Towards Herat by an early flight.

Registration at the Provincial Afghan Tour department.

Visiting the Musallah Complex, designed and built (1417) under Queen Gawhar Shad, wife of Shah Rukh, son of Amir Taimur (Taimur Lang), artistic director.

Visiting Masjid-e-Jami or Friday Mosque, built in the year 1200 by the Ghorid Sultan Ghiyasuddin.

There is a Madrasa (Islamic school) inside the mosque where students continue a tradition active in the mosque since the 10th century.

Pushti Kabab, one of the best local meals will be served.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Sadaf Hotel

Visiting the Citadel of Alexander the Great 330 B.C. and built in its present form by the Kart Malik Fakhruddin in 1305 A.D.

Walking around the old city of Herat. The four main bazaars of the old city come together at a center square called the Chahrsuq.

Visiting the Caravanserais located on Silk Road around Chahrsuq.

Visiting the Malan bridge 1100AD.

A visit to the Shrine of Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, built in 1425, the celebrated Sufi poet and philosopher who was born in Herat in 1006 and died here in 1088.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Sadaf Hotel

We will depart Herat for our road trip to Kandahar. This is an 8-hours drive and we will visit lots of mud houses, bazaars and beautiful mosques on our way. We will stop many times to take photos and having lunch.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: NFC Hotel

Registration with the Provincial Afghan Tour department.

Touring Kandahar, meeting people and experiencing their daily life and culture.

A drive to the old bazaar of Kandahar or Char Suq, the four principal bazaar streets meet in the center of the city (the Martyrs’ Square) with hundreds of old shops and markets.

Visiting the shrine of the Cloak of the prophet.

Visiting the Mausoleum of Ahmed Shah Durrani, the founder of Afghanistan who ruled an empire from Kandahar (1747-1772).

Visiting the Tomb of Mir Wais Hotak, who declared Kandahar’s Independence from the Persians in 1709.

A visit to the Chihlzina or Forty Steeps, built in 1531. A forty steps, about, lead to the chamber, inscribed with an account of Moghul conquest in Persian.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: NFC Hotel

We will depart Kandahar for our road trip to Ghazni. This is a 6-hour drive with many stops at picturesque rest areas to refresh and take unforgettable photos.

Registration with the Provincial Afghan Tour department.

A visit the minarets of Ghazni. The easternmost was built by Sultan Mas’ud III who reigned from 1099-1114 and the other was raised by the last king of the dynasty, Sultan Bahram Shah (1118-1152).

A visit to Bala Hesar Citadel. The old city of Ghazni is clustered closely around the foot of the citadel and you can see that mud houses and bazaars that are still inhabited by people.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Oranus Hotel

This is a 5-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.

Registration with the Provincial Afghan Tour department.

Visiting the UNISCO Heritage Site, 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.

A visit to the UNISCO Heritage Site, the ruins of Zuhak City (The Red City). 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.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Bam-e-Asia Hotel

We take you to the top of Dragon Valley to have a bird-eye view of Bamyan landscape.

You may take some photos with the Soviet Union tanks left in Bamyan.

Hiking and sightseeing around Band-e-Amir Blue Lakes. Altitude: 2916 m: 9567 ft. There are five lakes in all.

Lamb Roosh, one of the best local meals will be served.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Bam-e-Asia Hotel

This is a 10-hour drive passing through Salang Tunnel (Hindu Kush mountains). Altitude of 3363 m: 11034 ft. and 2,7 km: 1,7 mi. long, 1964.

We will drive through another fascinating road, Dara-e-Ghurband, through the Shibar Pass. It winds along beside the Ghorband River.

Many stops on the way for photography and lunch.

We will stop in Pul-e-Khumri city to make the drive shorter.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Saltanat Hotel – Pul e Khumri city

We will continue our drive to Samangan for 2 hours.

Registration with the Provincial Afghan Tour department in Samangan.

A visit to Takht-e-Rustam stone stupa. The dome-shaped structure of highly polished limestone, 8 meters high and 28 meters across.

Visiting the monastery complex and Tahmina Bazaar, destroyed by the Hephthalites c. 460 A.D.

Visiting Bagh-e-Jahanama and the palace (Jahanama garden) built in 1890-92.

We will continue our drive to Mazar e Sharif.

After lunch, 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.

We will explore the ruins of Bala Hisar-e-Balkh, built by Alexander the Great 329-327 B.C.

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).

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Arsalan Hotel

We will start our day by visiting the Blue Mosque, 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.

Back to Kabul by a flight.

A visit to the UNISCO Heritage Site,  iconic Babur Garden built by the Mughal Emperor Babur Shah (1528 CE).

A visit to Bala Hisar-e-Kabul or high Fort (rising 150 feet above the plain).

A visit to Ziarat-e-Sakhi or Sakhi Shrine, t8th century.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Accommodation: Khyber Hotel

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.

Visiting more of Kabul depends on what time remains.

Finally, after a 12-day tour to Afghanistan with lots of unique experiences and heart touching stories we will drop you at the Kabul airport for your flight back home.
Brdakfast and lunch
End of the tour.