A trip to Afghanistan will open your eyes to an exotic land of proud and hospitable people. Crowded city streets are filled with turbaned men hawking fruits and vegetables. The winding alleys of the bazaars open up to reveal groups of women with their blue burqas thrown back to view the colorful cloth for sale. Along the roads and passes, the jealously independent Kuchi nomads continue their migrations to high summer pastures on their camel caravans as they have for centuries. In the valleys, Hazara and Tajik farmers tend to their orderly fields and orchards.
Travel to Afghanistan is now possible for the first time in 30 years. Large areas of the country are now stable enough to travel in, as long as you follow good security procedures. There are clean and safe hotel facilities throughout the country, and with the proper permits from village elders, camping is safe in the Wakhan. With a competent guide that has good security training you can travel safely in Afghanistan.
You can climb the enormous 180 meter-high Buddha niches in Bamiyan carved into the cliffs overlooking this fertile valley. You can relax at the world-famous Band-i-Amir lakes, whose deep blue hues defy description. You can visit the ancient city of Balkh, center of Zoroastrian teaching and Central Asian capital for Alexander the Great. You can trek with Kirgiz nomads with a caravan of yaks to the remote wilds of the Wakhan Valley in search for the rare Snow Leopard and Marco Polo sheep. You can attend a game of Buzkashi, the wild polo-like game of Afghanistan.
Visit lands that few foreign eyes have ever seen. Be among the first to discover this mysterious and intriguing land. When so many other destinations are overrun with trekkers and tourists, Afghanistan is virgin territory on the international circuit. You will rejoice at the friendliness of villagers who will waive as you drive by or invite you to tea as an honored guest. There are few countries in the world which have preserved their culture from globalization as well as Afghanistan. Come see the ancient traditions of the Silk Road before they disappear.
