Afghanistan Travel Guide: How to Visit Afghanistan during Taliban in 2026

I was traveling in Afghanistan for 4 weeks independently from 6th September to 4th October 2023 and then for 4 weeks again from 11th November to 7th December 2024.

This Afghanistan travel guide is the result of these two journeys.

Traveling in Afghanistan was an incredibly amazing experience. Afghans are extremely welcoming and very hospitable, and the country has a lot of beautiful experiences and places to offer.

If you want to experience that too, immerse yourself in this guide.

This travel guide will teach you how to travel in Afghanistan. I talk about everything you need to know about traveling in Afghanistan in great detail.

I’m continuously updating this guide. And I’ll be back in Afghanistan next year either in spring and then you can expect major updates.

Stay tuned as well on my Instagram where I share a lot of travel stories. Click here to watch my saved stories from Afghanistan.

2.1. 11 BEST & MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES IN KABUL, THE CAPITAL OF AFGHANISTAN

2.1.1. WAZIR AKBAR KHAN HILL IN KABUL

ABOUT THE WAZIR AKBAR KHAN HILL

Location: here.

It’s a peaceful park on a hill overlooking the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The Taliban raised a giant Taliban flag in the park when they returned to power in August 2021. Being 40 meters (130 feet) wide and 26 meters (85 feet) high, the white flag is decorated with the Islamic profession of faith, called Shahada, in black letters.

It is said to be the flag of independence, peace, and brotherhood, and the symbol of the rules of the Islamic system.

There is also a pretty mosque on the hill.

HOW TO VISIT THE WAZIR AKBAR KHAN HILL

My first visit:

I went there with Natalia, Sachin, and his local guide. We took a taxi from Khyber Hotel to Wazir Akbar Khan Hill. The distance is about 4,6 km and we paid 200 AF together for the entire taxi.
We were there early in the morning and there was hardly anyone there at that time.

There is no entrance fee.

Afghan women are not allowed to visit this park but foreign women can.

My second visit:

In November 2024, I revisited the Wazir Akbar Khan Hill. We grabbed a private taxi from the Sakhi Shrine—it’s about 9 km away, and the ride cost 150 Afghani.

This time, I went with a female Afghan friend. I told them she was my translator; otherwise, they wouldn’t have let her in.

We ended up spending hours there, taking tons of photos and videos. We were the only women around, so we did get some attention, but honestly, it didn’t bother me at all.

KA FEROSHI BIRD MARKET IN KABUL

2.1.2. ABOUT THE KA FEROSHI BIRD MARKET IN KABUL

Location: here.

It’s a very cute market, also known as the Alley of Straw Sellers, where locals sell all kinds of birds such as canaries and parrots in cages.

HOW TO VISIT THE KA FEROSHI BIRD MARKET IN KABUL

We walked down from the hill of Bibi Mahro and then took a private taxi. We paid 120 AF (~1.60 USD) altogether.

When we were at the bird market on Friday morning, it was super busy and crowded. I didn’t like the bird market because it was too busy and both Natalia and I were being touched by local men. But I want to talk about it as most travelers love the bird market.

Me and Natalia were the only women there. If you want to visit the bird market as a woman, you should go there when it’s not so busy. It was the first time in my life that a man touched my butt.

I made a big scene because of that. There is no way I will allow a man to get away with touching me. Sachin’s guide came and had a fight with the guy. Everybody else was just staring.

Would I go back to the bird market alone as a woman? Yes, but only when it’s not busy.

2.1.3. BABUR GARDEN (BAGH-E BABUR) IN KABUL

One of the beautiful buildings of Babur Garden – Kabul pictures

ABOUT THE GARDENS OF BABUR

Location: here. It’s called Babur Garden on Google Maps.

The Gardens of Babur, also called Bagh-e Babur, is a historic site in Kabul developed around 1504.

The Gardens of Babur have beautiful terraced buildings, a small mosque, and plenty of walking space.

This is also where you can find the tomb of the first Mughal emperor Babur. Moreover, you can find a place there called the Queen’s Palace or Tajbeg Palace.

There are also a couple of souvenir shops where you can buy traditional clothes and artifacts for women.

The Queen’s Palace of Babur Garden – Kabul pictures

HOW TO VISIT THE BABUR GARDEN

We took a private taxi from the Bird’s Market to Babur Garden. The distance was about 3,2 km and we paid 120 AF (~1.60 USD).

The entrance ticket for foreigners is 350 AF (~4.60 USD).

It seems that Afghan women are not allowed to visit this place because there are only men and some families without the mother.

2.1.4. SAKHI SHAH E-MARDAN SHRINE IN KABUL

ABOUT SAKHI SHAH E-MARDAN SHRINE (SAKHI SHRINE) IN KABUL

Location: here. On Google Maps, it’s called: Sakhi Tomb or  Sakhi Card زیارت سخی شاه مردان 

It’s a very nice colorful mosque in the Karte-Ye-Sakhi neighbourhood of Kabul at the foot of the Asamayi Hill (Television Hill).

The shrine is decorated with magnificently glazed tiles in a neo-Safavid Persian style.

The front of the Sakhi Shah E-Mardan Shrine – Kabul pictures

HOW TO VISIT THE SAKHI SHAH E-MARDAN SHRINE (SAKHI SHRINE) IN KABUL

We walked there from a cool restaurant where we had very delicious chicken. There is a security check before entering the yard of the mosque. If you are a woman, make sure that you are covered properly. The security women helped me with covering my head with my scarf properly.

When I was there at the mosque, there were men, women, and families likewise. I had a great time there.

The beautiful domes and minarets of the Sakhi Shah E-Mardan Shrine – Kabul pictures

2.1.5. OMAR MINE MUSEUM IN KABUL

Soviet military aircraft at the Omar Land Mine Museum – Kabul pictures

ABOUT THE OMAR MINE MUSEUM IN KABUL

OMAR stands for Organization for Mine Clearance and Afghan Rehabilitation which is the chief organization responsible for creating awareness and removing mines in Afghanistan.

The museum contains a collection of many types of land mines used in the War in Afghanistan (2001-2021).

Moreover, the museum displays unexploded artillery, cluster bombs, and airdrop bombs, a variety of other military hardware from wars fought in Afghanistan over the recent decades, including surface-to-air missiles, and a collection of Soviet military aircraft.

The museum also engages in educating children to detect and avoid unexploded ordnance such as landmines and cluster bomblets.

Last but not least, there are some vintage cars, motorcycles and bicycles there.

HOW TO VISIT THE OMAR MINE MUSEUM IN KABUL

I took a taxi to Khyber Hotel to get to the Cricket Board (Afghanistan Cricket Board on Google Maps). For 4,6 km, the taxi ride should cost a maximum of 200 AF (~2.60 USD) because that’s what most taxi drivers know. The museum itself is very close to the Tourism Department.

On Google Maps, you can find Shamshad TV – شمشاد ټي وي. The building of this TV Channel is located in the same compound as the Oman Mine Museum but they don’t have the same entrance.  The compound is highly secured with concrete walls. You might have to walk around a bit to find the museum.

The entrance fee is 500 AF (~ 7.30 USD).

2.1.6. HAJI MIRZAMAN – KABUL’S LAST BOX CAMERA PHOTOGRAPHER

Location, here. It’s registered on Google Maps as Ettehad Photo Studio (Man with 100-year-old camera).

If you want him to take a portrait photo of you using his wooden box-camera (kamra-e-faoree in Persian), go to the Ettehad Photo Studio first. Then, you will go to his home where he will take a photo of you in his backyard.

This camera bix survived wars, invasions, and a Taliban ban on photography.

His box camera is the last one left in Afghanistan. Also, he still has the materials and the photo papers which aren’t made anymore. His paper supply is around 20 years old. When they are gone, he cannot take more photos.

The entire process of taking the photo is manual. The photos are developed inside the camera box. Once, he has the negatives, he develops the real photo.

The price of a photo is 2000 AF.

2.1.7. NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFGHANISTAN

ABOUT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFGHANISTAN

It’s a very small museum but you can find a few beautiful and interesting things here.

HOW TO VISIT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFGHANISTAN

From the Khyber Hotel to the National Museum of Afghanistan, the distance is 10 km and the taxi ride costs 250 Afghani (~3.30 USD).

The entrance fee to the national museum for foreigners is 100 Afghani (~1.30 USD).

Photography ticket for foreign visitors is 200 Afghani (~2.60 USD). You need to pay it even if you just want to take photos with your phone.

Holy Koran in the National Museum of Afghanistan – Kabul pictures

2.1.8. SHOPS FOR TRADITIONAL ACCESSORIES and DRESSES

GPS location: here.

The owner of the shop is Mohammed Hussein. He sells traditional Afghan jewelry and dresses. If you want to admire beautiful traditional things from Afghanistan or/and buy gifts for your friends and family, this is the right place for you.

It’s very close to the Khyber hotel on the way to Chicken Street.

2.1.9. SHOPS FOR AFGHAN CARPETS, FURNITURE & DECORATIONS

I stumbled upon the Istalif Art Gallery, a fascinating place selling traditional Afghan carpets, furniture, and all sorts of home decorations.

They have two locations: This here and this one. Both of them are really beautiful with very different articles.

Moreover, close to the Shaam Kabul Restaurant, there are many carpet shops. My favorite was Naseem Zada Carpet Seller. On Google Map, you can find it as Nasimzada Carpet. Location, here.

2.1.10. MUJAHIDEEN BAZAAR IN KABUL

Location: here.

It used to be called the Bush Bazaar after the former US president. After the USA left Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate changed its name to Mujahideen Bazar.

During the United States Invasion of Afghanistan, military equipment from military bases was sold at the Bush Market.

Today, the market is made up of dozens of stalls and shops that sell a wide range of commercial goods, military clothes, and equipment.

At the parking lot next to the market, there is a place where they repair guns. That was super interesting. It’s not permitted to take photos there.

2.1.11. SHAH M BOOK CO STORE

Location: here. I You can find it as “Shah M Book Co” on GoogleMaps. Today, the shop is painted red on the outside.

This bookstore was made famous by a non-fiction book, The Bookseller of Kabul, written by Norwegian journalist Åsne Seierstad.

The Bookseller of Kabul, Shah Muhammad Rais, has created and run this bookshop that survived a succession of repressive regimes. Since 2022, he has lived in the UK as a refugee but the shop is still open.

The store has probably the largest collection of books about Afghanistan including a lot of publications in English.

2.2. BAMYAN IN AFGHANISTAN

Bamyan is the capital of Bamyan Province in central Afghanistan. Its population is about 70,000 people and it’s the cultural center of the Hazara ethnic group of Afghanistan.

Bamyan is at an altitude of about 2,550 m (8,366 feet) above sea level and offers breathtaking mountain views.

The town of Bamyan is such a lovely and peaceful place. People are super kind and friendly there.

HOW TO GET TO BAMYAN

The road from Kabul to Bamyan – Beautiful scenery in Afghanistan

With Natalia, Sachin, and Baset, we took a private taxi to get from Khyber Hotel to the Bamyan Terminal in Kabul. Location, here. You can find it as “Bamyan TERMINAL, Paghman, Kabul” on Google Maps.

The distance from Khyber Hotel is about 18 km and we paid 300 AF (~4 USD) for the taxi in total.

From the terminal, you have the following options.

• Minibus with 15 pax: 350 AF (~4.60 USD)
• Minibus with about 8 pax: 400 AF (~5.30 USD)
• Shared taxi-old car: 500 AF (~ 7.30 USD)
• Shared taxi-new car: 600 AF (~8.90 USD).

