Afghan Explorer

17 days, Fri 24 Sep 2010 to Sun 10 Oct 2010

Afghanistan is a country of stunning natural beauty which provides a perfect backdrop to the diverse buildings, monuments and people that are the legacy of the men and women who have passed through the country and made it their home; Herat rises oasis like in the Western desert, Bamiyan and the remains of the fourth or fifth century AD Buddhas stands in a magical valley 2500m up in the Hindu Kush near the deep blue series of lakes at Band-i-Amir which is one of the natural wonders of the world.  

The Hindu Kush divides Afghanistan into two very different areas: a dry Indian plain in the south and the river valley of the Oxus – Oxiana – a much more lush, fertile and subtropical Central Asian zone in the north. We travel first to Herat in the extreme west of the country before returning to Kabul to start our journey by land cruiser across the Hindu Kush.  We visit Bamiyan, the centre of an old Afghan civilisation – the Gandharan Buddhist kingdom. The famous rock-carved Buddhas that were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 were only one of the reasons to visit Bamiyan and there are a number of other sights in the area. 

After Bamiyan, we drive across the Hindu Kush stopping off in the Ajar Valley, the hunting ground of the Kings of Afghanistan, as we journey to Mazar-I-Sharif.  Finally we travel back to Kabul, re-crossing the Hindu Kush via the Salang Tunnel and visiting the Panjshir valley where Ahmed Shah Massoud, the Lion of the Panjshir, withstood fifteen attempts by the Russian army to defeat him.

Daily details in brief

Wild Frontiers Price Policy

At Wild Frontiers we believe our clients are savvy enough to see through heavily discounted 'first price' holiday offers and would rather know before they leave home exactly what their tour is going to cost. As such we do not charge local payments, 'optional extras' or force our clients to go through the annoying procedure of splitting every meal bill. With the odd exception our tours are provided on a predominantly full board basis, with mineral water, government passes and permits, entrance fees, and all transport outlined in the various tour itineraries included. Please see individual tour dossiers for specific information.