Crossing the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border is much easier than many people expect. In fact, I found it to be one of the most straightforward overland border crossings in the region.
In this guide, I’ll take you through my entire journey from Kabul to Dushanbe, including where I caught the shared taxis, how much I paid, where I stayed overnight in Kunduz, how the border crossing worked, and how I continued to the Tajik capital using local transport.
Everything in this guide is based on my own experience, with prices, timings, and practical tips to help you plan the same journey.
DAY 1: KABUL TO KUNDUZ
6:15 a.m. – Left Khyber Hotel in Kabul by private taxi.
6:45 a.m. – Departed Jade Jadid Mazar shared taxi station for Kunduz.
6:00 p.m. – Arrived in Kunduz and stayed at Spinzar Hotel.
DAY 2: KUNDUZ TO DUSHANBE
9:00 a.m. – Left Spinzar Hotel by tuk-tuk.
9:20 a.m. – Arrived at the shared taxi station in Kunduz.
10:00 a.m. – Shared taxi departed for Shir Khan Border.
11:00 a.m. – Arrived at the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border and exchanged money.
11:20 a.m. – Received my Afghan exit stamp.
12:00 p.m.– Walked across the bridge and completed Tajik immigration.
12:15 p.m. – Arrived at the bus stop on the Tajik side.
12:30 p.m. – Took the shared bus to the parking area.
1:00 p.m. – Took a private taxi from the Tajik border to Dusti.
2:40 p.m. – Shared taxi departed Dusti for Dushanbe.
5:00 p.m. – Arrived in Dushanbe and took a Jura taxi to Green House Hostel.
I stayed at Khyber Hotel in Kabul. At around 6:15 a.m., I left the hotel and took a private taxi to Jade Jadid Mazar (جاده جدید مزار), Kabul’s shared taxi station for travelers heading to northern Afghanistan.
The station is about 16 km from the hotel, and the ride took around 40 minutes. I paid 300 AFN (about US$5) for the taxi.
When I entered the station, I was the only woman there and attracted a lot of attention. A lot of men were staring at me intensely and in a very disturbing manner. It became too much, so I started screaming at them and demanded that they stop staring at me. I told them that in Islam, this kind of behavior toward a woman is not acceptable, that they shouldn’t be staring at me like that, and that they should lower their gaze.
You might be wondering how they understood what I meant. I explained it using very simple English, Islamic words, and a lot of non-verbal communication. I’m also pretty good at showing what I mean through gestures and body language, so they understood me very well.
From there, I took a shared taxi to Kunduz, which cost 1,100 AFN (about US$17). We left the shared taxi station at around 6:45 a.m.
I was actually very lucky with the people in the shared taxi. The driver was a genuinely kind person, and the three men traveling with us were also respectful. Throughout the journey, I felt completely safe.
A few hours into the journey, we stopped for lunch at a beautiful roadside restaurant. It turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip.
I had Kabuli plov, a soft drink, and coffee, paying a total of around 240 AFN (about US$4).
During the stop, I met some wonderful people, including an Australian-Afghan woman who had gotten married in Afghanistan. It was fascinating to hear her story, and I had a wonderful time getting to know the people there.
On the way to Kunduz, we had an unexpected detour. I normally keep checking Google Maps during long journeys to make sure we’re going in the right direction. I had been dozing off a little and taking a break from looking at my screen, and when I checked the map again, I realized that at the last intersection, the driver had taken the road to Mazar-i-Sharif instead of the road to Kunduz.
I told the driver that at the last intersection he had taken the road to Mazar-i-Sharif instead of the road to Kunduz.
The driver told me, “No, no, no, this road is going to Kunduz.” The three guys sitting in the back also told me not to worry and said that we were going to Kunduz.
But as a stubborn and confident solo female traveler, I kept insisting. Using very simple words and a lot of hand gestures, I kept saying, “Look, this road, Mazar-i-Sharif. Mazar-i-Sharif.” Then I pointed back toward the intersection and said, “Kunduz, back,” showing with my hands that we needed to turn around and take the other road.
Of course, they still didn’t believe me, and they didn’t believe Google Maps either.
So I told the driver to stop and ask someone. Luckily, there was an older man with a bicycle on the side of the road, so I told the driver to ask him.
And yes, of course, the random man with the bicycle confirmed that the road was indeed going to Mazar-i-Sharif.
The driver immediately turned around, and everyone in the car was very thankful that I had noticed the mistake. I only wished I had checked Google Maps a little earlier. By the time I noticed, we had already been heading in the wrong direction for about half an hour.
Because of the detour, we lost about one hour.
I arrived at my hotel in Kunduz at around 6:00 p.m.