If you are a group or want to have your own vehicle, you can make a deal with the driver. We were 4 and we made the following deal:

Taxi ride from the Bamyan Terminal in Kabul to the Ministry where you get your travel permit for Bamyan and Band-e Amir, waiting time, and taking us to a restaurant to eat. This was in total 2,500 AF (~33 USD).

Road conditions on the way, for the most part, are pretty good. There is only one part close to Kabul which is super dusty.

On the way to Bamyan – Beauty of Afghanistan

3 BEST THINGS TO DO IN BAMYAN

#1 EXPLORE THE MAIN STREET OF BAMYAN

The main street of Bamyan – Pictures of Afghanistan

The main street of Bamyan is very interesting. Life in this small town is so different than any other place in the world.

Just walk around, try street food, and check out the local products in their shops.

Locals eating Bolani (Stuffed flatbread filled with a mix of potatoes, cilantro, and green peppers) in Bamyan – Pictures of Afghanistan

#2 VISIT THE BUDDHA OF BAMYAN

Location, here.

The Buddha of Bamyan were two 6th-century monumental Buddha statues carved into the side of a cliff. They were declared to be idols and destroyed in 2001 by the Taliban regime.

If you stay in a hotel in the center of Bamyan, it’s just a quick walk to get there.

Entrance fee for the Buddha of Bamyan: 500 AF (~ 7.30 USD). You can buy the ticket at the Historical Gholghola City. Location, here. This is also where you can buy the tickets for all the historical places in Bamyan.

The Buddha of Bamyan – Pictures of Afghanistan

#3 SHAR-E GHOLGHOLA aka CITY OF SCREAMS

Location, here. You find it as “Historical Gholghola City” on Google Maps.

Shahr-e Gholghola which means Gholghola City is also known as the City of Screams, City of Woe or City of Sorrows. It’s an archaeological site located near the town of Bamyan, Afghanistan.

The view of Bamyan from the top the Gholgola City is incredibly spectacular.

You can easily get there on foot from the market of Bamyan.

Entrance fee for the City for the Gholghola City: 500 AF (~ 7.30 USD)

2.3. BAND-E AMIR NATIONAL PARK, AFGHANISTAN

HOW TO GET TO THE BAND-E AMIR NATIONAL PARK

The main lake of the Band-e Amir National Park – Beautiful scenery in Afghanistan

Visiting Bandi Amir today. As a man, you can go there whenever you want. As of today, for women, it’s really difficult to visit it.

As a woman, if you want to get in, you should either go super early in the morning at 6 am or later after 5 pm.

Obviously, in the afternoon is not that beautiful as in the morning. So, try it rather early morning.

I have been to Bandi Amir twice so far. Let me tell you how it was.

My visit in November 2024: It was nothing like a year earlier. I went there with another traveler and local friend. We had our own car. I only had a permit from Mazar. We easily got in and spent the whole day there. Nothing challenging happened.

My visit in September 2023:

I went to Band-e Amir with the same friends whom with I traveled to Bamyan. If you remember, in the morning we got our travel permit for Bamyan and Band-e Amir.

We all ended up staying in the same hotel, called Noor Band Qala. Natalia talked to the receptionist at our hotel and through them we got our taxi driver fixed for the next day to go to Band-e Amir.

The price we agreed on was 1800 Afghani (23.80 USD). This is the price for the entire car. The price included going to the main lake from our hotel, staying there for about half a day, and then coming back to our hotel.

At this point in time, we knew that Afghan women were not allowed to enter the Band-e Amir National Park. But we also knew that it didn’t apply to foreign women. Especially, after getting the travel permit to Band-e Amir, we were 100% sure that we were going to make it there.

We left Bamyan at around 7:3o in the morning the next day. When we reached the main checkpoint at the Bandi-a Amir National Park, the Talibs stopped us. As Baset was with us, he communicated with the Talibs.

They told us that only Baset and Sachin could go to Bandi-e Amir. Me and Natalia, we were not allowed, because we are women. I said no way, we also want to go to Band-e Amir. There was no way we were going to miss one of the most beautiful places in Afghanistan.

In the end, they said that if we, women, also wanted to go to Band-e Amir, we had to go back to Bamyan and ask permission from the mullah there.

Thus, we drove back to Bamyan where we got our travel permit for Band-e Amir.

In another building close to where we registered for Bamyan, there is another building where women have to ask permission from the Mullah to visit Band-e Amir. As Baset was with us, he talked to the mullah.

Then he called the Talibs at the checkpoint to let us through. And this is how we could enter the Bandi-e Amir National Park, one of the most beautiful places in Afghanistan. 

And was I the only woman there in Band-e Amir? No. There were quite a lot of Afghan women there. Generally, there are not many tourists anymore in Band-e Amir. But, I don’t think that there were more men than women when I was there.

THINGS TO DO IN THE BAND-E AMIR NATIONAL PARK

On the way to the main lake, there are a lot of viewpoints where you can stop and take photos.

Photo spot with an epic view of the main lake of the Band-e Amir National Park – Beautiful scenery in Afghanistan

Once you park your car down at the lake, you can go to the market to buy local handicrafts and snacks.

There is also a restaurant nearby if you are hungry.

Down at the main lake, there is a spot where you can swim or have a picnic. At another spot, you can rent a pedal boat. Between the bazaar and the lake, you will also find a waterfall.

The beautiful mountains of Band-e Amir National Park – Beautiful scenery in Afghanistan

2.4. PANJSHIR VALLEY IN AFGHANISTAN

Photo stop on the way to the Tomb of Masoud in Panjshir Valley – Pictures of Afghanistan

HOW TO GET TO PANJSHIR VALLEY

I just took a day trip from Kabul to Panjshir Valley.

Due to the fact that Panjshir is a very problematic place in terms of politics and because it’s a conservative area, just in case I got a travel permit from the Tourism Department in Kabul. And no, I didn’t get another local permit in Panjshir. But if you want to stay there for one more night, you should. Just know that there are more and more tourists visiting Panjshir Valley but Afghans themselves find it very dangerous and they are afraid to go there.

Shared taxis are available from Kabul to Panjshir but they are not very frequent. It makes more sense to find a trusted English-speaking driver who will take you there.

I personally used a private driver. I went with someone who I met earlier in Kabul. He is a local. His name is Sultan. I paid 4000 AF (55 USD) to him. We left Kabul at 6 am and we were back at around 8 pm. We had a very intense day.

Beautiful view of Panjshir Valley from the hill where the Tomb of Masoud is located – Pictures of Afghanistan

THINGS TO DO IN PANJSHIR VALLEY

My main target was to reach the Ahmad Shah Masoud Tomb. This is exactly how you can find it on Google Maps.

On the way there, there are a lot of epic viewpoints with beautiful scenery where we stopped to take photos and make videos. Moreover, on the road, there is a place where they make incredibly delicious cookies. Don’t miss that.

Almond cookies in Panjshir Valley – Pictures of Afghanistan

The Ahmad Shah Masoud Tombs is located on the top of a hill in Panjshir Valley. In the 1990s, Ahmad Shah Masoud was the leading opposition commander against the Taliban until his assassination in 2001.

The Ahmad Shah Masoud Tombs is part of a big compound. The compound has a security gate where you have to leave your phone. The security staff keeps your phone. I had two phones. I just gave them my old phone and I kept my new phone.

You know, it’s not allowed to take photos there anymore. Just because I took a couple of photos there, I don’t want anyone to do the same.

Soviet tanks at the Tomb of Masoud in Panjshir Valley – Pictures of Afghanistan

In this compound, there are a lot of Talibs. I guess they live there. They were hanging out there, having fun, washing their clothes, etc. I was the only woman there but nobody cared. I didn’t even draw anyone’s attention. We checked out the tomb and the Soviet tanks. After that, we were just admiring the view from the hill.

There are a couple of restaurants as well in the Bazarak area on the way. Make sure you stop somewhere for a proper lunch. You can eat a Kabuli Pilaw with beans, salad, and bread for 160 Afghani (~2.20 USD).
There you can also find chaikanas if you need a place to sleep.

CHECKPOINTS AND THE TALIBAN IN PANJSHIR VALLEY

As for checkpoints in the Panjshir Valley, there were quite a lot compared to other places and there were a lot of Talibs everywhere.
They just checked my passport and travel permit. We were making videos on the road. Thus, I got checked a lot by the Talibs. But that’s all. If you want to know the details, jump to this section: Meeting the Taliban as a Foreign Tourist

2.5. HERAT IN AFGHANISTAN

PLACES TO VISIT IN HERAT

HERAT CITADEL (CITADEL OF ALEXANDER)

The Herat Citadel, locally known as Qala Iktyaruddin, dates back to 330 BC. It has been the headquarters of many empires in the last 2000 years. Today, it’s one of the tourist attractions of Herat where you can also find the National Museum of Herat.

The entrance fee is 500 AF (~6.80 USD).

GREAT MOSQUE OF HERAT (JAMI MASJID OF HERAT)

Local market place and the Great Mosque of Herat (Jami Masjid of Herat) – Afghanistan in Pictures

This beautiful mosque was built in 1200 BC by the Ghurids Dynasty.

It’s situated in the middle of the main historical bazaar of Herat. I just walked there from the Herat Citadel.

It’s open every day from sunset to about 10 pm. But as a tourist, it’s better to avoid the Friday prayer as at that time the mosque is very busy with prayers.

There is no entrance fee.

HISTORICAL BAZAAR NEXT TO THE CITADEL IN HERAT

You can start exoloring the market after your visit to the citadel. The local sellers are super friendly there.

View of the historic bazaar of Herat from the Citadel – Afghanistan in Pictures

ANTIQUES BAZAAR IN HERAT

It’s located right in front of the northern gate of the mosque. If you walk around the mosque, you will notice it easily.

They sell a lot of beautiful jewelry and stones.

HOW TO GET TO HERAT

FROM MASHAD, IRAN

You can get to Herat from Mashad to Herat through the Qala-Dogharoun Border Crossing with a shared taxi.
The taxi ride costs max 20 USD. The location of the shared taxi station in Mashad is here.

FROM MAZAR-E SHARIF, KABUL & KANDAHAR

Budget travelers use shared taxis or buses to get to Herat from other cities in Afghanistan. According to official rules, female travelers are not allowed to travel unaccompanied.

As for the roads on these routes, according to travelers, they are horrible.

For more details, jump to this section: Intercity Public Transport in Afghanistan

I flew to Herat from Kabul with an Afghan airline, Kam Air. I paid 75 USD for the flight. It was very convenient. You can also use the other Afghan Airline, Ariana. I tested it on the way back to Kabul. It cost 85 USD. As for me, both airlines are pretty much the same.

To know more about the flights, check this out: Domestic Flights in Afghanistan

HOW TO GET GET AROUND HERAT

Check it here: How to move around Herat

Cute tuktuk in Herat – Afghanistan in Pictures

Shared Auto-rickshaw in Herat – Afghanistan in Pictures

2.6. BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN MAZAR-E-SHARIF

SHRINE OF HAZRAT ALI (THE BLUE MOSQUE OF MAZAR)

Afghanistan has gorgeous mosques, but the one that takes the prize is hands down the spectacular Blue Mosque of Mazar-i-Sharif.

The mosque is an architectural masterpiece built in the 12th century and a heaven for those who love looking at intricate tilework. Persian-style pale blue tiles dominate the appearance of the building. It will definitely take your breath away.

Sunni Muslims believe that it contains the tomb of Ali Ibn Talib who they consider the fourth Rightly Guided Caliph (who led the Muslim community following the death of the prophet Muhammad).

HOW TO VISIT SHRINE OF HAZRAT ALI IN MAZAR-E-SHARIF

It used to be problematic to visit the Blue Mosque. Today, you can easily enter the Blue Mosque after paying an entrance fee of 350 Afghani (~5 USD).

