Wild Frontiers

Flight Information

There are no direct flights to Kabul from London. Passengers will almost always have to combine two airlines, the most reliable being Emirates and Safi Airways via Dubai, taking around 12hrs.

Useful Tips

• Try & get to see a game of Buzkashi " once seen, never forgotten!

• Take a torch to be able to best see some of the Buddhist reliefs at the Bamiyan caves and at Samangan

• In Kabul, head for the historic Gandamack Lodge for a sneaky beer or two

• Walk the city walls in Kabul for a chance to escape the traffic!

• If visiting the Wakhan bring extra batteries for your camera as electricity supplies are either erratic or non-existent!

Recommended Reading

If you want to read up on your destination we recommend a variety of guidebooks such as the Odyssey Guides, The Rough Guide and Footprint Guides. All these publications have good general information as well as more specific country information that will help orientate you in the areas you visit.

Good books and maps of Afghanistan are available at Stanfords in Covent Garden, London or online at www.stanfords.co.uk

Relevant Reading:
The first to mention is the utterly riveting, The Great Game, by Peter Hopkirk. Chronicling the extraordinary history of the region, from Genghis Khan through to the Bolsheviks, it is a wonderfully readable book, focusing primarily on the wars, alliances and intrigues caused by the imperial rivalry of Britain and Russia during the 19th Century.

There is a great selection of historic and contemporary travel literature with Afghanistan as its focus, we recommend The Road to Oxiana, by Robert Byron, A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, by Eric Newby and on the classical period Alexander the Great, by Robin Lane Fox.

Some contemporary suggestions include The Sewing Circles of Herat, by Christina Lamb, The Bookseller of Kabul, by Asne Seierstad, An Unexpected Light by Jason Elliot, and The Places In Between, by Rory Stewart. Stones into Schools, by Greg Mortenson is also a key book for the region.

And last but not least there is of course our own Jonny Bealby's, For A Pagan Song - Travels in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, charting JB's journey from Rajasthan through the mountains of the Hindu Kush. A modern classic if ever there was one!

When To Go

The weather in Kabul is cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Dress in layers and keep the following in mind as you pack: versatility and modesty.

In the Wakhan Corridor the weather tends to be clear in the months between June and September, although rain and snow is not out of the question. The rest of the year the area is impassable.

Packing List

Below is a list of general items you might take with you on a Wild Frontiers trip to Afghanistan. With your booking confirmation you will receive a packing list specific to your tour, so please treat this as a general guideline only.

Luggage:
It is best to use a soft bag - rucksack/hold-all/duffel bag - so it can be transported and stored more easily.

On all our trips a small daypack is practical for keeping general items (e.g. camera, books, wallets etc.) at hand when your main pack is out of reach. It is also handy for day trips and excursions.

Clothing:
In general you should bring clothes you feel comfortable with, but do keep in mind the cultural sensitivities of the area. For example, shorts are not to be worn by anyone, anywhere, while T-shits may be OK in remote areas but not the main towns.
• 4 x Light cotton shirts or T-shirts, short sleeved and long.
• 2 x Lightweight jumpers or sweatshirts
• 2 x good quality fleeces or warm jumpers
• 2/3 pairs of cotton trousers. If preferred, women can wear long dresses.
• 1 pair of warmer trousers for chilly evenings " ideally not jeans as difficult to dry when wet
• Waterproof jacket
• Warm hat
• Sun hat or cap
• Women need a head scarf
• Swim suit or trunks
• Pair of walking shoes/boots
• Pair of recreational trainers/shoes
• Pair of sandals/flip flops for showers

Equipment:
The following is useful extra equipment for your trip:
• Travel towel, travel soap and toiletries
• 2-3 season sleeping bag
• Sleeping bag liner (cotton or silk)
• Torch (LED head-torch keeps your hands free)
• A bandanna or large handkerchief is useful for dusty tracks
• Pair of good quality sunglasses
• Water bottle
• Plug adapter (see ‘Electricity’ section)

Personal First Aid Kit:
While we do carry a large medical kit on all our group tours, we would advise that you take some of the basics with you. This should include:
• Any prescription medication required (please inform the tour leader at your pre-departure meeting about these)
• Antibacterial dry hand wash
• Painkillers: paracetamol & ibuprofen
• Rehydration salts (Gastrolyte)
• Malaria Tablets (if necessary)
• Travel motion-sickness tablets if required (e.g. natural ginger tablets)
• Diarrhoea remedies
• Antihistamines
• Cold/flu decongestants
• Mosquito Repellent
• Insect bite cream
• Laxatives
• Plasters/Bandage/Steri-Strips/Blister pads
• Sunscreen (30+ factor)
• Moisturiser/after sun cream/lip balm
• Contact lenses and solution if required
• Tweezers
(A kit with most of this in is available at www.nomadtravel.co.uk)

