Autumn blues? Join us at the best time of year in Afghanistan.

We have some minute spaces on a custom  12-day itinerary loosely based on our “Introducing Afghanistan” trip, but taking in some of the most important historic sights of the northeast of the country. 

The cost of this trip is $3500 for 12 days and is running from the 21st of October until the 1st of November. Joe will be guiding this trip personally.  

 Our journey starts in Mazar-e-Sharif, home to the shimmering blue domes of the Shrine of Hazrat Ali. Nearby lies the far more ancient town of Balkh, where Zorastianism was born and Alexander the Great took his wife. From Mazar we will leave the Uzbek and Central Asian influence behind us, travelling via Samangan on our way to Bamyan.

 In Bamyan we will spend a day wondering through the famous Buddhist complex, before heading deeper into the province to meet our guide Mohammed and spend some time in the mountains of Shah Foladi. This is one of the best opportunities to be able to talk and listen to the hopes, fears and desires of one of Afghanistan’s most persecuted but also most progressive groups. It’s a pleasure to be able to get away from the vehicles and roads for a couple of days and spend some time engrossed in village life. It’s also our best chance to talk and meet Afghan women. 

 From Bamyan we travel to Kabul which needs no introduction to you to a warm welcome from Noory’s family. From Kabul we will head south, across the invisible but clear Pashtun ethnic divide by way of Ghazni, towards Kandahar. There is no way to understand Afghanistan, without visiting the ancient winter capital and de-facto capital of the Taliban movement. We are lucky enough to be arriving in the south for the pomegranate harvest and we will be spending time in and amongst the people of the Arghandab valley. 

The itinerary will remain flexible – if different opportunities present themselves and the group is keen to take them, then we will change our plans. There is a day’s flexibility built into our plan, so that if we find ourselves caught out by weather, the roads or by the unexpected, then we will make sure to get you home.  

We will be trying to curate as much special access as we can on this trip as always. We can’t guarantee lunch with Zabiullah Mujahid again, but will try our best! If you have any questions, or think you might like to join us then please pick up the phone asap – there is still plenty of time for visas and other arrangements.

There is a detailed itinerary in pdf format here.

Please reach out if you have any other questions - you can contact us via email hello@safarat.co or call us on +44 2081911732 or call/whatsapp us on +447458611911