen us organise some fabulous private trips for guests, including Mongolia, Eritrea, Turkmenistan and to the World Nomad Games in Kazakhstan.
For me, the highlight was another trip to Afghanistan, a country I have visited nearly 40 times. On this occasion I went to Nuristan and the Korengal Valley, in Kunar, but my most enjoyable part of the trip was a very special spot in Badakhshan. I don’t have a bucket list, but if I did, then the Lapis Mines would have been close to the top for the last 15 years. For as long as I can remember, I have had a long-standing desire to visit the Lapis Lazuli mines of Sar e Sang.
In antiquity, these were the only known mines of this blue semi-precious stone and, by extension, the only source of dark blue paint and dye. It was much prized by artists and artisans, either crushed to a powder, to use as paint, or the stones used themselves. The original mines are reputed to be 7000 years old and Lapis from these mines was exported around the world. The death mask of Tutankhamun, the blue paint on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the Sumerian treasures of Ur, all contains Lapis from these mines.
Under the previous Afghan government, the region around the mines was not considered safe to travel to. Under the current government, security is better, but mining is heavily controlled and generally people without good reason are not permitted to visit the area. Mineral wealth and mining contracts in Afghanistan are politically sensitive. However, I was fortunate enough to be issued the rare permission.
The mines are a gruelling 16-hour drive from the nearest airport, in Mazar e Sharif, and the final 7 hours are on increasingly rough roads. Sar e Sang itself is not a typical Afghan village – it’s set in an area of irrigable land, with a set of 200 single room homes for miners, built of rock, in a narrow barren valley. Lapis is everywhere – fragments and shards litter the ground, along with poor quality Lapis lying around in piles. Blocks of Lapis are even used to build the homes.
Despite the rough environment and the fact it is a mining town, everyone was extremely friendly and I was able to visit the oldest mines, to see for myself where all these wonderful treasures originated. To feel that tangible link through the ages is one of the reasons some of us like to travel.
Hoping you manage to visit one of your bucket list destinations before the year is out (even if you don’t have a bucket list, like me…..)
James
Upcoming Trips
We have lots of trips now available to book in 2025 and a few left this year. Some of our top picks for the months ahead include ski trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, our brand new trekking trip to Yemen and a cultural trip to meet the tribes of South Sudan. You can find a full list of all our upcoming group itineraries below and online.
Afghanistan & Iraq Ski Trips – February 2025
In February we have our two annual ski trips departing – one to Afghanistan’s Bamian Province and a second to Iraqi Kurdistan’s Choman Mountains. In both nations we played an important role in the formation and development of skiing, being the first company to organise ski trips to Afghanistan in 2011 and to Iraq in 2017. Both destinations offer great skiing terrain, in unconventional settings, while also offering a fascinating cultural experience. In Afghanistan we meet the skiers who use homemade wooden skis, take part in the Afghan Peaks Ski Race and we team up with the Bamyan Alpine Ski Club, which we played an important role in helping to form. In Iraq we help to organise the Iraq Ski Rally race, which guests can take part in, and we take on some of the slopes on Iraq’s tallest mountain – Halgurd. Here you can see photos from last year’s ski trips to Afghanistan & Iraq.
Yemen Trek 2025 – January/February 2025
Our pioneering new trekking trip to Yemen weaves in and out of the dramatic wadis of the Hadramout, in the east of the country. On the 10-day trip we’ll traverse the steep paths up the wadi cliffs, cross the desert top plateaus and explore the date palm lined wadi floor. Along the way we’ll stop at ancient mud built villages and meet the communities who call this remote corner of the globe home. This is a route specially designed by Untamed Borders and guests who take part in this inaugural adventure will be the first to take on the new trail, which our local team and international guide crafted last year. You can see photos from our planning expedition here.
South Sudan – March 2025
A 7-day adventure to meet the rarely visited tribal communities in the world’s youngest nation. On the journey we learn about the cultures of the Toposa tribe, the Larim and the Mundari people – all who have unique customs, rituals and celebrations. The Toposa are famed for their elaborate piercings and body scarification rituals, the Mundari have a deep connection with their cattle, and the Larim are master builders, forming complex huts near the Boya Mountains. We immerse ourselves into these ancient cultures and also visit the capital Juba, along with watching a game of boruboru – a South Sudanese version of dodge ball. You can see photos from a previous visit here.
Upcoming Trips
Below is a full list of our upcoming and future group departures for 2024, along with a number of departures we’ve announced for 2025 (there will be more announced later this year). We can also organise private trips to any of these destinations.
