Afghanistan.

This amazing country is blessed with a rich culture and beautiful landscape that has unfortunately been plagued and tortured with wars. Afghanistan has been in and out of constant wars for a long time. The "Second Afghan Civil War" was started in 1978 and is still ongoing.

The constant war has unfortunately made Afghanistan a dangerous and difficult country to travel to. The tourism industry is very small and niche (Afghanistan however has a growing adventure tourism sector) but nevertheless an amazing country that I personally would love to experience.

Afghanistan is a hard country to discuss tourism as there isn't a huge deal of media coverage about it.

I must add that most foreign governments would advise travel not to be made to Afghanistan unless essential.

Quick Facts

Capital: Kabul 

Size: 251,827 sq mi.

Currency: Afghan Afghani/AFN (؋)

£1 = 97.70 AFN

€1 = 78.23 AFN

$1 = 68.65 AFN

Neighboring Countries: 6.

 - Pakistan; South, East.

 - Iran; West.

 - Turkmenistan; North.

 - Uzbekistan: North.

 - Tajikistan: North.

 - China: North, East. 

Language: Pashto, Dari.

Getting There

A Single Entry Visa (Stay for 60 days but might be extended for one extra moth after 60 days stay over inside Afghanistan) will be required for any tourist wanting to enter Afghanistan, this usually costs around 52,000 AFN.

Afghanistan has 3 main international airports; Kabul, Kandahar & Herat. Flights to Afghanistan will vary on what country you are flying from.

Price of Living

Afghanistan from a tourist perspective is a inexpensive place to travel, this is with the exception of alcohol; as drinking alcohol is illegal for most of it's citizens there isn't a huge demand for it. However various bars and pubs do sell alcohol to foreign tourists, with the average price of 1 pint being around 200 - 300AFN and a bottle of wine being around 900AFN, this is expensive compared to the average price of living.

In Afghanistan you could expect a meal from a restaurant to be around 450AFN.

A coffee is around 130AFN

A bottle of water is around 20AFN

Hotels vary in Afghanistan. What you pay can depend on where you stay as I would advise any travelers to go with a guide/someone who knows the country.

A local bus ticket (one way) will cost around 20AFN

1 km in a taxi will cost around 50AFN depending on the taxi driver.

What to Do and See

Urban.

Afghanistan has array of many beautiful cities towns and villages, Kabul being the capital city is probably the first place you would think of visiting. Since the Taliban was eradicated in 2001 Kabul has built and grown in beauty. There are many bars and fancy restaurants dotted around the city. Kabul museum was once of the greatest museums in the world, with an admission price of 20 AFN (100 AFN if you want to take a camera) it's a great way to learn about Kabul's history. With a population of around 3.5 million Kabul is very busy, once again traveling to Kabul is advised against unless essential.

Herat is located in the north west of the country and the third largest city. Herat is another place that could be high on a travelers list as there is an international airport situated in the city. As a tourist there is  not a huge deal to do in Herat except to see this beautiful city, there are currently only 2 hotels but another is due to be open soon.

Areas of Natural Beauty.

Afghanistan has no shortage of beautiful landscapes which shocks a lot of tourists just because of Afghanistan's media coverage, all you really hear about is the war and violence. 

Band E - Amir is a national park located just south of the Bande Pitaw Wildlife Refuge, it's a stunning national park that almost looks like it's photo shopped.

Band E Amir holds 6 of the bluest lakes you can ever see, the lakes are situated at the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountain range, the 2nd highest mountain range in the world. When visiting Band E Amir, it's not uncommon to have the vast mountain range with the snowy mountain tops surrounding you. A truly awe inspiring sight.

You can read more about Band E Amir here: http://www.amusingplanet.com/2012/04/deep-blue-lakes-of-band-e-amir.html

Another area of natural beauty is the Wakhan Corridor, it is a narrow strip of land that connect Afghanistan to China in the North East, this land also separates Tajikistan from Pakistan. The Wakhan corridor is extremely hard to travel through but still an area of outstanding beauty.

Adventure

Just travelling to Afghanistan is adventure enough but one up and coming adventure activity (besides mountaineering and hiking) is skiing, with mountains and high peaks that sit in Afghanistan it would be silly not to utilize the area as a place for skiing.

Few tourist make the trip to Bamyan every year for the fresh virgin snow and warm hospitality. Bamyan is located in central Afghanistan just East of the Band E Amir. A British adventure company offers 10 day ski tours for around £1700. One downside to the ski industry in Bamyan is that there isn't a ski lift, anyone who wants to ski the untouched slopes must first hike up the mountain, it's around an hours hike for a minutes ride. Is it worth it? I would say yes, not only will you be some of the only people to ski on some of the greatest mountains but you also get the opportunity to visit an untouched area of the world.

Unlike many areas in Afghanistan Bamyan is fairly safe and is not in any threat from insurgents. The tour companies when visiting Afghanistan keep a low profile when travelling from Kabul to Bamyan (Around a 100 mile journey).

Stay Safe

It must be noted that no area of Afghanistan is considered immune from violence. A lot of the country is still littered in land mines so stick to the paths. 

Afghanistan is known as a dusty country, you will realize this as soon as you visit so if you suffer with chest problems, consult your doctor.

Respect is a big deal in Afghanistan, the countries religion is Islam so maybe try to get to understand the religion before you visit.

Another thing to note: it is considered disrespectful to show the bottom of your feet in Afghanistan.

Thanks for reading!

Let me know about your trips and tips about Afghanistan in the comments below!