Afghanistan

International flight to Kabul, Pakistan.

Night on board

Arrival in Kabul, after the entry formalities into the country, pick up at the airport and transfer to the Hotel.

Depending on the time of arrival, we will have time to take a short tour of the city.

Accommodation at Hotel P.C

Early in the morning we will leave for Bamyan where we will visit the Buddha niches, where the Buddhas that in 2001 dynamited the Taliban were carved in stone. We will visit the historical ruins of legendary cities such as Shahr-e Gholghola (City of Screams) from the 13th century and Shahr-e Zuhak, (The Red City).

Accommodation at Hotel P.C

Today we will visit the most emblematic places in the surroundings of Bamyan. We will start with Bud Bacha (little Buddha) in the Kakrak valley and the natural landscapes of Darre Ajdaha (Dragon Valley). After lunch we will walk through Bamyan Bazar, where we will look for the best locations for our photographs.

Accommodation at Hotel P.C

We will take an early flight to return to Kabul. Once at destination, and after a bite to eat, we will go to take photos at the souvenir bazaar in Kabul (Chicken Street). Later we will visit the western cemetery of Kabul, which houses monuments and graves of many Western soldiers who fought in several of the conflicts throughout Kabul’s history. In the afternoon, we will return to the airport to catch a flight to Herat.

Accommodation at Hotel P.C

As soon as breakfast we will go to visit Masjidi Jami or Friday Mosque, built in the year 1200 (597 AH). We will complete the visit with a short tour of the Herat Tile Factory. We will still have time to visit the citadel of Herat, which dates back to 330 BC. When Alexander the Great and his army arrived in what is now Afghanistan, after the Battle of Gaugamela. A key point of the visit will be its bazaar at sunset, where, without a doubt, we will take a few photographs.

Accommodation at Hotel P.C

In the morning we will visit the Goharshad Tomb and Minarets of Herat and the Gawharshad Mosque and Madrasah. These architectural monuments were dynamited by officers of the Indian-British army in 1885, to prevent their use as a fortress if the Russian army tried to invade India, but, hopefully, the tomb and minarets are still standing. In the afternoon we will see the Guzargah Mosque and Puli Malaan, the beautiful 22-arch old bridge, from the early 12th century. Flight back to Kabul in the late afternoon, where we will spend the night in Hotel.

Accommodation at Hotel P.C

Today we will visit an ancient turquoise-tiled mosque of the Shiite saints, called Sakhi Shrine, in western Kabul. It is believed to be the resting place of Hazrati Ali, the cousin of Prophet Muhammad. From there, we will make a short drive to visit the Qargha Lakes, an ancient national park with natural water dams. At the end of the day we will depart for the airport to take the flight to Mazar-e-Sharif, where we will settle in a hotel for the night.

Accommodation at Hotel P.C

Travel to visit Takht-i Rustam (Haibak), which literally means the throne of Rustam, a king of Persian mythology. It is a hilltop settlement, a well-known archaeological site in Afghanistan. We will see the Buddhist caves and stupas on top of a hill, north of the Hindu Kush passes. In this place the caves were carved out of rocks and inhabited by Buddhists. The Buddhist stupas here are shaped like a mound, and represent the oldest link to the evolution of Buddhist architecture in Afghanistan.

Accommodation at Hotel P.C

Today we will visit Balkh, an ancient city that is the center of Buddhism, Sufism and Zoroastrianism in northern Afghanistan. Here we will visit the Haji Piyada Mosque (the walking pilgrim), the Tomb of Rabia Balkhi, a legendary figure of Persian literature, the Khoja Parsa Mosque and Bala Hisar, the ancient citadel built by Alexander in early 330 BC. In the afternoon it is time to visit the Ali Blue Tile Mosque in Mazar-e-Sharif. After this full day we will go to the airport to catch a flight back to Kabul where we will spend the night in a Guesthouse.

Accommodation at Hotel P.C

Transfer to the airport to take an international flight back to Spain, end of our photographic trip to Afghanistan.