As for the Hazrat Ali Shrine in the Blue Mosque, non-Muslims are not allowed to visit it.

If you want to know more about Mazar e Sharif, check out my travel guide about Mazar Sharif.

2.7. BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN BALKH

SHRINE OF KHWAJA ABU NASR PARSA & TOMB OF RABIA BALKHI

They are two gorgeous shrines next to each other in a park in the middle of Balkh.

The shrine of Kwaja Abu Nasr Parsa was built in the 16th century. It got its name after the famous spiritual leader, Kwaja Abu Nasr Parsa.

As for the Rabia Balkhi, is named after Rabia Balkhi who composed poetry in Persian and Arabic in the 10th century. She is one of the first well-known female poets in Persian literature. Her most famous poem, which is her final piece of work, was written in her own blood on the wall after the love of her life was murdered.

HOW TO VISIT SHRINE OF KHWAJA ABU NASR PARSA & RABIA BALKHI

Balkh is a town located 24 km (15 miles) from Mazar-i-Sharif. The travel permit for Balkh is to be obtained in Mazar-i-Sharif.

A seat costs maximum 60 AF. From the taxi drops you, just walk to the shrines.

Both shrines are located in the middle of Balkh.

The shrine of Kwaja Abu Nasr Parsa can be found on Google Maps as Green Mosque. A few steps away, you will see the Tomb of Rabia Balkhi.

If you want to see more places in Balkh, jump to my guide about Mazar Sharif where you will find more info about Balkh as well.

2.8. MINARET OF JAM

ABOUT THE MINARET OF JAM

The minaret of Jam is one of Afghanistan’s most ancient and beautiful hidden gems. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This magnificent structure is situated in a desolate valley next to the Hari River in the Ghor Province of Afghanistan.

The 62 m (206) feet tall minaret was built in the 12th century by Sultan Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad. The captivating structure is in quite good condition and you can still admire its intricate brick and turquoise tile work.

GETTING TO THE MINARET OF JAM

The Minaret of Jam is located in a remote location. Getting there is an adventure in itself.

TO THE MINARET OF JAM FROM BAMYAN

The Minaret of Jam is about halfway between Kabul and Herat.

You can travel there from Bamyan or Kabul. The following plan is with a private driver from Bamyan.

STEP 1: Bamyan to Chagcharan, 6 hours driving + breaks (1 hour)= ~7-hours

STEP 2: Chagcharan to the Minaret of Jam, 4 to 5 hrs + breaks (1 hour)= ~5-6 hours

In total, that will be about 13 hours. The road conditions are really bad.

TO THE MINARET OF JAM FROM HERAT

12 hours + breaks (2 hours) = ~ 14 hours journey duration

Road conditions: Very bad.

2.9. KANDAHAR IN AFGHANISTAN

BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN KANDAHAR

Kandahar is a super interesting place as it’s the birthplace of the Taliban the former capital of the Taliban from 1996 to 2001.

MAUSOLEUM OF MIRWAIS KHAN HOTAK

The mausoleum got its name after an Afghan ruler who founded the Hotak Dynasty in the 18th century.
It’s stunning both inside and outside but especially inside.

MOSQUE OF THE CLOAK OF PROPHET MOHAMMED (KIRKA SHARIF)

It’s one of the holiest places in Afghanistan as it’s home to a cloak worn by the Prophet Mohammed.

SHRINE OF BABA WALI KANDHARI

It’s a pure Islamic construction surrounded by pomegranate groves. As for the name of the shrine, Baba Wali was an Islamic Sufi from the 15th century.

RED MOSQUE OF KANDAHAR

It’s one of the most beautiful mosques in Kandahar. It’s a very unusual mosque with several floors that are painted red on the outside.

HOW TO GET TO KANDAHAR

You can get to Kandahar by bus or shared taxi from Kabul, Ghazni or Herat. You can also fly there.

For more details, jump to this section: Intercity Public Transport in Afghanistan and Domestic Flights in Afghanistan

Afternoon study program in an art school for orphans – Pictures of Afghanistan

Afghan boys on the road to Bamyan asked me to take a photo of them and post them on Instagram – Pictures of Afghanistan

Local market in Kabul – Pictures of Afghanistan

Afghan men and woman at a local market in Kabul – Pictures of Afghanistan

Afghan men at the Bird Market in Kabul – Pictures of Afghanistan

4.1. LUNGI (TURBAN) and CHAPAN (COAT) IN SHAAM KABUL RESTAURANT

Lungi is a tradtional turban worn by men in Afghansitan. As for the Chapan, it’s a traditional coat used both by men and women.

We tried them in the Shaam Kabul Restaurant.

4.2. KABUL ASIA FASHION IN MADENA BAZAR IN KABUL

This place blew my mind. Here, you can see the most beautiful dresses ever.

The shop is not indicated on Google Maps. The approximate location is here. Once you are here, just look for Kabul Asia Fashion.

A dress here costs at least 100 USD.

4.3. OMID STORE IN MARYAM SHOPPING CENTER  IN KABUL

Almost everyone is asking where I got the two beautiful dresses I was wearing a lot in Afghanistan. This is the shop. It’s full of unique and pretty dresses. The price depends on how fancy the dress is.

You can find the store in the Maryam Shopping Center. It’s not on Google Maps but it’s approximately, here.

In front of the building there, are a lot of stands selling things like headscarves. If you reach this location, just ask for the Maryam shopping center or Omid store. If you cannot find the location, just Whatsapp them: + 93 747 191 919.

For the 2 dresses below I paid 4500 Afghani which is about 65 USD.

4.4. NIQAB (ABAYA) FROM SALANG WAR ROAD IN KABUL

This is where I bought my abaya. Abaya in Afghanistan is called niqab. Afghan women generally wear it over their dress when they go out. You will see in the first picture. With the second image, I just want to show you that there are not only simple niqabs but also fancy ones.
The exact location is not on Google Maps. But just go here.

There are several shops here as well.

The niqab I bought cost 1100 Afghani which about 16 USD. The fancy ones from Herat cost much more. The fancier the niqab is, the more expensive it is.

4.5. AFGHAN KOLAH FOR MEN

Kolah is tradtional hand-made mens’ hat in Afghanistan.

The pictures from my photos are from the market in Bamyan but you can find then in any market where they sell stuff for men. A piece costs 150 Afghani (~2.20 USD)

People in Afghanistan are so friendly, welcoming, hospitable and generous. I received countless lunch and dinner invitations in Afghanistan. They prepared so much delicious food when I was their guest.

And now, look at these super tasty street food.

GENERAL SAFETY IN AFGHANISTAN

I’m only going to talk about my own experience as a woman traveling independently and mostly solo in Afghanistan. To gain a complex understanding of the safety and security situation in Afghanistan, follow other travelers on social media and read travel reports from other travelers as well.

I spent an entire month in Afghanistan and generally, I felt extremely safe. There is too much fear-mongering about Afghanistan that makes people concerned about and afraid of traveling there.

I kind of ignored all that. I felt I must travel to Afghanistan and see the country with my own eyes. I wanted to explore Afghanistan, meet people there, discover the beauty of Afghanistan, and see what’s going on there without the confines of biased news reports.

I was traveling in Afghanistan for 4 weeks this autumn. I traveled independently. At the beginning of my trip, as you can see from my travel report, I made friends here and there and we traveled together and visited places together. I also traveled and did sightseeing by myself. My journey was a good mixture of different types of travel experiences. I enjoyed all of them.

As for me, the more time I spent there, the more relaxed I became. My overall experience is definitely that Afghanistan is safe for international tourists. This is my personal opinion based on my personal experience as a traveler in Afghanistan.

SHOULD YOU BE AFRAID OF THE TALIBAN?

I want to repeat myself: All I can talk about is my own experience with them as a foreign tourist. No, I was never afraid of the Taliban. When I saw the Taliban, I felt safe. They are the guys who maintain security in the country.

Have I ever talked to a Taliban? Yes, I did. At checkpoints, sometimes, they asked for my passport or travel permit. Sometimes, they asked questions like what I was doing in Afghanistan. I simply answered that I was a tourist.

Just answer their questions. It’s really not a big deal. It’s their job to check people. I will talk about them in detail in a later section: Meeting the Taliban as a Foreign Tourist

WAS THERE ANYTHING THAT MADE ME UNSAFE OR CONCERNED IN AFGHANISTAN

The only thing that made me feel annoyed and kind of unsafe were the street kids who behaved pretty nasty both at the Torkham border, Kabul, and Herat.

I’m going to talk about it in this section because it happened to a lot of foreign men as well. So, I’m convinced that it has nothing to do with whether you are a man or a woman. Most tourists don’t talk about it because it’s a very sensitive topic. And probably I’m the only blogger/traveler who will ever talk about it because nobody wants to deal with the amount of attack that you can get for talking about it.

Any Afghan who is honest with you will tell you that you cannot deal with these children on the street like you would deal with regular kids. They are brought to certain locations in cities to beg and at Torkham they also steal from people.

Overall, I can say that the best is to ignore those kids. In that case, they can get nasty, though. They pulled down my scarf or told me to f*ck off, or threw stones at my friend when we ignored them. This is what happens when you ignore them but still, I’m saying there is no point in talking to them at all. I tried that too. It makes no sense. I also saw other foreigners including men, doing that. It’s pointless, they will only laugh at you.

At the Torkham border, 5-6-year-old girls are beaten up so badly that I would cry myself, and those girls just laugh at it. Those kids laugh at grown-up men working for the military who beat them up. So, don’t think that they would care about or understand whatever you have to say.

These children think that as you are a foreigner, you have the obligation to give them money and they have the right to bother you and steal from you.

If they harass you, it’s very unlikely that anyone in Kabul will help you, unless you are lucky like it happened to me once.

In Kabul, no Afghan would have ever disciplined the kids when they harassed me. When an Afghan guy helped me, the kids were actually telling him off saying that he should not have helped a foreigner and as an Afghan, he should have been on their side.

In Herat, once just when I was about to meet my friend at 5 pm after leaving a restaurant, I was surrounded by a bunch of children and women in burqas touching me and one of the women stepped on my feet accidentally. That’s when I screamed. It was not something intentional but as she stepped on my feet, I just screamed.

Girls and women touching me was quite irritating. A couple of security guys carrying machine guns jumped in to send the beggars away and a big crowd of people was staring at us. I was totally calm the whole time just that one moment when the woman stepped on my feet scared me.

So, now the question is how you can avoid this. You can’t really avoid it. Just ignore them. When I was being followed and touched, I just started walking super fast. And just know touching in Afghan culture is not a thing. So, there is no reason to tolerate it.

And I personally never went out alone in Kabul after 19:30 in the evening. As a man, I think it’s fine. But if you are a woman, it’s better for you not to. Dealing with the kids on the street following you and touching you at night when you are alone as a woman is too much stress.

Most travel insurance companies don’t cover trips to Afghanistan, but I’ve found two that do.

Since I travel full-time, I use Nomad Insurance from SafetyWing, which covers nearly the entire world, including Afghanistan. It’s a solid option if you’re looking for flexible, worldwide coverage.

The second option is IATI Insurance. I used IATI last year when SafetyWing didn’t yet cover Afghanistan.

IATI offers a range of travel insurance packages, so you can choose the one that best fits your needs for a trip to Afghanistan.

Be sure to check out both companies’ packages to find the best coverage for your adventure.

I travel for the sake of traveling and I see what I can manage myself. If I can only get somewhere because I have a guide is not fun for me.

I was 100% convinced that I could travel independently in Afghanistan. Moreover, I had time to explore Afghanistan for as long as I wanted as I’m a full-time traveler.

If you read the full guide, you can see that I also made friends, both locals and foreigners, on the way and I also traveled a bit with guides by chance. Did that help? Yes, it helped indeed. It was more fun with them and I learned a lot through them.  But this could have happened anywhere else in the world.