I knew two hotels in Kunduz that I wanted to check out: Kunduz Hotel and Spinzar Hotel. As a travel blogger, I like checking out different hotels, so I decided to check both of them.
First, I went to Kunduz Hotel, where you can get a single room for around 1,000-1,500 AFN.
However, I didn’t like the hotel at all. I didn’t feel comfortable there, I didn’t like the rooms, and I just didn’t like the overall vibe, so I decided to leave.
Instead, I went to Spinzar Hotel, where I got a room for 2,000 AFN (about US$32) for one night.
I felt really comfortable and safe in Spinzar Hotel. I was very satisfied with the service, and I got a large room.
The only downside was the bathroom. It wasn’t clean at all. In fact, it was quite dirty, but I simply tried not to focus on that. Apart from the bathroom, I was very happy with my stay.
They also gave me a pot of tea, as usual in hotels in Afghanistan, and I was lucky enough to get a plate of Kabuli pilaf for dinner as well. That was so kind of them.
In my opinion, Spinzar Hotel is the best hotel in Kunduz, and I would definitely stay there again.
The following morning, I got up at around 8:00 a.m. I had a good breakfast that was included in the price of the room: fried eggs with bread and fresh tea.
I left the hotel at around 9:00 a.m. This is not what I recommend if you’re planning to do the same journey. I personally needed the extra sleep and didn’t want to wake up earlier, and I was completely comfortable leaving at that time. However, if you’re making this journey yourself, I absolutely recommend leaving around 6:00 or 7:00 a.m.
I took a tuk-tuk from Spinzar Hotel to Kunduz’s northern shared taxi station and arrived there at around 9:20 a.m.
At around 10:00 a.m., I left the shared taxi station Kunduz in a shared taxi to Shir Khan Border, the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border crossing. The fare was 400 AFN (about US$6.40).
I reached the border at around 11:00 a.m. First, I exchanged some money so I would have some Tajik currency.
Leaving Afghanistan was incredibly easy. I simply showed my passport and e-visa, and at around 11:20 a.m. I received my exit stamp. The actual exit procedure took only around five minutes.
The officers were friendly, and there were no issues at all. The entire process was quick and straightforward.
After getting my exit stamp, I spent quite a bit of time taking photos around the border before continuing toward Tajikistan.
Once you have officially left Afghanistan, you need to cross the bridge between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. You can take the shuttle bus across the bridge, which costs around US$1, but walking across the bridge is also allowed.
I wanted to walk, so that’s what I did. I thought crossing the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border bridge on foot was a really fun experience.
After walking across the bridge, I went through Tajik immigration and received my entry stamp.
As a Hungarian citizen, I didn’t need a visa to enter Tajikistan.
By around 12:15 p.m., I was already at the bus stop on the Tajik side of the border.
At 12:30 p.m., I took the small shared bus that runs between the border and the parking area. The ride cost 10 Tajik somoni (about US$1).
At the parking lot, there were taxis waiting. I spent some time figuring out how much a private taxi to Dusti would cost.
There were hardly any people crossing the border when I was there. If you cross much earlier in the day, I’m sure you can find shared taxis or small shared buses going toward Sakhovat Market in Dusti.
Since there was nobody around to share transportation with when I crossed, I simply took a private taxi. It cost 100 Tajik somoni (about US$11).
The driver took me directly to the shared taxi station in Dusti.
When I arrived at the shared taxi station (Avtovokzal on Google Maps) in Dusti, I told the drivers that I wanted to go to Dushanbe. At this point, I was the first passenger for the next shared taxi to Dushanbe.
There was a restaurant just across the street, so I told them that I was going to have lunch while the shared taxi was filling up. They were totally fine with it and told me that once the shared taxi was almost full, they would let me know.
By around 2:00 p.m., I was eating lunch at Oshkhonai Dusti. I didn’t know what to order, so they even let me go into the kitchen to look at all the food they had.
After checking out all the different dishes, I pointed to a main dish with stuffed pepper and a carrot salad, and that’s what I got. Both dishes were delicious, and I had a wonderful time at the restaurant. I can highly recommend this place.
At around 2:40 p.m., when the shared taxi was almost full, the driver simply came to the front of the restaurant to pick me up.
The shared taxi from Dusti to Dushanbe cost 35 Tajik somoni (about US$3.70).
I arrived in Dushanbe at around 5:00 p.m. The shared taxi dropped me on the road near Sakhovat Bazar.
From there, I simply took a Jura taxi to my accommodation. I went back to Green House Hostel, where I had stayed before.
Overall, I found the entire journey from Kabul to Dushanbe very easy and straightforward. Despite all the different shared taxis, local transportation and the overland border crossing, everything worked smoothly.
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