Melons and Grapes - Grand Afghan Tour
Date: 14th – 28th September 2013
Start: Kabul
End: Kabul
Maximum number of people: 8
Day 1 Kabul
Arrival and briefing. We will have time to have an afternoon tour of the city. This will include a look around the old city, the remains of Darulaman Palace and a visit to the Kabul museum.
Day 2 Kabul – Samangan - Mazar e Sharif
The journey to Mazar e Sharif will pass through the Salang pass. A series of tunnels built by the Russians make this an exciting way to cross the Hindu Kush. Once on the north side we will make a stop at the remains of the Buddhist Samangan Monastery before a quick trip to the majestic blue tiled tomb of Hazrat Ali, Afghanistan’s most important religious site.
Day 3 Mazar e Sharif/Balkh
We will spend a day in and around Mazar e Sharif. Taking time to visit the ancient silk road city of Balkh, called Bactria to the Greeks. Bactria was the birthplace of Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism as well as Rumi the legendary Persian poet. Legacy of its Islamic and Buddhist past can be found in the stupas and mosques in and around the city. We will also have further time to visit and photograph the tomb of Hazrat Ali in the afternoon.
Day 4 Mazar e Sharif – Kabul
A drive back through the Salang Pass to Kabul.
Day 5 Kabul - Bamian
The road to Bamian is rough but the views are wonderful as we head up the valleys of the Hazarajat and over the Shibar pass to Bamian. We will have plenty of time en route to stop and enjoy the scenery and take tea in a small Hazara village or two. When we arrive in Bamian we will have time for a look at the hill sides riddled with caves in which monasteries and Buddhist carvings were once situated.
Days 6-8 Bamian and around
We will spend 3 days in and around Bamian, an area of striking natural beauty. The mountains and valleys are dotted with ruins from Afghanistan’s past and friendly Hazara villages. It is one of the few places in Afghanistan where we can walk freely and safely in a rural environment.
The Lapis Lazuli blue waters of Band-e-Amir are often the highlight of any trip to Afghanistan. Legend has it that the dams that separate the 5 lakes were made by Ali, the prophet Mohamed’s cousin and son in law. However geologists insist they are natural dams made from mineral deposits. The lakes contrast to the stark landscape surrounding them only adds to the beauty of this area.
We will also visit the natural landscape of Dragon valley, see the ruins of Shah e Zohak (Red Fort) and the remains of Shah e Golghola (The city of Screams).
Day 9 Bamian – Kabul
The trip back to Kabul through the Hindu Kush will be broken by breaks to admire the view and visit a chaikhana in a local Hazara village.
Day 10 Kabul
We have a full day in Kabul to visit the sobering OMAR landmine museum, Shah-e Doh Shamshira mosque, Babur's gardens – the final resting place of the first Mughal emperor, the hills of Bibi Mahru and a view of the Bala Hissar.
Day 11 Kabul – Herat
Fly from Kabul to Herat. The flight is early in the morning leaving us the afternoon to enjoy Herat.
Day 12 Herat
Herat has the largest collection of ancient buildings in Afghanistan and we will take a full day to explore the city and its surroundings including the Friday Mosque, the tomb of Gowar Shad, the Masullah complex and the atmospheric shrine of Khoja Ansari at Gazar Gah.
Day 13 Herat – Kabul
We will fly back to Kabul and ensure that you get to see anything you may of missed on our earlier visits as well as ensuring we have a trip to Chicken Street to pick up any last souvenirs.
Day 14 Kabul - Panjshir
We will take a day to visit the Panjshir valley, described as the most beautiful place in Afghanistan by locals. We will stop to view the tomb of Ahmed Shah Massoud, the lion of the Panjshir and Afghanistan’s most universally revered Mujahedin commanders as well as stopping off at a local fish restaurant on the banks of the Panjshir river.
Day 15 Fly home
We will ensure that you are taken to the airport to catch your flight.
You will be accompanied by 2 team leaders from Untamed Borders for the entire length of this trip.
The trip includes:
All accommodation
Breakfast
Transport/transfers
Guiding
2 internal flights within Afghanistan (Mazar-Herat/Herat-Kabul)
The trip does not include:
Any necessary visas
Insurance
Flights to Afghanistan
Entrance fees
Lunch
Dinner
Drinks
Tips
Any additional flights needed in Afghanistan that may be necessary due to security concerns.
Basic Cost – ?2300
A deposit of ?250 is required to reserve your place on this trip.
Flights and Visas:
We do not directly arrange flights and visas but we can suggest the best routes and operators. If you go to the links suggested on our fact file page or contact us we think you will find the help you need.
If you have the time and inclination, Afghanistan does not have to be the end of the journey. Travel into Pakistan, Iran, China and India are easily managed and we can suggest itineraries or introduce you to friends and colleagues from these areas.
Food:
Apart from breakfast, meals are not included as part of the trip. In our experience people sometimes want to eat different things in different places at different times. We know some great places and will also happily show you some of our favourite restaurants and tea houses. Some are luxurious, some are earthier but all have character. However, we do not pretend to be the arbiters of good taste and are equally happy for you to go off and find your own favourites.
Accommodation:
We do not and cannot offer a uniform accommodation standard on our itineraries. We consider comfort, location, design, character, historical interest and whether the money we spend will go into the pockets of the local community when we make our choices of where to stay.
The accommodation will be based on 2 people sharing.
Transport:
In Afghanistan we take at 2 vehicles for safety when driving between towns if there is a big group. If there is a breakdown we will not be left stranded. When we choose our vehicles and drivers we take into consideration the road conditions, the length of journey and the competence of the man behind the wheel (not a laughing matter in a country that should be the setting for a live action version of the Wacky races). Your comfort and enjoyment of the journey is the first priority.
Guides:
On this trip you will be accompanied by 2 team leaders from Untamed Borders. This allows for greater security and means that there will always be someone on hand to help or assist you even if the other team leader is busy arranging something.
Sometimes we also hire local guides. If we are a large group, we may wish to split into smaller groups for city tours to allow greater flexibility and keep a lower profile. An extra local guide allows us to do that.
Security:
Trips to Afghanistan do create dangers all of their own and whilst we want you to have as much freedom as possible we must state that the tour leader has the final word with regards to changes in the itinerary for safety reasons. Whilst the route we have chosen passes through areas which we consider to be stable things can change and we may have to alter the route or cancel sections of the trip at short notice.
If there is an extra expense incurred due to the change of itinerary then you may be asked to bear part of that cost. For example if we have to fly between cities rather than take the road.
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