In this guide, I explain how to travel independently in Afghanistan and how I managed my travels there.

You need to decide whether you can do it yourself or need someone to guide you. I believe any experienced traveler can manage traveling in Afghanistan independently including women. Yes, women have some limitations and as a woman, you might manage to see less than a man but at the same time, you will have a lot of amazing experiences that you would not have had if you were with men, a guide, or even other women.

As for what I mean by an expreienced traveler, you should already have traveled in the Middle East independently, you understand the different cultures in the Middle East and you understand that in Afghanistan you don’t act like back home.

I’m talking about the limitations of women in the next section: Traveling in Afghanistan as a woman.

If you are not an experienced traveler or/and not confident enough to travel independently in Afghanistan or if you have a limited amount of time available and you want to see a lot of things, you can hire a guide or join a tour.

This is something you have to decide for yourself.

I’d like to share my experience as a woman traveling independently in Afghanistan, based on my two trips to the country.

Here’s what I wrote last year after my four-week trip to Afghanistan:

Traveling as a female international traveler in Afghanistan isn’t as dramatic as people assume, at least based on my own journey. However, every woman’s experience in Afghanistan is different. For some, it may be easy, while for others, it can be challenging. It’s even possible for your trip to feel like a complete drama from start to finish.

Yes, there are limitations for women, but I didn’t face any major problems during that trip.

Now, let me share my experience from my second trip to Afghanistan at the end of 2024.

Last year, I had no drama as woman. This year, however, was different. I found myself pissed off so many times because of the behavior of certain men. I’ll share the details of my experience in each destination guide, which I’ll be publishing gradually in the coming weeks.

Long story short, I dressed more modestly this time. I covered up more, avoided colorful clothing (it was winter, after all), and even wore a medical mask in some places. But despite all that, the amount of inappropriate attention I got from men was infuriating. It didn’t happen all the time, but it was frequent enough to leave me frustrated.

In Kabul, I had to shout at men a lot for staring. I’m not shy at all. I’m ready to scream at anyone’s head off anytime, anywhere. It was as if they’d never seen a woman before. Kandahar was even worse. I felt like I was in a zoo, even with my face covered by a mask. Once, I even got the Taliban to beat up a teenager for touching my hand once. Another time, I called a man a pig for taking my picture after prayers at Muhammad’s Clock in Kandahar.

Secretly being photographed happened to me a lot, and while I don’t mind people taking my picture, as I have hundreds online anyway. What angered me was the hypocrisy. These men oppress their wives and daughters while lusting after women they see without a burqa. It’s beyond disgusting.

The way some men stared at me is hard to put into words. It felt like they were raping me with their eyes. And when I looked at them, I didn’t see humans in their gaze, I saw animals out of control.

I hate having such experiences, and I hate writing about them even more. But that’s the reality.

One more thing! Always keep your hotel room locked from the inside. Unfortunately, some men working in hotels feel entitled to enter women’s rooms without permission. When checking into a hotel, make it clear to the staff that they should never, under any circumstances, enter your room without your consent.

CAN WOMEN TRAVEL INDEPENDENTLY AND SOLO IN AFGHANISTAN

That’s an interesting question. This can change from one day to another.

I traveled independently and solo for an entire month. Women CAN travel in Afghanistan solo. I also saw Afghan women traveling alone in Afghanistan.

However, there is an EXCEPTION!!! Solo female travelers and female travelers without male companions are not allowed to cross the SHIR KHAN border from Tajikistan to Afghanistan.

They are required to hire a guide for their entire trip within Afghanistan. Therefore, if you still wish to enter Afghanistan through this border, be prepared to pay for a guide for your entire stay in the country. Do not expect Afghans to help you for free or for a very low fee, as that would be unfair.

If you are not willing to pay for a guide, you should return to Tajikistan and find an alternative way to enter Afghanistan.

I didn’t even try crossing this border when I was in Tajikistan and wanted to travel to Afghanistan. Instead, I traveled to Termez from Dushanbe, applied for the Afghanistan visa in Termez, and crossed the border from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan via Heiratan.

CAN WOMEN GO TO RESTAURANTS AND MALLS

Yes, they can. I don’t know every single village in Afghanistan. Obviously, in many small villages in Afghanistan, local women don’t go out to restaurants and do much shopping. But you can find that in many other countries.

In Kabul and Herat, Afghan women with or without men are out shopping and hanging out in restaurants and cafes.

I went to restaurants, cafes, and street vendors alone as well and it was completely fine. I was welcomed everywhere with open arms.

Pretty much all the cafes and restaurants have a family section where they accommodate female guests. There, I also made a lot of friends and acquaintances. When Afghan women see that you are sitting on your own, they will want to talk with you. Women invited me to their table or just chatted with me, and left the place with an invitation to another restaurant or to their house. This way I also got to know a lot of families.

CAN WOMEN GO TO PARKS

Afghan women are not allowed to go to parks in Kabul including Bibi Mahro and Babur Garden. I have no idea whether they generally allow foreign women to go to Bibi Mahro and Babur Garden but I entered these parks without any issue.

Me and Natalia were the only adult women there as visitors. Nobody seemed to be bothered by our presence there.

CAN WOMEN FLY SOLO

Yes, I did and on my flights there were also Afghan women traveling alone.

CAN WOMEN TAKE TAXIS AND TUK TUK ALONE

Yes, we can, both Afghan and international women. I also saw and met many Afghan women who took taxis or tuktuk alone both in Kabul and Herat.

CAN WOMEN TAKE SHARED TAXIS AND LONG-DISTANCE BUSES

I have heard that it’s not allowed for women to take long-distance buses alone such as Kabul to Herat. It applies to both Afghan and foreign women.
However, I was in contact with many independent solo female travelers who managed to travel with long-distance buses on different routes in Afghanistan. They also said that there were Afghan women as well traveling alone witout a man by bus.

I never had an issue with traveling to anywhere whether it was alone, with a driver, or with a group of travelers.

I haven’t done any long-distance travel by bus or shared taxi where a flight was available. Thus, I cannot share my personal experience in this regard.

CAN WOMEN GO TO BAND-E AMIR

Officially, Afghan women are not allowed to go to the Bandi-e Amir National Park. As for female international travelers, according to reports, many foreign women were not allowed to enter Band-e Amir even though they had a permit for Band-e Amir from Bamyan and were accompanied by a guide.

However, I managed to get in. How I got in is described in detail in the section where I talk about the Band-e Amir National Park. Also, many female travelers with a guide made their way to the Band-e Amir National Park.

When I was there, there were a lot of families there including adult women. They found the way to get there and nobody seemed to be bothered by them.

There are also local women working in the market selling stuff.

As for visiting the Bandi-e Amir National Park in November for the second time. I had no issues. I just paid the entrance fee and that’s all.

CAN WOMEN GO TO THE BLUE MOSQUE (SHRINE OF HAZRAT ALI) IN MAZAR-i-SHARIF

Visiting the Blue Mosque got easier. International female travelers can visit the mosque after paying an entrance fee of 350 Afghani (~5 USD).

What I’m going to write is only my perspective. I will only talk about how I saw them as a female foreign traveler in Afghanistan and I will talk about what personally concerns foreign tourists.

If you haven’t been to Afghanistan, you might be afraid of the Taliban and they will be your number one reason for not coming to Afghanistan.

I was never afraid of the Taliban. I considered them as people who are responsible for maintaining security and order. If I had some security issues in Afghanistan, I would call the Taliban myself.

I didn’t talk much with the Talibs as I’m a woman. If you are a man, for sure, you will have a completely different experience than me.

The Talibs can be different in different parts of Afghanistan. In some places, they are more conservative than in others. In some places, they are more used to foreigners than in other places.

They never bothered me and made me feel uncomfortable. Obviously, I had to get used to them.

In Kabul, on my second day, a Talib came up to me saying something I didn’t understand at all. So, I just gave him my permit. He read it, gave it back, and left. You can do the same thing when a Talib wants to check you. There is absolutely no need to talk. Just hand over your permit and that’s it.

In rare cases, they checked my identity and asked questions while traveling on the road.

I vaguely remember that there were a couple of checkpoints on the way between Bamyan and Kabul. I was asked for my passport and without saying a word, I just gave my passport and travel permit to the Talib officers.

In Panjshir Valley, we were stopped a couple of times by the Talibs. I showed them my documents and they asked a couple of things from me in a very friendly manner.

Once, when I was taking pictures on the road, two Talibs came up to us (me and Sultan who was my drive that day) and asked what we were doing there. Panjshir Valley is a very conservative place and obviously, a woman photoshopping on the road sparked some interest. We got in the car to look for my documents. In the next second, two Talibs also got in their car with their AK 47. I handed over my documents to them, talked a little bit, and then they left.

At this point in time, I was already used to guns. So, this situation felt like the most natural thing in the world.

As a woman, you need to learn how to behave when in the presence of the Taliban. Don’t look at them directly and don’t talk to them if they don’t ask something from you. You don’t talk to the Taliban like you talk to regular men or men in other countries. Be modest and reserved.

If you want to travel to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, you need to apply for a tourist visa.

Before you go to any consulate, embassy, or the Shir Khan border, fill out the Afghanistan visa application form online and print it out.

Here is the link for the Afghan visa application form.

http://econsulate.mfa.gov.af/InfoVisa.aspx

BEST PLACES TO OBTAIN YOUR AFGHANISTAN TOURIST VISA

– Peshawar, Pakistan: ready in ~15 minutes. This is the best place to get an Afghan visa. Scroll down to read everything you need to know about getting an Afghan visa in Peshawar.

– Islamabad, Pakistan: ready in ~3 days. For the details, scroll down.

– Dubai, United Arab Emirates  (If you are in Dubai, check out my ultimate Dubai travel guide with itinerary and travel tips.): Getting the Afghan visa can take about a day in Dubai. Location on Google Maps: Consulate General of Afghanistan – Dubai.

To get it done quickly, follow my instructions. They open at 8 or 8.30 am. Be there earlier so that you can be one of the first ones to pull a number for the line. In advance, print the visa application form filled in typed (better not handwritten!), bring a passport copy and 2 passport pictures. If you don’t have all this, you can get the copies for 10 USD.  But if you have everything, you will save a lot of time. The Afghan visa in Dubai normally costs 130 USD.

!!! Recently, most travelers were asked for a Letter of Invitation.  Additionally, a traveler recently reported that he was also required to provide a copy of his tour guide’s license.

– Mashad or Tehran, Iran (If you are in Iran, check out my guide with travel tips for Iran and my guide to visiting the 42 most beautiful places in Iran with itineraries.)

– Shir Khan Bandar border crossing, Tajikistan: The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not recognize Afghan visas issued by the Afghan Embassy in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. It’s because the embassy there has officials from the previous government. For this reason, visas on arrival (VOA) are issued at the Shir Khan border, the Tajikistan-Afghanistan Border Crossing. The visa fee is to be paid in Afghani currency.

!!! Solo female travelers and female travelers without male companions are not allowed to cross the SHIR KHAN border from Tajikistan to Afghanistan. They are required to hire a guide for their entire trip within Afghanistan. More about this in the section about traveling as a woman in Afghanistan.

!!! After the border crossing, you have to go to the Kunduz Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get a stamp. Location: here. When you get your VOA, you will be told to do so. If you are not told to do so, just make sure that you ask about it.

If you don’t have this stamp, you will be in trouble when you want to leave Afghanistan.

AFGHANISTAN TOURIST VISA PRICE

The exact amount you pay depends on your nationality and the location of your visa application. For most nationalities, the Afghanistan tourist visa costs 100 USD.

