The Afghan Silk Road

The Afghan Silk Road trip was designed for travellers either transiting or living in the UAE or Turkey, but travellers are of course welcome to visit from anywhere. Although we have described the trip as a long weekend, you are welcome to book dates outside of the weekend and are flexible with dates.

The trip is available year round and although the mountains of Bamiyan are best visited in Summer, there is nothing more magical than seeing the Buddhas covered in snow and Kabul also has it’s own magic in the winter time (although activities like the wall walk may be difficult when it’s very wet or freezing!)

If Noory is unavailable on your requested dates, it may be possible to travel with one of Safarāt’s other trusted guides and drivers.

To book your trip please get in touch here or if you can’t wait to chat, then send us a whatsapp on +447458611911

There is a 50% single supplement for solo travellers.

It’s a legal requirement that all of our guests travel with at least basic medical and insurance and we appreciate that finding a suitable insurance policy can be difficult.

You should be very careful if you have an annual worldwide travel policy in place, to make sure that you are covered for travel to Afghanistan as it is excluded by most general travel insurers.

The cost of insurance varies hugely based on where you’re resident, where you’re from and the time of year along with a number of other variables.

As an example, residents of the UK are able to get suitable cover from High Risk Voyager for around $100USD for a 4 day trip to Afghanistan.

We highly recommend Global Rescue to other travellers as evacuation insurance, but please note you will need to buy insurance to cover your medical costs aswell.

Travellers on our trips are required to have a minimum of $300,000 USD cover for medical emergencies and an additional $300,000 USD cover for emergency evacuation.

For more information about out insurance requirements, please have a look at out our latest terms and conditions.

There are daily flights between Kabul and Tashkent, Islamabad, Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh/Jeddah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Istanbul and Ankara via two airlines - Ariana and Kamair.

We prefer flying with Kam Air who have a more modern fleet of planes, and are more reliable than Ariana.

If you are struggling to pay for your flights via Kamair’s website, we recommend that you use their app which seems to work better with foreign credit cards.

To book a flight on Ariana please use their website. Their flights do not show up on google flights etc.

No specialist equipment is required for this trip, but you’ll be passing through passes of over 2000m in the mountains of Bamiyan and many of our travellers have been surprised how cold the province can be even in the summer. Sturdy footwear is a must and some travellers prefer to bring trekking poles to explore the unmade and steep paths we’ll be walking through.

Both men and women are required to dress conservatively in Afghanistan. That means both men and women will need to wear long sleeve shirts and trousers.

Women will need to wear a headscarf from the point of arrival in Kabul airport. You can read more about travelling as a woman in Afghanistan here.

You will need to bring between $100-200USD for spending money, lunches, water, drinks etc. Please only crisp and fresh $100 bills to exchange for local currency in Afghanistan.

Smaller denominations, old issues or damaged notes will attract a poorer exchange rate. It is possible to exchange Euros in some places – the minimum denomination is 50, but dollars are highly preferred. There are a few ATMs in Kabul, but they are often out of order and Afghanistan is still a country where cash is king.

We strongly strongly recommend carrying a mastercard/visa credit card with you in case of a medical emergency that needs funding before your medical insurance kicks in.

There are lots of opportunities to buy nice crafts, souvenirs, carpets and textiles so leave some space in your bags.

Simcards are available to hire from Noory directly for $30 USD for the trip with unlimited data.

Please do not bring a drone with you to Kabul - it will be confiscated upon arrival and it will create a huge headache for us.

This is one of the most common questions we get asked from our potential travellers. There are two answers.

The Short Answer: No, it’s probably best that Noory or your guide stays with you when you’re out in the streets.

The Long Answer: The truth is that it’s probably best not to walk around Kabul on your own unless you speak a good smattering of Dari and have been to the country before. There is no specific threat to foreigners in Kabul, but miscommunication and misunderstandings are common and although more and more international tourists are visiting Afghanistan you will still stick out like a sore thumb. Getting round the city is complicated and trying to use publics transport is fairly baffling.

In Bamiyan the situation is a little bit different and there is probably more opportunity to get yourself lunch alone in the bazaar and have a chat with local people. Noory understands foreign tourists well, and understands that not everybody wants to be driven around and spoon fed information all the time - and will give you the space to explore places we consider safe on your own if you prefer to wonder and wander alone!

Alternatively Noory is also a distinguished raconteur and guide - he will be delighted to show you round his city and the most beautiful and interesting spots of Bamiyan shoulder to shoulder as fellow travellers.

For the latest information on how to get your visa please read this.

Visas on arrival are available for European travellers at the Shir-Khan/Bandar bridge crossing with Tajikistan.

If you are entering via Hairatan you need to have your visa in advance. The easiest place to arrange this coming from Central Asia is Tashkent.

If you are travelling in the opposite direction then a visa is also easily acquired at the Afghan consulate in Peshawar on a same day basis.

For travellers starting their journeys from the UAE we have a relationship with a visa agent in Dubai who can collect and process your visa application for approximately $300USD within 24-hours.

When we started offering this itinerary there was no option but to start and finish at Shir Khan or Torkham.

Since then the option of entering and exiting to Hairatan in Uzbekistan has opened. That means there may be slight changes to the itinerary listed as you will not need to make the long drive up to Kunduz.

As this is a private tour there is an opportunity to tailor the trip to your interests. For example if you aren’t interested in visiting Kabul museum, then you don’t have to go!

Please get in touch with us in advance if you have any specific interests or are looking to visit any specific places that are not listed.

Please find our full terms and conditions here.