Afghan Guide

Travel12 Mizan 14052 min read

Afghanistan in 3 to 20 days

The empty niches of the Bamyan Buddhas, the blue lakes of Band-e Amir, the white pigeons of Mazar, the tiles of Herat and a minaret alone in a gorge: Afghanistan a day at a time, from a long weekend to three weeks. Choose how long you have.

The route

  1. Kabul1 day
  2. Bamyan2 days

Day-to-day spending, before hotels~12,500 AFN (195 USD)

Kabul from above: colourful houses on the hillside, a blue-domed mosque, and the mountains beyond Photo: Suliman Sallehi
Day 1 · KabulPermits and the old cityPaperwork in the morning, then Babur's Garden and the bird market.
3places
no traveltravel today
~3,000rough cost (AFN)(46 USD)
  1. Morning Travel permits at Afghan Tour1,000 AFN

    On Shash Darak Road; list every province you will visit. Allow half a day; closed on Fridays.

  2. Afternoon Babur's Garden350 AFN

    The Mughal emperor's terraced garden above the city.

  3. Evening Ka Faroshi and chainaki

    The old city's bird market, and lamb slow-cooked in clay teapots.

Sleep Kabul: guest houses 800 to 2,000 afghanis, mid-range hotels from 3,000.

Snow-capped mountains above a green valley in Behsud, Wardak Photo: Naqibullah Khaliqi
Day 2 · BamyanOver the Hajigak to BamyanThe mountains of Behsud and a first sight of the Red City.
2places
3.5–4 htravel today
~4,500rough cost (AFN)(69 USD)

By road: Via Maidan Shahr and the Unai and Hajigak passes; in winter, the Shibar road to the north.

  1. Afternoon Shahr-e Zohak

    The red fortress on its cliff at the mouth of the Bamyan valley.

  2. Evening Bamyan bazaar

    A walk in the bazaar facing the cliff of the Buddhas.

Sleep Bamyan: guest houses and small hotels in town.

The limestone cliffs of Band-e-Amir above a lapis-blue lake Photo: Wasim Mirzaie
Day 3 · BamyanBand-e Amir, then back to KabulThe lakes in the morning, then a long day on the road.
2places
2 h, then 5–6 htravel today
~5,000rough cost (AFN)(77 USD)

By road: Leave early to reach Kabul before dark.

  1. Morning Band-e Amir250 AFN

    The blue lakes in morning light.

  2. Evening Back to Kabul

    A last dinner in Kabul.

Sleep Kabul: guest houses 800 to 2,000 afghanis, mid-range hotels from 3,000.

Before you go

Permits

Foreign visitors need a travel permit naming every province they stay in. Since September 2025 it is issued in Kabul by Afghan Tour, the state tourism office on Shash Darak Road, and is reported at 1,000 afghanis a province; allow half a day. Register again at the information and culture office in each province. Band-e Amir and Balkh have their own permits, and Kandahar asks for a local one. Reports say a guide is now required.

Getting around

Every domestic flight goes through Kabul: there is no flight from Mazar to Herat, so link them through Kabul. Kabul to Herat is about ten flights a week, Kabul to Mazar about seven, and Kabul to Kandahar twice a week. Bamyan and Jam are reached only by road. See today's flights, the roads and passes and getting around.

Safety

Every Western government advises against travel to Afghanistan in 2026. Read the safety advice, go with a local guide or operator, travel by day, and never photograph checkpoints, soldiers or officials. Pakistan struck Kandahar, Paktia and Khost in September 2026; no tour goes to the eastern border provinces. Ask about Kandahar, Panjshir and the Jam road the week you go.

Women

Afghan women have been barred from Band-e Amir since 2023 and, since June 2026, turned back from Panjshir. Foreign women are usually allowed in but are sometimes refused at Band-e Amir and the Blue Mosque. Some operators run women-only tours with women guides.

Money

  • Group tours cost about US$200 to 350 a day, everything included.
  • On your own: a local meal 200 to 300 afghanis, a car with a driver 2,000 to 4,000 a day, a guide about US$30 to 50.
  • Bring clean US dollars and change them at a sarraf: see today's rate.

The daily costs above are for fees, food, transport and flights, not hotels.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Jam is best in September and October; Band-e Amir is cold from November. Buzkashi is played on Fridays in Mazar from November to mid-March. See the weather and the visa you need, and for one city in depth, Kabul in 3, 5 or 7 days.

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