As a Hungarian citizen, I paid 100 USD in Peshawar for my Afghanistan tourist visa. My friend from Moldova also paid 100 USD. An Indian friend of mine paid 50 USD. It costs more if you for example get your visa in Dubai.

AFGHANISTAN TOURIST VISA VALIDITY

The Afghanistan tourist visa is valid for 1 month. You can extend it in Kabul if you want to stay longer in Afghanistan.

WHAT TO BRING FOR OBTAINING YOUR AFGHANISTAN TOURIST VISA

• Passport
• 2 passport photos. For ladies: no need to wear a headscarf for the photo.
• Visa fee

GETTING AN AFGHANISTAN VISA IN PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN

WHERE TO GET AN AFGHANISTAN VISA IN PESHAWAR

ADDRESS OF THE CONSULATE OF AFGHANISTAN IN PESHAWAR

Consulate General of Afghanistan:
10 Mall Rd, Peshawar Cantonment, Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Location, here.

The location is accurate on Google Maps. I took a taxi with my friend Natalia from our hotel.

From our hotel, Golden Palace Guest House to the “Consulate General of Afghanistan” the ride using the taxi app called Indrive cost 292 PKR (1 USD).

It’s a secured area with a couple of checkpoints and security staff with guns.

The taxi could take us to the exact location. It can happen that the taxi cannot take you all the way to the consulate. In that case, enjoy walking!

On the way back, we had to walk out of the security area to meet our taxi driver as he was not allowed to drive through it. When we were there, the taxi driver called us, I gave the phone to a security man with a gun and he talked to the taxi driver and showed us which direction we had to walk to meet the taxi driver.

On the way there, some people were asking what we were doing there and we just said that we got our Afghanistan visa and we just kept walking.

On the way back, the taxi also with Indrive back to our hotel cost 330 PKR (1.10 USD).

OPENING HOURS OF THE CONSULATE OF AFGHANISTAN IN PESHAWAR

They are open from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. On Friday, they are only open until 13:00.

AFGHANISTAN TOURIST VISA PROCESSING TIME IN PESHAWAR

In Peshawar, you always get the visa on the same day when you apply at the consulate. According to travelers’ reports, it takes about 20-30 minutes to get the Afghanistan visa in Peshawar.

HOW WAS THE AFGHANISTAN TOURIST VISA APPLICATION AT THE CONSULATE IN PESHAWAR

Women and men have different entrances.

Entrance for women at the Consulate of Afghanistan in Peshawar, Pakistan

I got there with my female friend before 9 a.m. At 9 a.m., we knocked on the door outside and a lady let us in. We had to proceed to a room where she gave us a light pat down and a quick once over with a handheld scanner.

After that, she checked our passports. Finally, she gave us a burqa to wear which is necessary for the visa application.

Wearing the burqa, we walked to another building, knocked on the door and we were let in. We sat down and we had to fill in the visa application form. Natalia filled in the form looking through the holes of the burqa. I filled in the visa application form under my burqa.

It wasn’t even necessary to answer every single question in the form. We waited 5-10 minutes and we got our visa ready.

Each of us paid 100 USD. They only want new banknotes. If you bring old ones, you are supposed to pay more than 100 USD.

They wanted Natalia to pay an extra 20 USD because she gave some old US dollars. In the end, she found some later editions of the US dollars.

After we got our visa ready, we were told: You can now remove your burqa. So, we flipped up the face cover part of our burqa. We had a friendly conversation with the visa guys there. After, the friendly chat, we put back our burqa and left.

Overall, it was very easy to get the visa.

GETTING AN AFGHANISTAN VISA IN ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

WHERE TO GET AN AFGHANISTAN VISA IN ISLAMABAD

ADDRESS OF THE EMBASSY OF AFGHANISTAN IN ISLAMABAD

Embassy of Afghanistan, Islamabad:
House No, 8 Street 90, G-6/1 G 6/3 G-6, Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan
Location, here.

OPENING HOURS OF THE EMBASSY OF AFGHANISTAN IN ISLAMABAD

You can apply for the Afghanistan visa in Islamabad from Monday to Friday from 08:30 to 12:00.

You might want to be there already at 08:00 to avoid lining up for too long. The counters open at the embassy at 08:00.

AFGHANISTAN TOURIST VISA PROCESSING TIME IN ISLAMABAD

In Islamabad, generally, you get the visa in about 3 days.

12.1. FLYING TO DUBAI TO KABUL

Many travelers choose this option. It’s a pretty easy and quick option once you get your Afghan visa in Dubai.

Flydubai has two direct flights daily from Dubai to Kabul.

KamAir flies from Dubai to Kabul every day twice a day. The first one is a direct flight and the second one is with a change in Kandahar.

Ariana also flies from Dubai to Kabul every day once a day with a change in Kandahar.

12.2. PAKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN BORDER CROSSING FROM PESHAWAR TO KABUL

In this case, you will travel from the Pakistani city of Peshawar to the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul.

12.3. IRAN-AFGHANISTAN BORDER CROSSING FROM MASHAD TO HERAT

In this scenario, you travel from the Iranian city of Mashad to the city of Herat in Afghanistan.

There are shared taxis running between Mashad and Herat. From Herat to Mashad, the price is 1500 AFG which is ~20.40 USD.

Alternatively, you can also just get a shared taxi from Mashad to the border and then another shared taxi from the border to Herat.
That’s a much cheaper option. The shared taxi on the Afghan side costs only 250 Afghani (3.50 USD). The journey from the border to Herat is about 1 h 30 mins.

The location of the shared taxi station in Mashad is here, and the location of the shared taxi station in Herat is here.

12.4. TAJIKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN BORDER CROSSING AT SHIR KHAN BANDAR

The Afghanistan visa on arrival (VOA) on the border costs 100 USD for most nationalities. It can be paid either in USD or Afghani.

12.5. UZBEKISTAN-AFGHANISTAN BORDER CROSSING

The Uzbekistan-Afghanistan border is now open.

You can take a minibus from Termez to the border for 5,000 Uzbek Som (~0.40 USD). Alternatively, a taxi from Termez to the border should cost around 50,000-60,000 Uzbek Som (~4-5 USD).

Then, from the border to Mazar-i-Sharif, a seat in shared taxi costs 200 Afghani (~3 USD).

Afghanistan has 34 provinces. In order to travel in Afghanistan you need a permit for each province.

What is the price of the permits?

The Afghanistan travel permits used to be free. Today each province cost 1000 Afghani (~12 USD).

How will you get the permits if you start your Afghanistan trip in Kabul?

STEP 1: 

Since September 2025, you can get your travel permit at Afghan Tour. Also, according to the new rules, you must travel with a guide in Afghanistan.

Location: here

Opening hours: Saturday – Wednesday: 8 am to 3-4pm, Thursday: 8 am to 1 pm, Friday: closed

STEP 2: Upon arrival in each province, you must register using the permit obtained in Kabul. But you are not supposed to pay again for the local authorities.

You only need to register for the provinces where you stay and visit places.

For example, when I arrived in Herat, from the airport, I took a taxi directly to the Herat Ministry of Culture to get my local travel permit for Herat.

Is it really this strict? Well, kind of, and it depends on the provinces.

Let me share my experience from my last trip to Afghanistan (November 2024).

– Mazar-i-Sharif: One of my friends didn’t register in Mazar-i-Sharif and always used his Kabul permit there without any issues. This means that if you’re in Mazar-i-Sharif, your Kabul permit should be enough. But will it work in Balkh? When I was in Balkh, I never needed to show any permit.

– Kabul: I didn’t register in Kabul for a week and used my Mazar-i-Sharif permit in Kabul, Bamyan, and Bandi Amir National Park without any problems. I didn’t plan to register at all in Kabul, but I did it after about a week to see if the process had changed since last year so I could update this travel guide if necessary. :-)

– Ghazni: I didn’t get a local permit in Ghazni even though I stayed there overnight, and no one asked for it. I chose not to get it because I didn’t want to waste time and didn’t want to be accompanied by Taliban security. I’m glad I didn’t get it.

– Kandahar: You absolutely must get a local permit in Kandahar. Without it, you can’t visit the best places in the city. Additionally, you will need a separate permit to visit Kharqa Sharif and Ahmad Shah Durrani. Be sure to mention this when you’re getting your local Kandahar permit.

– Lashkar Gah: A local permit is definitely required here.

– Herat: I didn’t register in Herat last time because I arrived on Thursday afternoon and left by Saturday. In Herat, you really need a local permit to visit the tourist sites. I managed to visit everything I wanted on Friday without the permit, but it took a lot of negotiation. Convincing the security guards to let us in without a permit took just as much time as getting the permit would have. So, I recommend not skipping the local permit in Herat unless, like me, you arrive on the weekend.

This was my experience, but it doesn’t mean you will have the same one. I’ve shared mine, and now it’s up to you to decide how to manage getting the local permits.

I will write more about permits in detail in my upcoming destination guides.

How will you get the permits if you start your Afghanistan trip in Herat, Mazar or Kunduz?

You can just get the local permits in Herat, Mazar or Kunduz and from all the other places on the way. Then, when you get to Kabul, you can do as written above.

13.2. COMPLETE LIST OF PERMIT LOCATIONS WITH MAP

KABUL: Afghan Tour

Location, here.

BAMYAN: Location, here. GPS: 34.8068710,67.8249835

The building of the Tourism Department in Bamyan (Photo taken with permission to help international tourists find its building easily.)

GHAZNI: Location, here. GPS: 33°32’40.4″N 68°25’25.5″E

BALKH PROVINCE incl. MAZAR-I-SHARIF: This is where you get a permit for the Blue Mosque of Mazar and the historic places of Balkh Province.

It’s a governmental building close to the Shrine of Hazrat Ali. It has a blue gate. Location, here. GPS: 36.7056189, 67.1053492

Necessary documents: photocopy of the first page of your passport & the page of your visa

Opening hours:
From Saturday to Wednesday: 8:30 am to 3 pm
On Thursday: 8:30 – 1 pm
On Friday: closed

HERAT: Herat Ministry of Culture. Location, here. GPS: 34.34841, 62.20045

It’s located next to the Ministry of Transport in the building of Jami University. When you get the taxi, you can refer to the Ministry of Transport as it’s more known among taxi drivers. 

Their office is located on the second floor to the left.

KANDAHAR: Location, here. GPS: 31.6148961, 65.7023611

LASHKAR GAH FOR HELMAND PROVINCE: Location, here. GPS: 31.5951707, 64.3588654

CHAGCHARAN FOR GHOR PROVINCE: Ministry of Information and Culture in Chagcharan. Location, here. GPS: 34.5188166,65.2534464

What to visit with the permit?: Minaret of Jam

FURTHER PERMIT LOCATIONS:

Panjshir Province: Location, here. GPS: 35.2798347,69.4806913

Logar Province: Location, here. GPS: 34.0074714,69.0149713

Samangan Province: Location, here. GPS: 36.270566,68.025948

Kunduz Province: Location, here. GPS: 36.6977866,68.8844587

Takhar Province: Location, here. GPS: 36.7299970,69.5374365

Badakhshan Province: Location, here. GPS: 37.1162588,70.5722770

Nuristan Province: Location, here. GPS: 35.315117,70.867055

Kunar Province: Location, here. GPS: 34.8701947,71.1559971

Nangarhar Province: Location, here. GPS: 34.430768,70.465419

14.1. eSIM IN AFGHANISTAN

These are the rates for the Airalo eSIM in Afghanistan:

1 G valid for 7 days costs 8 USD.

3 GB valid for 30 days costs 16 USD.

However, these days travelers have complained that it’s not working, so I no longer recommend it.

14.2. WHERE TO GET A SIM CARD IN KABUL

You can get an Afgan Wireless SIM card in Park Tower. You can find it on Google Maps as Park Tower Kabul. Location, here.

