Traveling to Afghanistan: Is it Safe and Possible as a Tourist?
Last Updated on Sep 6, 2024
Afghanistan is a place everyone always asks about when one mentions they travel a lot. Especially in the US people tend to think of Afghanistan as the most dangerous place on earth, as the media and military operations highly influence them. Traveling to Afghanistan is one of the most eye-opening experiences though.
Things have drastically changed in Afghanistan over the last couple of years. Ever since the T-boys took over (you know who I’m talking about, but the word gets flagged often), things tend to keep changing even more every year. Yet, people who have never been or know much about Afghanistan are posting crazy stuff on reddit about it.
I visited Afghanistan in November 2023 as a female tourist. I would lie if I said that I wasn’t worried about safety, traveling to Afghanistan as a woman, and even flying Kam Air – proclaimed the worst airline in the world.
It was also one of the most turbulent of times when hundreds of thousands of Afghanis were expelled from Pakistan, and T-boys were changing rules about women being able to visit or travel to different places. I definitely considered canceling a few times, but I’m glad I didn’t.
After my trip, I can honestly say that my worries were highly influenced by media and opinions of those not knowing the real Afghanistan (more on this later) and I’m eager to return soon.
Is Afghanistan Safe?
It depends on the answer to the question “safe for who?”. Traveling to Afghanistan as a woman is much different from being a local Afghan woman. However, in a general sense yes, Afghanistan is safe now.
Afghanistan is a surprise top holiday destination for 2024. It’s safer than it used to be because there’s no fighting based on who’s in charge where.
There are 16 flights a week to Kabul International Airport from Dubai another 3 from Abu Dhabi, 5 more from Islamabad, and some from Saudi Arabia as well.
Before the takeover it was possible to travel to Afghanistan, but one had to take precautions. Your guide had to know which roads were unpassable and which cities were a no-go. A year after the takeover Afghanistan tourism has restarted and more and more tourists are traveling to Afghanistan. T-boys are not carrying out terrorist attacks any longer and kidnappings don’t tend to happen anymore.
If you ask the locals, they’ll agree that now they can freely travel to some provinces they previously couldn’t without having to worry about safety.
When it comes to staying safe in Afghanistan, just like anywhere else, don’t be an idiot tourist and take precautions.
One would think that those who venture to off-the-path destinations are experienced travelers, but unfortunately, that is not the case. Not just in Afghanistan, but I encountered a fair share of naive and disrespectful travelers in several places and sadly, these people ruin it for those who truly want to visit the place respectfully and safely.
For example, British citizens came close to being banned and UK’s travel advisory for Afghanistan is at the highest level. Why? Because a British citizen was held by the T-boys. People might assume “oh, so the kidnappings happen then”, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
This idiot flew to Kabul during the takeover “for fun”, and took space on a humanitarian flight to get evacuated. Then, returned again and started doing insanely crazy, illegal, and annoying things, and eventually both governments were done dealing with him, and rightfully so.
I know of another youtuber who kept saying that he was getting in trouble all the time. Yet, when you see his videos he’s running around Afghanistan with a giant camera filming vlogs and being flashy. Keep it low key and you’ll be fine… not to mention you’ll be able to actually interact with the locals more.
The T-boys wanted to represent themselves as peaceful people and they won’t bother tourists. They might invite you over for a chat or even join in the fun on the swings.
On the contrary, tourists are welcome everywhere as long as they’re not doing anything suspicious like taking photos of governmental buildings at night. Still, someone I know who did that got invited for tea instead and the T-boys quietly deleted these photos from his phone while pretending to take a selfie.
I assume many will question whether I’m naive or making stuff up because all these advisories are out there… Let me tell you one thing after I had a chance to meet up with UN workers in Afghanistan.
Despite living and working in Afghanistan 90% of foreign workers know nothing about the real Afghanistan. It was one of the reasons that made me quit working for UN-related institutions. They cannot leave the compound. Not for anything apart from being driven to the airport. The only time they can ever leave is to go on a 3-hour parole to Serena Hotel in Kabul, which is an ultra-luxury bunker-type hotel.
They were all surprised how are we able to walk around Kabul as tourists and we’re not afraid. They don’t know that life goes on in Kabul, as they’re not allowed to see it.
Women Traveling in Afghanistan
Sadly, there’s a difference between traveling to Afghanistan as a woman tourist and traveling as a local Afghani woman. Things also depend on the region as it’s different to explore Kabul as a woman and different in more conservative parts of the country like for example Kandahar.
it’s a well-known fact that women’s rights are being decimated in Afghanistan. While local women under Taliban’s maharam law require a woman to have a male relative or guardian accompany her if traveling long distances, this isn’t the case with foreigners.
Universities remain closed to them, and girls above grade six are barred from school. This, however, doesn’t mean that women don’t study on their own time or in gatherings. I was also surprised when a local woman explained to me that she was an English teacher, but not just for children. Adult women were learning English as well.
Obviously, no matter what you cannot show up in a crop top or fancy dress. You should cover up and wear a head scarf. Most tourists chose to wear an abaya, so did I, but it’s technically not required as long as you cover your hair, arms and legs.
One thing I realized in Afghanistan was that it wasn’t in Iran where most girls were eager to remove their headscarves and show off their mini-dresses instantly. It was much more conservative and based on religious and cultural perceptions.
Ironically, on the outside females aren’t going to get looks or get grabbed, like it frequently happens in other Middle Eastern countries, as men are aware that they would get in trouble if they did so.
