Balkh, is a town of prodigious antiquity where Zoroaster preached sometime between 1000 and 600 B.C. Alexander the Great chose if for his base from 329-327 B.C. Under the Kushans, when Buddhism was practiced throughout Afghanistan, many holy Buddhist temples flourished in Balkh. The Arabs, the bearers of Islam, called Balkh the Mother of Towns, so impressed were they with its magnificence but in 1220 Genghis Khan left it utterly devastated. Balkh was abandoned for Mazar-e-Sharif in 1866

• Departing Kabul early in the morning towards Mazar-e-Sharif by a flight.  Registration at the Afghan tour department in Mazar e Sharif. Hotel check-in and lunch then a short drive to Balkh District
• Visiting Masjid-e-Haji Piyada or Nuh Gunbad Mosque (early years of the 9th century A.D.) the earliest Islamic monument yet identified in Afghanistan
• A visit to Khwaja Abu Nasr Parsa Mosque (built in the late Timurid style) and to the tomb of Rabia Balkhi (1964) the first woman of the Islamic period to compose poems in Persian
• Visiting the ruins of the Mawlana Jalaluddin Balkhi (known in the west as Rumi) abbey. Rumi was born in Balkh in 1207. Perhaps the most eminent sufi poet of all time
• Visiting Burj-e-Ayaran Wall (the city wall). The whole city was rounded by this massive wall with stout towers. and finally a visit to Bala Hisar-e-Balkh
• Bulani and Sambusa will be served
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Accommodation: Arsalan Guesthouse

Samangan: there is an important Buddhist site dating from the 4th – 5th centuries A.D, Takht-e-Rustam stone stupa. The dome-shaped structure of highly polished limestone, 8 meters high and 28 meters across, is encircled by a two-meter wide passageway at its foot which was used by pilgrims for circumambulation. On the slope of the hill where this stupa is located, there is a monastery complex (Cave 1, a large round room with two niches originally sheltering statues of the Buddha. Cave 2, there are numerous individual cells once used by Buddhist monks as retreats. Cave 3, is similar to Cave 1. Cave 4, a series of four small rooms, served as the bathhouse. Cave 5, as a lavatory.) Destroyed by the Hephthalites c. 460 A.D.

• Visiting the Blue Mosque of Mazar-e-Sharif, built in 1136 by the great Seljuk Sultan, Sanjar. Genghis Khan destroyed it in 1221, having heard there was great treasure beneath its pillars. The reign of the Timurid Sultan Husain Baiqara rebuilt it in 1481.
• A 2 hour drive to Mazar-e-Sharif
• Visiting Bagh-e-Jahanama and the palace (Jahanama garden) built in 1890-92 by Abdur Rahman the king. This palace is Central Asian in style
• Visiting the stupa-m0nastery complex at Samangan
• Mantu and Ashak, the most popular local meals in Mazar-e-Sharif will be served
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Accommodation: Riaz Hotel in Samangan

• This is a 12-hour drive passing through Salang Tunnel (Hindu Kush mountains). Altitude of 3363 m: 11034 ft. and 2,7 km: 1,7 mi. long. Work began in August 1958 and was officially opened in November 1964.
• We will drive through another fascinating road, Dara-e-Ghurband, through the Shibar Pass. It winds along beside the Ghorband River. We will pass Sia Gird district and many local bazaars and markets
• You will pass through Parwan and Baghlan (Pul-e-Khumri) provinces
• Many stops on the way for photography and lunch
• Kabab, the most popular local meal will be served
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Accommodation: Royal Hotel

• Registration with the Provincial Afghan Tour Department
• Visiting the ruins of Buddha Statues (once tallest standing Buddhas in the world), the Large Buddha, 55 m: 180 ft high (late 5th to the early 7th centuries A.D.). The Small Buddha, 38 m: 125 feet high (the 3rd or very early 4th centuries A.D.). Both were demolished by the Taliban in 2001
• Visiting the ruins of Gholghula City (The City of Screams), one of the eight UNISCO Heritage Sites in Bamyan. Build by Ghaznavids (977-1186) and demolished by Genghis Khan in 1221
• Hiking and sightseeing around Band-e-Amir Blue Lakes. Altitude: 2916 m: 9567 ft. There are five lakes in all. The largest lake, Band-e-Zulfiqar is four miles long and…
• Visiting the people who live in caves
• You can be hosted by a local family for lunch if you tip them
• Lamb Roosh, one of the most popular local meals in Bamyan will be served
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Accommodation: Royal Hotel

• After breakfast, we will leave Bamyan for Kabul. This is a 4-hour beautiful drive, traveling through the fascinating Hajigak Pass (3700 m: 12,140 ft.), with stops at picturesque rest areas to refresh and take unforgettable photos
• A visit to the ruins of Zuhak City (The Red City) on our way. The fortress is believed  to have been founded between 500-600 A.D. by the Hephthalites, around the same time as the Buddhas of Bamyan were created and demolished by Genghis Khan in 1221
• After lunch in Kabul, a visit to the UNISCO Heritage Site,  iconic Babur Garden built by the Mughal Emperor Babur Shah (1528 CE). There are a beautiful marble mosque build by the Moghul Emperor Shah Jahan (1646) and the modest tomb of Babur, founder of the Moghul dynasty of India. A son, Mirza Hindal, and a a grandson, Mohammad Hakim Mirza, lie beside him. A daughter, Nawab Gawhar Nisa Begum, lies to the west of the emperor: a grand-daughter, Roqia Sultan Begum, daughter of Mirza Hindal, lies on the upper terrace.
• A visit to Ziarat-e-Sakhi or Sakhi Shrine. This is a beautiful and important shrine of Kabul where the Cloak of the Prophet was kept for a few days as it was conveyed from Badakhshan to Kandahar during the reign of Ahmad Shah Durrani (1747-1772)
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Accommodation: Royal Hotel

• Visiting more of Kabul depends on what time remains
• We will take you to Chicken Street (antique market). You will find all kinds of handicrafts, Afghan handmade Rugs, gemstones, calligraphy, glass miniatures and oil paintings, antique and ornamental works in Chicken Street.
• Breakfast and lunch

Finally, after a 11-day trip to Afghanistan with lots of unique experiences and heart touching stories we will drop you at the Kabul airport for your flight back home.
End of the tour.