Afghan Wireless is located on the second floor on the left. They have two offices. One of them is for women and the other one is for men.

It was very easy to buy the SIM card because the girls working there speak very good English.

In total, I paid  1250 Afghani. This included the SIM card for 75 AF, 20 GB internet, calls, messages for 999 AF, and governmental tax. 

In case they have no more SIM cards, check out this location, here.

14.3. WHERE TO GET A SIM CARD IN HERAT

In Herat, there is a place where only women can buy a SIM card.
This is the approximate location of the place: here.

Afghanistan has censored certain websites and online activities in the country. In order to bypass censorship, and access geo-restricted content, I always use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) when traveling in Afghanistan.

For example, when I applied for my Pakistan visa in Afghanistan, I could only get access to the website and pay for the visa fee using Express VPN.

Moreover, for privacy and security reasons, I also use a VPN. The VPN service protects my online activities for example when I use internet banking.

There are a couple of VPN providers that are recommended in Afghanistan. They all have their pros and cons. After comparing all of them, I got Express VPN.

Generally, I use my VPN either on the USA or German server 24/7.

I have signed up for Express VPN’s 12-month plan as I find it useful in almost every country where I am in the world.

16.1. INTERCITY PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN AFGHANISTAN

As an experienced traveler, I found it much easier to manage my long-term travels in Afghanistan than I had expected.

I added the flight options here as well so that you can compare the prices.

KABUL – JALALABAD

• Minibus: 250 AF (~3.30 USD)
• Shared taxi: 400 – 500 AF. I paid 500 AF (~3.30 USD).
• Bus station location for Jalalabad:
  The name of the terminal on Google Maps:  جلال اباد هډه Kabul
  It is read as: Adi Jalalabab or Adai Jalalabad
  Location, here.
• Distance: ~ 150 km / 93 miles in about 3-4 hours
• Road conditions: It’s pretty good.

KABUL – TORKHAM BORDER

• Minibus: 350 AF (~4.60 USD)
• Shared taxi: 600 – 700 AF (~8.90 – 9.20 USD). I paid 700 AF for the front seat. The passengers at the back paid 600 AF per person.
• Bus station location for Torkham Border: Same as for Jalalabad. Location, here.
• Distance: ~ 230 km / 93 miles in about 5-6 hours
• Road conditions: Pretty good.

The road from Torkham border to Kabul – Afghanistan Images

KABUL – BAMYAN

• Minibus with 15 pax: 350 AF (~4.60 USD)
• Minibus with about 8 pax: 400 AF (~5.30 USD)
• Shared taxi-old car: 500 AF (~6.80 USD)
• Shared taxi-new car: 600 AF (~8.90 USD).
• Shared taxi station in Kabul: It’s called Bamyan Terminal on Google Maps. Location, here.
• Shared taxi station in Bamyan: It’s called “terminal” locally. Location: here. GPS: 34°49’26.1″N 67°50’08.5″E
• Distance: 180 km / 112 miles in 5 hours
• Road conditions: For the most part, the road is good. There is only a part close to Kabul which is super dusty.

The road from Kabul to Bamyan – Afghanistan Images

BAMYAN –  BAND-E-AMIR

• Minibus from Terminal Bamyan: 200-250 AF (~2.60 – 3.30 USD)
• Private taxi: 1800 (23.80 USD) – 2000 AF (26.40 USD)) (Our taxi was organized by the Noor Band Kala Hotel in Bamyan. The original fare was 1800 AF but because we had to go back to the permit location in Bamyan from the first Taliban checkpoint as you enter the Bandi Amir National Park, we paid 2000 AF in the end.)
• Shared taxi station in Bamyan: It’s called “terminal” locally. Location: here. GPS: 34°49’26.1″N 67°50’08.5″E
  This is the same station where you arrived coming from Kabul.
• Distance: ~ 80 km / 50 miles in about 2 hours

16.2. DOMESTIC FLIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN

AIRLINES IN AFGHANISTAN

There are two airlines in Afghanistan: Kam Air and Ariana. I don’t see much difference between the two airlines.

I flew from Kabul to Herat with Kam Air and then back to Kabul from Herat with Ariana.

DOMESTIC FLIGHT EXAMPLES

KABUL – HERAT

• Flight with Ariana or Kam Air: ~80-85 USD

KABUL – MAZAR-E-SHARIF

• Flight with Kam Air: ~75 USD
• Flight with Ariana: ~68 USD

HERAT – MAZAR-E-SHARIF

• Kam Air has a direct flight on Fridays from Herat to Mazar. It costs around 108 USD.

HOW TO BOOK A TICKET FOR  DOMESTIC FLIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN

There are many travel agencies in big cities including Kabul and Herat where you can buy your plane ticket. It’s much quicker to purchase a ticket from a travel agency than buying it online. Let me tell you why.

Some of my international friends tried to book flights online for hours for flights in Afghanistan using their own bank cards but they never succeeded. 

I purchased my plane tickets from random travel agencies on my way while hanging around one day before traveling. 

I paid 85 dollars for my plane ticket to Herat from Kabul with Kam Air and 80 USD for my ticket from Herat to Kabul with Ariana. They had the same price as online.

It took 5-10 minutes to issue the ticket. It was a great decision to pop in a travel agency and buy my plane ticket from them. I paid in cash. Travel agencies, just like most places in Afghanistan, only accept cash. So, make sure that you prepare cash when you want to book a ticket for a domestic flight at a travel agency. 

The guys who issued my tickets had excellent English. Thus, the communication was always easy. 

Should you book your plane ticket in advance?

I always booked it one day earlier.

Sometimes, the tickets may be sold out a couple of days in advance. But I always had luck when I purchased my tickets just a day in advance.

As for the price,  as far as I have seen it, I don’t think it makes much difference if you buy the ticket in advance or last minute.

16.3.  HOW TO MOVE AROUND KABUL

You can move around Kabul using private taxis, shared taxis, and city buses. I mostly used private taxis and sometimes shared taxis.

Private taxis:  The private taxi is super cheap. 

Taxis don’t necessarily look like taxis. There are also a lot of ordinary people who just take people like they were taxis. It’s totally fine to use them as taxis.

When a driver doesn’t know the location, look for a place nearby on Google Maps and ask him to take you there. When a taxi driver didn’t know any of the places, I just looked for another driver.

How much I paid was always a bit different depending on the driver, the traffic, how much they quoted first, and whether I was alone or with a local.

For 7 km you should pay between 120 to 200 Afghani. The maximum is 200 AF. When I was taking a taxi by myself, I was always quoted 200 AF.

When I negotiated, I paid 150 AF. But when I didn’t feel like bargaining, I paid 200 Afghani.

If you take a taxi directly from Khyber Hotel, you will always pay a bit more. So, if you want to save some money, you can walk down the street a bit and get a taxi then.

Check out here how much I paid for taxis in Kabul. These are the prices for the entire taxi. If you travel with friends, you share the costs.

– Ministry of Information and Culture to Tourism Directory: 3,6 km, 150 AF
– Tourism Directory to Khyber Hotel: 4,6 km, 200 AF

– Khyber Hotel to National Museum of Afghanistan: 10 km, 250 AF
– Khyber Hotel to the Omar Land Mine Museum: Take the taxi to the Cricket Board (Afghanistan Cricket Board on Google Maps): 4,6 km, 200 AF
– Khyber Hotel to Bibi Mahro Hill: 4,6 km, 200 AF
– Bibi Mahro Hill to Bird Market: 7,8 km, 120 AF
– Birds Market to Babur Garden: 3,2 km, 120 AF
– Sakhi Mosque to Khyber Hotel: 5,6 km, 150 AF

– Khyber Hotel to Kabul International Airport: 6 km, You only need to take the taxi to the roundabout where the airport security starts and then walk from there, 150 – 200 AF
– Khyber Hotel to Bamyan shared taxi station (Dasht-e-Barchi): 15 km, 300 AF
– From Bamyan shared taxi station (Dasht-e-Barchi) to Khyber Hotel: 15 km, 350 AF
– Khyber Hotel to Adi Jalalabad (shared taxi station to Jalalabad & Torkham): 23 km, 500 AF

Shared taxis:

They are not available everywhere. If you want to use them, you just have to know the directions. I cannot explain how to use the shared taxis in Kabul as I used them spontaneously in the directions I wanted to go.

Whenever I used the shared taxi, I paid 20 AF.

16.4.  HOW TO MOVE AROUND HERAT

Private taxi from Herat International Airport to Herat Ministry of Culture: 400-500 AF (~5.30 – 6.60 USD)
Private rickshaw from Herat Ministry of Culture to Herat International Airport: 200-250 AF (~2.60 – 3.30 USD)

I only used a private taxi from and to the airport. Other times, I either walked or used public transport.

Let me tell you about the public transport options in

A seat in a shared rickshaw: 10 AF – 15 AF (~0.13 – 0.20 USD) depending on the distance

Minibus: 15 AF (~0.20 USD)

Private rickshaw: 30 AF (~0.40 USD) for a short distance

In Afghanistan, there are two main types of accommodation: chaikanas and hotels.

17.1. CHAIKANAS IN AFGHANISTAN EXPLAINED

The cheapest places to stay are called chaikhanas. They are local restaurants with basic rooms. For about 100 – 500 Afghani (~3.40 – 6.80 USD), you get a room with a shared bathroom or just a toilet. So, remember, some of them only have a shared toilet and not even a shared bathroom.

Also, remember that you are not paying for a room but only a sleeping space. It means that you can be with others in the room. In the room, there is a carpet on which there are mattresses and a few pillows, you will not have a blanket.get

They normally don’t have wifi.

Other travelers reported that chaikanas are normally not very clean. It’s because they don’t clean the rooms after every single guest, just once in a while, or after a few guests. If you pay only 100 Afghani, don’t expect a clean sleeping space and toilet.

If you stay in a chaikana, most probably the Taliban will come and check you out about once a day for security reasons.

Chaikanas are available in Bamyan, Band-e Amir, and all over the Wakhan Corridor.

17.2. BUDGET HOTELS IN AFGHANISTAN EXPLAINED

As for the hotels, you can find hotels for all budgets. They generally have wifi available.

– BUDGET HOTELS AROUND 800 – 1200 AF

Normally, they are not very clean places. Also, they have shared toilets and bathrooms.
Some of these cheap places have no restaurants. Thus, they put your breakfast in front of your door and you can eat your breakfast in your room.

– BUDGET HOTELS STARTING AT 1500 AF

In my opinion, decent and clean hotels in Afghanistan start at 1500 AF.

17.3. CHAIKANA & HOTEL RECOMMENDATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN

I will recommend you chaikanas and budget hotels in different parts of Afghanistan. These are the hotels where international travelers stayed.

As for booking hotels, I never booked anything in advance. I just showed up. For some of the places I recommend, I added their Whatsapp number, you can contact them to book if you want. If the number is not there, you may google their number.

In terms of location, all of these hotels are located in districts suitable for tourists.

– KABUL

Khyber Hotel

There is a lot of foreigners staying in the Khyber Hotel. As a solo traveler, it was nice to meet other travelers in the hotel.

Price: they have rooms for 1,500 AF (~20 USD), 2,000 AF (~26.50 USD), and 3,000 AF (~40 USD) per night including breakfast. Rooms starting at 2,000 AF have aircon. Rooms that start at 3,000 are generally newly refurbished.

I stayed around 2 and a half weeks in Khyber Hotel and I really liked staying there. It was my base in Afghanistan. Whenever I traveled from Kabul to another city, I left my big backpack in the hotel and I just took my small backpack. It was very convenient for me.

The breakfast is very basic in Khyber Hotel.