Optional Extras:
• Ear plugs (when camping or sharing)
• Alarm clock
• 3-4 extra plastic carrier bags are very useful for dirty washing, dirty shoes and rubbish
• Binoculars
• Small packs of tissues
• Money belt or secure pouch for money and passport etc.
• Eye patches if light affects your sleep.
• Sewing kit
• Writing materials
• Swiss Army knife
• Plug adapter (see Electricity’ section)

NB: If you wear glasses, it is advisable to bring a spare pair since opticians are uncommon. If you wear contact lenses you may find that climatic changes and dust can create visual irritation, therefore, it is advisable to bring a pair of glasses.

You might be tempted to buy a few souvenirs here and there, so leave a little room for those extra purchases!!

Hand Luggage:
Although it is very rare that luggage goes missing on flights, it has been known to happen and so it’s a good idea to carry a spare top, toothbrush, wash kit, underwear and any other essentials in your hand luggage so that you can at least freshen up while waiting for your bags to catch you up. If you wear your sturdy shoes/boots it will also reduce weight in your luggage and keep them safe.

Practical Information

Time:
Afghanistan is 4.5hrs ahead of GMT.
A useful website to check the time zone differences is www.worldtimezone.com

Food & Alcohol:
Typically the Afghans do not understand the concept of vegetarianism and their diet is based on meat, bread and rice with a small amount of vegetables together with fruit. Most rice is cooked with meat stock or bones and is therefore not suitable for a strict vegetarian. Please let us know your special requirements as soon as possible so we can do all possible to assist your needs. It is also worth bringing snacks and subsidiary items to supplement if you have special dietary requirements.

Alcohol is prohibited in Afghanistan and you should under no circumstances attempt to bring any into the country.

Electricity:
Those bringing video & digital cameras that require battery chargers should also bring a two-pin, continental style adapter. Keep in mind though that power can be both rare and unreliable.

Money:
In Afghanistan the official unit of currency is the Afghani.
To check out the latest exchange rate for the places that you are visiting you can go to www.oanda.com

A few points to help you plan:
• Payments are mainly made in cash.
• Travellers Cheques and credit cards are virtually useless in this part of the world.
• If using ATM machines, be sure to notify your bank before you travel.
• It is strongly recommended you travel with US dollars in cash.
• It is useful to bring lots of small denomination notes.
• Foreign currency can be exchanged at special exchange shops in the streets of large towns.

Language & Religion:
Pashto and Dari Persian are the two official languages of Afghanistan and both are Indo-European and from the Iranian languages sub family. Persian is the prestige language and the main means of inter-ethnic communication. Pashto is the native tongue of the Pastuns, the single largest ethno-linguistic group within Afghanistan. Religiously, Afghans are 99% Muslim with about 80% Sunni and 19% Shi’a. As of 2008 only one Jewish man lives in Afghanistan in Kabul, the sole Jewish representation after the majority emigrated at the end of the 90’s.

Cultural Sensitivity:
At Wild Frontiers we are very aware of the ethical impact tourism can have on ancient cultures. We realise that taking a group of tourists through such a region can have a negative impact on the lives of those who live there and on all our tours we therefore go to great lengths to minimise the negative and accentuate the positive…after all, there are also many good things that the tourist can bring.

To help this process we ask that our clients do not hand out pens or sweets to children. As one sign in Egypt emphatically put it, ‘Please don't make beggars out of our children!' No matter how well intentioned, in our opinion the dolling out of free gifts fosters a ‘beggar mentality' that is ultimately extremely destructive to a society. In addition we do not condone giving out money to beggars or ‘students'.

However, we also realise that we are exceptionally privileged to be travelling in areas where most of the people have far less than us and that the desire to ‘help' can be very powerful. As a result we ask that you refer to your trip dossier for information on the Wild Frontiers Foundation which supports specific projects in the areas where we travel.

Photography:
Please remember, we are guests in the countries through which we travel and we may sometimes inadvertently cause offence by taking photographs without first asking permission.

Also many countries have very strict rules about taking photos of army, police or any official personnel; restrictions apply at borders, bridges and any government building. Please exercise care in this regard as the penalty may be to have your film and/or camera confiscated.