– Afghanistan
- Afghanistan in 9 Days (group trips in November 2024, April & September 2025)
- Afghanistan Central Route (15 day group trip in April & September 2025)
- Ski Afghanistan (6 day group trip in February 2025)
- Trek The Wakhan (22 day group trip in August 2025)
- Virtual Tour of Afghanistan (January and February 2025)
– Algeria (10 day group trips in February and November 2025)
– Djibouti & Somaliland (9 day group trip in November 2024, February & October 2025)
– Iraq
- Cradle of Civilisation (9 day group trips in October & December 2024 & February 2025)
- Erbil Marathon (6 day group trip in October 2024)
- Iraqi Kurdistan (7 day group trip in October 2024 & February 2025)
- Iraq Ski Trip (4 day group trip in February 2025)
- Trek Kurdistan (15 day group trip in April 2025)
– Libya (7 day group trip in October 2024, February & October 2025)
– Pakistan
- Balochistan (10 day group trip in November 2024)
- Hindu Kush & Karakoram (14 day group trip in May/June 2025)
- Islamabad Marathon (4 day group trip in January 2025)
- Pakistan Indus Valley (13 day group trip in November/December 2024 & 7 day group trips in November/December 2024 & January/February 2025)
– Somalia (Mogadishu) (3 day group trip in November 2024, February & October 2025)
– South Sudan (7 day group trip in March 2025)
– Syria (group trips in April & September 2025)
– Tajikistan Trek – Pamir Mountain Lakes (16 day group trip in August 2025)
– Yemen
- Socotra (8 day group trips in November/December 2024 & April 2025)
- Yemen mainland (7 day group trip in November 2024, January 2025 & April 2025)
- Yemen Trek (10 day group trip in January/February 2025)
In addition to the above, we can also get in touch for more information and suggested itineraries in:
- Chad
- Central African Republic
- DRC
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Georgia
- Guinea-Bissau
- India
- Iran
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Lebanon
- Mauritania
- Puntland
- Saudi Arabia
- Tunisia
- Turkmenistan
- Uzbekistan
Latest News
Trek Kurdistan – Zagros Mountains – bookable now
Our brand new trekking trip through the Zagros Mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan is now available to book. Over 15 days we will cover the full 215km new Zagros Mountains Trail, which connects remote communities, using ancient pilgrimage routes and trading and shepherds’ paths. It passes through lush valleys, travels through canyons, past waterfalls, trails the Great Zab River and goes up and over steep mountain passes – finishing at the foot of Iraq’s tallest mountain – Halgurd. It comes as tourism in Iraqi Kuridstan is bucking the trend for the sector in the Middle East. Seven million tourists visited in 2023, up from six million the previous year & the authorities are aiming for 20 million annually by 2030. You can see our full press release about Kurdistan’s improving tourism sector here and see photos from our recce in the Zagros Mountains here.
These include booking a loved one a place on our Virtual Tours of Afghanistan, with the country’s first female tour guide – Fatima Haidari. The two online experiences immerse you into the history and culture of Afghanistan from the comfort of your own home – one focusing on the city of Herat and the second covering the centre of the country, from Kabul to Herat, via Bamian and Ghor Provinces. Some of the proceeds from these tours go towards funding secret schools for women and girls, who are still in Afghanistan, and denied an education under the Taliban.
Another gift idea is international membership to the Bamyan Alpine Ski Club, which supports grassroots skiing in the area where we organise ski trips to every year. The fees go towards training children in sports, arranging competitions, buying equipment and making infrastructure improvements. You can become a member here, which provides you with free entry to the Afghan Peaks Ski Race, a twice year newsletter and those in North America will also receive a free t-shirt.
Finally, why not purchase a “Free To Run” t-shirt. The organisation supports women and girls in conflict areas, by offering sports programmes to encourage empowerment and gender equality. We team up with the organisation on our group trips to the Erbil Marathon and have also worked together in Afghanistan.
Untamed Borders in the media
Last month Wanderlust travel website picked up on our press release regarding Pakistan simplifying its visa process and earlier this month we were featured in a Telegraph piece about the world’s last unexplored destinations. Finally, James Willcox wrote a piece for the Royal Society of Asian Affairs Magazine about skiing in Afghanistan, which you can read on our website.
We hope to see you all on an adventure with Untamed Borders very soon.
The Untamed Borders Team
October 2024