In case you want to book in advance, this is their Whatsapp: +93 79 888 8141

Golden Star Hotel
Price: Rooms start at 3,000 Afghanis for a single room. I didn’t stay here but foreign travelers also like this hotel in Kabul.

Shahr Guesthouse
Price: ~800 AF (~10.60 USD) for a single room with breakfast, and shared bathroom. There is no restaurant here. You get your breakfast at your door in the morning.

– BAMYAN

Chaikhana in Bamyan
I don’t have the name but this is the location: here. GPS: 34.825172, 67.831319
It’s on the main street at the main bazaar. It’s at the back of a restaurant upstairs.
It costs 500 AF (~6.60 USD).
Recent update: Recently, a traveler reported that he wasn’t allowed to stay there. The local Taliban didn’t allow it for security reasons.

Noor Band Qala Hotel
Price: 1,500 Af (~20 USD)/ night for a single room including breakfast. The same room if you are two persons is 2,500 AF (~33 USD).
Tripadvisor reviews, here.
Location, here. It’s just across the river if you come from the bus station, a 5-minute walk from the station.
I stayed here and I was satisfied with what I got for the price.
The breakfast is very basic.

Roof of Bamyan Hotel
Price: single room for 1500 AF (~20 USD),  standard room for 2200 AF (~29 USD). Prices include breakfast.
I would try this next time because the view from the hotel is really amazing. You can have breakfast on their terrace with a view of the Buddhas of Bamyan.

Gholgola Hotel by the Buddhas of Bamyan
This is one of the fanciest hotels in Bamyan. Prices vary. Check the prices with them in person.

– ZUHAK, BAMYAN

Shesh poul (six bridge) of Bamyan
Manager: Sayeed Mohammad Amin Sadaat
WhatsApp number for booking: +93798672620
Price: 1000 Af/night

– MAZAR-I-SHARIF

Zarafshan Hotel

Price for single room: 1500 AF (~20 USD)/ night

Rahat Hotel

Price for single room: 1500 AF (~20 USD)/ night
Price for double room: 3000 AF

– KANDAHAR

Budget hotel in Kandahar
GPS: 31.612563, 65.701082
Location, here.

Man O Salwa Guesthouse
Big room with AC and simple breakfast
Price: 1000 AF/night
Location: 31.6098540,65.6944200
I stayed in this hotel and I was very satisfied with it. I stayed here in November. It was quite cold in the rooms. They give me an old heater that warmed up my room. I had the best sleep in this hotel actually during my stay in Afghanistan in November.

MillaHotel
Wifi, cold water only, breakfast included
Price: 1000-1500 AF

– HERAT

Chaikana in Herat
Local name: نگین هوتل و رستورانت
Price: 500 AF (~6.60 USD)/night
Location, here.

Super budget hotel in Herat
Price: ~ 800 AF (~10.60 USD)
GPS: 34.349047, 62.195848
Location, here.

Apple Hotel in Herat
Price: 1500 AF (~20.55 USD)
Location: here.

Amiri Hotel
Price: 2,000 AF (~26.50 USD)/night for a single room including breakfast.
Tel. number: +93 79 256 1515
Location, here.

– GHAZNI

Taj Continental

Price: 1500 AF per night

Whatsapp: + 93 78 543 4481

Location: You can easily find it on Google Maps. I stayed here and it was pretty cool.

My review: The staff did their best to make us feel comfortable. I was there in November. The hotel is pretty cold in the winter. At least, I got an electric heater to keep my room warm. At some point during the night, the electricity went off. Then, I felt cold, even though I had 2 warm blankets.
I had no shower when I was there because the water wasn’t warm.

– FAYZABAD

Chaikhana in Fayzabad
GPS: 37.110236, 70.56237
Location, here.

– KUNDUZ

Kunduz Hotel
Price: ~ 1000 AF or more / night. Friendly staff and clean rooms.
Spinzar Hotel
Price: 3,000 AF (~40 USD)

– ESKASHIM

Chaikanas in Eskashim
There are many chaikanas in Eskashim starting at 100 AF. The fairly clean ones start at 300 AF.
Marco Polo Guest House
Most international travelers stay here. They have rooms starting at 20 USD.
Location, here.

17.4. COUCHSURFING & HOMESTAY IN AFGHANISTAN

I stayed in local homes in Kabul and Herat.

During my journey in Afghanistan, I was lucky enough to be invited by locals to stay in their house in Kabul. Moreover, I tried Couchsurfing in Herat.

In the past, staying at local houses was problematic and both the travelers and their host encountered problems with the local Taliban forces.

Nevertheless, even today unfortunate situations can happen. For example, an Irish friend has recently stayed with locals in a small village close to Kandahar. His story was pretty wild. Long story short, he was arrested for one day by the Taliban.

Nevertheless, he says that it was the highlight of his trip to Afghanistan and it didn’t shed a negative light on his trip at all. He cleared himself and didn’t cause any further problems to the family who hosted him.

Nothing like this happened to me. Pretty much nobody cared where I was staying. I also know a lot of travelers who were hosted by locals and they didn’thave issues at all.

18.1. RESTAURANTS & CAFES IN KABUL

18.1.1.  SHAAM KABUL RESTAURANT

Location, here.

This place is unbelievable. This traditional museum is literally like a museum. I’m totally in love with it. I tried many things here. My favorite was the Rosh meat.

Prices:
Lemon honey tea: 150 AF (~2 USD)
Qabuli Palwa: 250 AG (~3.40 USD)
Grilled Quail Kabab: 450 AF (~6.10 USD)
Chicken Karahi: 600 AF (~8.20 USD)

18.1.2. ISTANBUL FAMILY RESTAURANT & CAFE in KABUL CROWN

Location, here.

This is a very fancy Turkish restaurant with a lot of rooms, terraces, and a rooftop area.

Make sure you try majoon here. It’s an Iranian banana-date juice. They make it super fancy and delicious.

Prices:
Cup of green tea: 30 AF (~0.40 USD)
Green teapot: 100 AF (~1.40 USD)
Cafe Latte: 110 AF (~1.50 USD)
Fresh Apple Juice: 230 AF (~3.10 USD)
Vegetarian Turkish pizza: 250 AF (~3.40 USD)
Turkish breakfast with sausage omelet: 330 AF (~4.50 USD)
Grilled lamb with yogurt and butter: 490 AF (~6.70 USD)

18.1.3. ZIYAFAT RESTAURANT IN THE HEART OF KABUL

Location, here.

This is one of the fanciest restaurants in Kabul. They have a lot of different types of Afghan and international dishes.

Prices:
Sheeryakh (Afghan ice cream): 200 AF (~2.80 USD)
Pomegranate juice: 200 AF (~2.80 USD)

18.1.4. BUKHARA RESTAURANT IN KABUL

A variety of Afghan dishes on one plate in Bukhara restaurant – Beautiful Afghanistan Pictures

Location, here.

This is also a very beautiful traditional restaurant that I have been to many times. Everything I had here was super delicoius. My personal favorite was the brain masala.

Prices:
Cappuccino: 150 AF (~2 USD)
Baklava: 150 AF (~2 USD)
Mahicha Palaw: 450 AF (~6.10 USD)
Qabuli Palaw: 280 AF (~3.80 USD)
Tikka Kabab (beef): 300 AF (~4.10 USD)
Manto: 300 AF (~4.10 USD)
Rosh: 450 AF (~6.10 USD)

18.1.5. THE CAFETERIA IN KABUL

Sitting in The Cafeteria embracing the greenery and the birds’ singing- Beautiful Afghanistan Pictures

Location, here.

Prices:
Large apple carrot ginger juice: 220 (~3 USD)
Pomegranate salad: 120 AF (~1.60 USD)
Chocolate fudge cake: 50 AF (~0.70 USD)
Plain sheeryakh: 250 AF (~3.40 USD)
Cafeteria special sheeryakh: 300 AF (~4.10 USD)

18.1.6. BARG CONTINENTAL

Location, here.

Prices:
Large apple juice: 250 AF (~3.40 USD)
Large banana milkshake: 250 AF (~3.40 USD)
Qabuli Pilaw with fruit, yogurt, salad, and salan: 320 AF (~4.40 USD)
Mutton Tikka Kebab: 350 AF (~4.80 USD)
Chicken Achar Bothi: 370 AF (~5 USD)

Kabuli Pilaw set in the restaurant called Berg Continental – Photo from Kabul

18.1.7. LE BISTRO

Location, here.

The name of the restaurant is not written on the outside. It’s a bit hidden. If you can’t find it, just ask one of the armed security guys around.

Prices:
Vegatarian pizza: 500 AF (~6.80 USD)
Vegetarian sandwich: 400 AF (~5.50 USD)
Ice Cafe Latte: 250 AF (~3.40 USD)

Le Bistro restaurant from inside in Kabul – Photo from Kabul

The garden of Le Bistro restaurant in Kabul – Photo from Kabul

18.1.8. TURKISH BAKERY & CAFE AT MAJID MALL IN KABUL

Location, here.

Prices:
0.5 L apple juice: 300 AF
Large Turkish shwarma: 200 AF

18.2. PLACES TO EAT SHEER YAKH (شریخ)

Sher Yakh is a traditional ice cream from Afghanistan. They use the same ingredients as Indians for Kulfi but Afghans prepare it differently.

Sheer yakh means frozen milk or cold milk in the Dari language.

Originally, it’s from the town of Balkh located in the province of Balkh in Afghanistan.

WHERE TO EAT SHEER YAKH

You can eat Sheer Yakh pretty much everywhere. You can eat it from any of the above-mentioned restaurants.

Below, you can find a couple more recommendations I got from locals to eat sheer yakh.

In Kabul. Location, here.

In Kandahar: Qudrath Milk Shop. Location, here.

Afghanistan has four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Their summers are really hot especially in Herat and Kandahar and their winters are really cold especially in places surrounded by mountains such as Bamyan.

SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER

This is when I visited Afghanistan: 6^th September to 4^th October 2023.

During this time, in Kabul the temperature was around

I can say that I picked the perfect time for my first trip to Afghanistan. The weather was very pleasant. In Kabul, the weather was around 28-30 C.

I visited Bamyan and the Band-e Amir National Park at the beginning of September was perfect. The weather was fantastic. In October, it’s colder but it must be still amazing to them in October.

As for Herat, at the beginning of September, it was still too hot, almost 40 C. So, I waited until it cooled down. I fly to Herat a bit after the middle of September when the temperature was 30 C. It was perfect.

As for Kandahar and Mazar-i-Sharif, it’s still super hot until the middle of September. Then starting from the middle of September it’s getting the temperatures are more pleasant. But I would rather visit them in October.

APRIL – MAY

This is when I will visit Afghanistan next time. The weather conditions are similar to September and October.

The Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan is governed by Islamic Law which controls what you can wear.

The Taliban regime decreed codes of dress for both men and women. Everyone in Afghanistan including international tourists is expected to dress modestly.

WHAT TO WEAR AS A MAN IN AFGHANISTAN

If you are a man, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. The pants can be tight.

In my opinion, you should buy a Perahan tunban which is a form of Shalwar Kameez.  It’s a loose pair of pants with a long and loose shirt. This dress is very popular in Afghanistan. Most Afghan men wear it there. And most international tourists wear it too.

You can also see some Afghan men wearing Western clothes but it’s not as common as traditional Afghan attires.

In Afghanistan, actually, even most men cover their heads, either with a hat or a turban. You can also do that.

WHAT TO WEAR AS A WOMAN IN AFGHANISTAN

Women should be fully covered except for their faces in public places. If you see women with their faces covered, it’s because they are following their local customs. The Taliban regime doesn’t require women to cover their faces.