One bonus of traveling as a female is that you can have an interaction with local Afghani women. This is something men cannot do, as it’s not appropriate and women wouldn’t do that. But, we could go to the market and interact freely.
There’s a lot of red tape when it comes to traveling to Afghanistan. Rules appear to be changing depending on the day and the mood of whoever is in charge at the time.
When I arrived we already knew that as women we could not visit the shrine in Mazar and couldn’t go to Band-e-Amir National Park. While the mosque was non-negotiable, our group of 3 women got into Band-e-Amir National Park.
We didn’t expect it but decided to try fully expecting to turn back. Yet, we didn’t get turned away at the gate. We guess that it wasn’t the nicest day so the guards were taking a day off as a few local women were there as well.
Another day we were told that our group of tourists could enter the mosque in Kabul, but we could not interact with the locals. It was a painful visit because especially women and kids were eager to talk to us and wanted to take photos, but we had to tell them that we could not even speak with them as the guards were watching. Yet, a friend went a week later with another group and they could interact freely.
Do You Need a Guide to Travel to Afghanistan?
In my opinion, you also should have a guide. You will have the freedom to explore even with a guide, but it will make your trip much more pleasant. Not to mention, you can also learn a lot more.
You are required to get permits in advance to visit every region you visit and there are frequent checks where you have to speak with the guards.
Some places are easy to pass and in some, even the drivers aren’t comfortable handling by themselves, let alone a tourist not knowing the local language.
Most importantly: how to find a guide in Afghanistan? Great question, because most people don’t know anyone in Afghanistan. There are several reputable guides in Afghanistan and it’s important who you pick.
Quite a few friends of mine found a random guide and their experience wasn’t very pleasant. This is why many people prefer to book through a bigger foreign travel agency that connects people with a local guide in Afghanistan.
The same local provider might work with numerous foreign agencies and prices will vary. I met a few people who traveled the same way as my group, but when I later found out how much they paid for the trip I was honestly speechless.
I can sincerely recommend Untamed Borders as an agency. There was always a plan B in case something happened (like in my case, the unfortunate issue of not getting a Pakistani visa) and I was taken care of by numerous Afgan guides (all of whom were incredible).
(!) One newer requirement now is to bring a passport-size photo to Afghanistan, on top of the one needed for your visa. This is for a tourist card that will be given, filled, and stamped at the airport. You must present it at almost every checkpoint and give it back upon leaving Kabul.
The Ethics of Traveling to Afghanistan
There’s always a lot of talk about the ethics of traveling to places like Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, Cuba, Saudi, and others under strict regimes.
Let’s be real for a second though: I never see anyone boycotting Dubai… Why? Because of the Western media, once again.
Do locals want tourists? Yes, absolutely. Can you help locals as a tourist? Yes, of course.
Afghans are one of the most welcoming and warm people on the planet. They have a very different culture from the West, and you might not agree with parts of it, but it shouldn’t stop you from learning about it.
Visa for Afghanistan
Ironically, getting a tourist visa for Afghanistan isn’t hard at all these days. There are various ways of getting it.
1. You can get your Afghan visa at the border with Tajikistan. It’s a visa on arrival and easy to get. My husband got him that way.
The only issue with that option is that you need to travel to and from the border and it is a long drive to get anywhere.
2. Afghanistan visa in Peshawar in Pakistan for $80. This is the easiest and fastest way of getting a visa. Women need to wear a full-on burkha with face covering as well to enter the embassy.
There are generally no issues with this option and it is easier, however, I was unable to do it that way. Pakistani visa is very easy to get and 90% of people get their visas in 3-7 days.
In some cases, even when submitted with other family members or providing the same group documents your visa processing might get stuck… and mine did for 2 months, which forced me to go for option 3 as I wasn’t able to enter Pakistan.
3. Afghanistan visa in Dubai. It’s the priciest option as it costs between $300 (for Europeans) up to $500 (for US citizens), but it’s a quick and easy way. Various fixers will even come to your hotel in the morning to collect your passport and photo and 3 hours later they’ll bring back your visa.
Kam Air
Currently, there are a few airlines that fly to Afghanistan: Kam Air, Fly Dubai and Ariana.
Kam Air has been proclaimed the worst airline in the world, but this ranking is actually based on accidents, two of which happened on the ground during bombings, so not exactly an airline’s fault.
Honestly, I was surprised at how good Kam Air was. I flew from to and from Dubai and also domestically between Kabul and Mazar. Seats were new and incredible, we were getting warm tasty meals, everything was clean.
It was much better than flying American Airlines and I’m not even kidding here.
Also, the level of security in all Afghanistan airports is insane. There are multiple check points where you and your luggage have to leave the vehicle and pass a scan and body search.
Then, once you get to the airport there is another level of security including a luggage search and another body search where women go to a separate room for women. It takes a LONG time, so 3 hours before your flight is the absolute minimum time to arrive for your flight, even domestic.
Budget for Afghanistan
The currency is called the Afghani (AFN). Afghani is the currency, Afghans are people – it’s often being confused.
You can exchange dollars, euros, or even British pounds at some hotels easily.
Things are generally speaking relatively affordable for Western travelers. If you eat at bigger restaurants the prices will be higher, but you won’t spend much than $10 a meal.
Practical Things in Regards to Traveling to Afghanistan
Wifi is pretty reliable at most hotels, but it can be slower in some rooms than in the lobby. Generally speaking, you will be connected.
Also, believe it or not T-Mobile roaming works great in Afghanistan, so I had full 3G anywhere apart from the mountain range where there was no signal.
