“I wouldn’t go there.” This was a statement that I heard over and over again when I first began to seriously consider visiting Afghanistan. A nation torn apart by invasions, civil war, the brutal rule of the Taliban and more recently, incursions by ISIS, Afghanistan is certainly not on most people’s travel wish-list.
So…….why Afghanistan? For the past two decades, I have been intrigued by this war-torn country. The cross-roads of many civilisations, Afghanistan plays an incredibly important role in Eurasian history. From the conquests of Alexander the Great, the destructive force of the Mongols and the ancient “globalisation” of the Silk Road, Afghanistan has been at the center of it all. As a self-proclaimed historian with an unhealthy fascination for human geography, a trip to Afghanistan was always in the back of my mind.
So…..after years of deliberation, I finally decided to go for it.
Where to start?
Organising a trip to Afghanistan is not as simple as booking a flight and some accommodation. Afghanistan has special logistical and security issues that few other destinations have. I began planning by looking on Couchsurfing to see who had recently left reviews for hosts in Kabul and messaged anyone who was either American or female that had recently gone. Luckily, I got a few quick responses but had mixed reviews on whether or not it was safe to go. Next, I posted on Facebook to see if anyone had been recently or was interested in going. An acquaintance from Delhi who had been based in Kabul with a very large NGO told me not to go.
I still wasn’t convinced that this was the end and by chance, I happened to find a Facebook group full of “extreme travellers” and many of those people had ACTUALLY travelled through Afghanistan recently as tourists. I scoured over their reviews, comments and feedback carefully and finally got the nerve to post that I was interested. I had Facebook conversations with a handful of people who either were interested in going or had gone and by the end, I decided that it was worth the risk.
I then began looking at the websites of the most well-established tour operators leading tours in the region including Untamed Borders, Young Pioneer Tours (who I went to North Korea with), Afghan Logistics and Lupine Travel. Untamed Borders and Afghan Logistics were way out of my price range and YPT didn’t have any tours going near the dates that I wanted to go. Lupine Travel was only traveling to Mazar and I really wanted to see Kabul as well. I began to get discouraged thinking that my dreams would be put on hold yet again,
However, luck was on my side. Through the “extreme traveller” Facebook group mentioned above, I got the contact of an operator who had another person who had asked him for a quote and wanted to go around the same time. The itinerary included all the “safe” spots in Afghanistan including Herat, Kabul, Bamiyan and Mazar and was within my price range. Voila! My trip to Afghanistan looked like it was actually going to happen!
But how do you even get an Afghani visa?
First though, I had to see if I could get a visa. I headed to the Afghani Consulate in Mumbai with my passport and my visa fee and the promise by my tour guide that I would not need a Letter of Invitation. I entered the waiting room, handed my passport to the consular agent and sat nervously as they decided whether or not they would let me in. After a few minutes, I was asked to go upstairs. Even more nervous, I followed the agent as requested. He knocked on a door and inside was the First Secretary of the consulate. They were very excited to have an American woman apply for a tourist visa that they wanted to meet me! After explaining a little about why I want to go to Afghanistan, I was promised that everything is safe and that there is currently a cease-fire. I was then told that it would be very cold.
And…..that was it! No LOI, no extensive paperwork, nada. I was told to go pay the visa fee at a nearby bank and come back a few hours later. By 3 pm that day, I was the proud recipient of an Afghan tourist visa!
Update: My fellow traveller was able to get his visa in 1 day at the Dubai consulate. However, I have heard that it is very difficult to get a visa from within Europe. Perhaps the best option is to plan a layover in a more “visa-friendly” location on the way to Kabul.
Now, time for the logistics…..
The last step in the planning process was to figure out how to get there. Flights from Delhi to Kabul are very cheap but I desperately wanted to squeeze in Pakistan on the way. With only a few weeks before my Afghanistan trip, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get the visa in time. (You can read more about how I got my Pakistan e-visa while being outside of my home country here.) Luckily, a week and a half before I was supposed to be in Kabul, I woke up to find an email saying that my visa had been approved. Yippee!
To learn more about my swing through Pakistan, check out my blog post 72 Hours in Pakistan and Delhi to Lahore Across the Wagah Border.
I had decided to exit Afghanistan at the Uzbekistan border and continue into Tajikistan and fly home from Dushanbe. Two more visas to go! Thankfully these came through relatively easily thanks to Central Asian countries embracing e-visas and my plans were set.