If you are a woman, bring a head scarf (called chador in Afghanistan) and try to get at least an abaya (called niqab in Afghanistan) that you can put over your clothes.

If you are wearing pants, only wear loose pants and not tight ones. And with the loose pants, you can wear a loose and long shirt and headscarf.

Before traveling to Afghanistan, I had been traveling in Nepal, India and Pakistan. Thus, I already had culturally appropriate clothes with me. But as soon as I had the chance, I bought two traditional Afghan dresses and a black abaya.

And you should absolutely the same.

The typical working week in Afghanistan is Sunday through Thursday.

Friday, a holy day for Muslims, is the weekend in Afghanistan. On Friday, the ministries, banks, and most businesses are closed.

However, on Thursday most ministries, banks, and businesses close earlier, at around 1 p.m.

There are a couple of rules that we have to follow as tourists when it comes to taking photos and making videos in Afghanistan.

It’s not allowed to take pictures of Afghan women, checkpoints, ministries, the Taliban, and certain places with guns.

Yes, I have a couple of pictures of ministries where you can get your travel permits. I asked permission to take those photos.

As for taking pictures with the Talibs, there is a new rule. You can see a lot of foreign guys with the Taliban and machine guns on social media.

However, it’s actually not allowed anymore. And if the Taliban is okay with taking pictures with you, it’s because they don’t know the new rules.

If you want to use your drone in Afghanistan, contact the tourism office in Kabul on +93703087130. They will give you a permit for it.

I didn’t take my drone to Afghanistan because I was afraid that it would get confiscated somehow even if I had a permit for my drone.

Last, but not least, let’s talk about taking photos of women. As a woman, I was around a lot of Afghan women and met a lot of Afghan women. But most of them don’t like being photographed. Even if they took photos of me or we took pictures together, most of them would ask me not to post it on social media.

23.1. THE CURRENCY OF AFGHANISTAN

The currency of Afghanistan is called Afghani (AFN). 1 USD is about 73.40 Afghani.

23.2. PAYMENT METHODS IN AFGHANISTAN

In Afghanistan, you can only pay by cash. International credit cards are not accepted payment methods.

23.3. ATMs IN AFGHANISTAN

There are ATMs in big cities such as Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar and Herat. But not every single bank accepts international cards.
On Google Maps, you will find many locations for these banks but in reality, it’s not the case. Also, you can find many banks and ATMs that are not on Google Maps.

The banks from which you can withdraw money are the following:

– Afghanistan International Bank (AIB)

This is the one that I always used in every city in Afghanistan. Whenever I needed one, I asked people to show me the closest one and it always worked.

In Kabul, there is an Afghan United Bank here and just across the street, there is an Afghanistan International Bank next to the Samsung shop. (Keep in mind that on Google Maps, this Samsung shop is shown on the opposite side from where it actually is.)

This is very convenient when you’re in Kabul, as it’s close to hotels frequently used by travelers, such as the Khyber Hotel.

I used my ING-DiBa Visa, Revolut Visa, and N26 MasterCard from Germany. All of them worked fine in every city.

A maximum of 15,000 Afghani (~205 USD) I could withdraw at one time. If you need more money, you can try withdrawing multiple times.

The bank charged a 5% or 7% fee for a withdrawal.

– Afghan United Bank

I tried this bank as well. It also charges a 5% fee for a withdrawal.

My Visa didn’t work at the Afghan United Bank but worked with my Master Card.

– Ghazanfar Bank

You can also try this one, but I never tried it as I always used the other two banks. If none of these banks work for you, use Western Union. There are a lot of Western Union offices in big cities.

23.4. EXCHANGING MONEY IN AFGHANISTAN

It’s really easy to exchange money in Afghanistan. You can exchange currencies like the Pakistani Rupee, Iranian Rial, Tajikistani Somoni, Uzbekistani Som, USD, Euro, and Pound without any issues. Whatever currency you have, they will exchange it for you.

The first time I exchanged money was at the Torkham border on the Afghan side after crossing from Pakistan to Afghanistan. I exchanged Pakistani Rupees for Afghani, and my friend exchanged Euros and USD for Afghani. The exchange rate was pretty fair at the time.

Later, in Kabul, I exchanged more Pakistani Rupees for Afghani, while my friend exchanged Euros and Pounds for Afghani. This was at Park Mall. Right in front of the mall’s gate, you’ll see men sitting with money. They’re the ones who handle currency exchange.

During my second trip to Afghanistan, I came from Termez, Uzbekistan. Although I could have exchanged money at the Afghan side of the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan border, I didn’t need to as I still had enough Afghani left from my first trip. Instead, I exchanged my leftover Uzbek Som for Afghani in Mazar-i-Sharif, randomly at the bazaar next to the Blue Mosque.

There are a lot of different itinerary options depending on how many days you have available and in which season you are visiting Afghanistan.

Your itinerary will also depend on from which country you enter and to which country you leave Afghanistan.

ITINERARY 1 – BASIC – 16 days

1. Arrival to Kabul
2. Kabul day 1: Get your travel permits & shop for local clothes
3. Kabul day 2: Bibi Mahro Hill, Ka Feroshi Bird Market, Babur Garden & Sakhi Shah E-Mardan Shrine
4. Kabul day 3: Omar Mine Museum & shops for traditional accessories, dresses, carpets, and furniture
5. Kabul day 4: National Museum of Afghanistan, Mujahideen Bazaar, Photo at Kabul’s last box camera photographer
6. Travel to Bamyan, get a travel permit in Bamyan for Bamyan & Band-e Amir, Buddhas of Bamyan & the main street of Bamyan
7. Band-e Amir National Park, travel back to Kabul
8. Fly to Mazar-i-Sharif, get a travel permit in Mazar for Mazar incl. the blue mosque & Balkh, visit the Blue Mosque of Mazar
9. Travel to Balkh
10. Fly to Herat with Kam Air, get a travel permit for Herat, walk around the bazaar in old Herat
11. Herat day 2: Herat Citadel, Great Mosque of Herat, Antiques Bazaar
12. Take a bus /shared taxi to Kandahar (There is no flight from Herat to Kandahar. If you don’t want to take the road to Kandahar, fly back to Kabul and travel to Kandahar from there), get your travel permit for Kandahar
13. Kandahar day 2: Kharqa Sharif, Cloak of Muhammad, Sultan Ahmad Shah Durrani Tomb, Shrine of Mirwais Khan Hotak, Shrine of Baba Wali Kandhari, Red Msoque of Kandahar
14. Fly back to Kabul. Alternatively, take a shared taxi/ bus to Kabul. If you want to take the road, make a stop in Ghazni.
15. Day trip to Panjshir from Kabul
16. Leaving Kabul

ITINERARY 2 – EXTENDED – 21 days

To this, I will add Ghazni and Minaret of Jam.

1. Arrival in Kabul
2. Kabul day 1: Get your travel permits & shop for local clothes
3. Kabul day 2: Bibi Mahro Hill, Ka Feroshi Bird Market, Babur Garden & Sakhi Shah E-Mardan Shrine
4. Kabul day 3: Omar Mine Museum & shops for traditional accessories, dresses, carpets, and furniture
5. Kabul day 4: National Museum of Afghanistan, Mujahideen Bazaar, Photo at Kabul’s last box camera photographer
6. Fly to Mazar-i-Sharif, get a travel permit in Mazar for Mazar incl. the blue mosque & Balkh, visit the Blue Mosque of Mazar
7. Travel to Balkh
8. Fly back to Kabul (early flight), travel to Bamyan, get a travel permit in Bamyan for Bamyan & Band-e Amir, Buddhas of Bamyan & the main street of Bamyan
9. Band-e Amir National Park, travel back to Kabul
10. Take a shared taxi to Chagcharan (6 hours), get a travel permit for the Minaret of Jam, night in Chagcharan
11. Chagcharan to the Minaret of Jam (5-6 hours) and back, night in Chagcharan
12. Chagcharan to Herat: 14 hours
13. Get a travel permit for Herat, walk around the bazaar in old Herat
14. Herat day 2: Herat Citadel, Great Mosque of Herat, Antiques Bazaar
15. Take a bus /shared taxi to Kandahar (There is no flight from Herat to Kandahar.), get your travel permit for Kandahar
16. Kandahar day 2: Kharqa Sharif, Cloak of Muhammad, Sultan Ahmad Shah Durrani Tomb, Shrine of Mirwais Khan Hotak, Shrine of Baba Wali Kandhari, Red Mosque of Kandahar
17. Take a shared taxi/ bus to Ghazni, get a travel permit for Ghazni.
18. Ghazni: Ghazni Minarets, Citadel of Ghazni, Museum of Islamic Arts
19. Take a shared taxi to Kabul
20. Day trip to Panjshir from Kabul
21. Leaving Kabul

25.1. BREAKDOWN OF MY COSTS

In 29 days, I spent around 1190 USD including the Afghan visa. I documented almost all my expenses.

This includes all my expenses from entering the country until leaving the country through the Torkham border (Afghanistan-Pakistan border).

Where was in Afghanistan? 21 days in Kabul, 4 days in Herat, 3 days in Bamyan & Band-e Amir, 1 day in Panjshir

That’s around 37,60 USD per day without the visa fee.

Breakdown of my expenses without pennies rounded down or up:

Visa: 100 USD
Sim card with 20 GB data: 17 USD
Hotels: 332 USD for 24 days
Transportation: 331 USD out of which 162 USD for 2 domestic flights
Restaurants & coffee, fresh juices: 175 USD
Bank fees: 38 USD
Day Trip to Panjshir: 55 USD
Pedal boat in Band-e Amir: 7 USD
Entrance fees: 23 USD
Black abaya (called niqab locally): 15 USD
Two traditional Afghan dresses: 60 USD
Groceries: 17 USD
Others: 20 USD

22.2. HOW MUCH THINGS COST

I’ll show you some prices to give you an idea about the prices in Afghanistan.

PRICES OF HOTEL ROOMS

Cheap chaikanas: 500-1000 AF (~6.80-13.60 USD)
Super budget hotels: 800-1400 AF (~11-19 USD)
Decent budget hotels: 1500-3000 AF (~11-41 USD)

For more specific hotel prices, see: Where to stay in Afghanistan

PRICES OF TRANSPORTATION

Shared taxi: 3.50 USD for ~ 150 km / 93 miles, 9 USD for ~ 230 km / 143 miles
Private taxi in Kabul: 5 km / 3.1 miles for (2-3 USD), 15 km / 3.1 miles for (4-5 USD)
Shared tuktuk in Herat: short to longer distance: ~0.13 – 0.20 USD

For all the prices, see How to get around Afghanistan

ENTRANCE FEES

National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul: 100 AF (~1.40 USD)
Omar Landmine Museum in Kabul: 500 AF (~6.80 USD)
Babur Garden: 350 AF (~5 USD)
Band-e Amir National Park: 240 USD (~3.30 USD)
Herat Citadel: 500 AF (~6.80 USD)

BANK TRANSACTION FEE

~ 6.80 – 10.20 USD per transaction

Afghanistan is an ethnically and linguistically diverse nation. Afghanistan is home to at least 25 different ethnic groups. Most of its ethnic communities are tribal groups.

The largest ethnolinguistic groups are the Pashtun, Hazara, Tajik, and Uzbek. Some of the minorities are the Turkmen, Baloch, Kochi, Nuristani, Pamiri, Qizilbash, Aimaq, and Kyrgyz.

Two of the most prominent languages in Afghanistan are the Dari (Persian language spoken in Afghanistan) and Pashto.

While traveling in Afghanistan, I used English and sometimes Turkish. I met Turkmens quite often. They speak Turkish.

I tried to learn Dari and Pashto in Afghanistan. Dari words are quite easy to remember. But I found Pashto words very difficult to pronounce.