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PREMIER PRIVATE TOUR SPECIALIST
Timeless Afghanistan
17 Days
1 Country
6 Cities
Embark an exotic trip to the fully frozen solid Baikal Lake in February, when temperatures can reach as low as -50°C in Siberia.
Sight the last remaining craved Giant Buddha Bamian
Marvel at the ancient Silk Road city of Balkh, the birth place of Zoroastrian and Rumi
Unforgettable upclose with the culture and communities
Day 1 KUALA LUMPUR - KABUL
Tour briefing upon arrival
Day 2 KABUL - MAZAR E-SHARIF
Kabul Museum, Babur Garden & Bird Market. In the afternoon
we take a flight to Mazar e-Sharif
Day 3 MAZAR E-SHARIF & BALKH
Blue mosque, Haji Piyada, Buddhist Stupa, Khoja Park, Mausoleum of
Rabia Balkhi, Zaouia Mullah Mohhamad Jan, Zoroaster Caves.
Day 4 MAZAR E-SHARIF - SEMANGAN - MAZAR E-SHARIF
Stupa of Takht-e Rostum, Tashkurgan , hunting Lodge
Cape, “Scriper” Mountain
Day 5 MAZAR E-SHARIF - KABUL - PANJSHIR - KABUL
Panjhir Valley scenic walk, Tajik villages, herders and farmers, Ahmad
Shah Massoud Mausoleum
Day 6 KABUL - BAMIAN
Panoramic view point, Bamiyan Giant Buddha and caves, Shah-e
Gholghola, Shah-e Zhohak
Day 7 BAMIAN DAY TOUR
Dara-e Ahdahar (Dragon Valley)
Day 8 BAMIAN DAY TOUR
Band-e-Amir, Nasional Park
Day 9 BAMIAN - ABUL - HERAT
Day 10 HERAT DAY TOUR
Masjid Jami, antique bazaar, Citadel Qala Ikhtyaruddin
Day 11 HERAT DAY TOUR
Tomb of Queen Begum, Zaouia Gazur Gar, Jihad Museum,
Old city, Caravanserai, Che Abrisham
Day 12 HERAT - KABUL - KANDAHAR
Day 13 KANDAHAR DAY TOUR
City tour, Mosque of Cloak of Prophet Mohammad, Aino Meno
Chehilzina, Maosoleum of Mirwas Khan Hotak, The old bazaar
Day 14 KANDAHAR - KABUL
Day 15 KABUL DAY TOUR
& 16 Sakhi Shrine, Darulaman Palace, Shah-eDoh Shamshira Mosque,
Bala Hisar, Jewish Synagogue, Tajbeg Palace
Day 17 KABUL DEPARTURE
Day 1 Kuala Lumpur - Kabul (D)
Meet and greet at Kabul International Airport to be transfer to our hotel. Upon arrival after refreshing we will gather for a tour briefing. A trip to the local bazaar to purchase some local attire is mandatory.
Day 2 Kabul - Mazar-e Sharif (B,L,D)
After a good rest and breakfast, we sit out to visit Kabul Museum, Babur Garden and the bird market. In the afternoon, we will take a flight to Mazar.
Kabul has the long history dated back to an Hindu scripture 1500 BCE. At that time it was an Hindu and Bushhist kingdom. Arab forces came and conquerred it in 830 CE. Damaged by Mongol forces under Ghenzi Khan in 1221 and only after capture by Timur in 1398, saw it revival. It become the capital only after Emperor Babur capture it and began the Mughal rule in 1504. British forces attack in 1842 and 1880 saw the destruction of the main wall.
We will visit the Kabul Museum, Babur Garden, Bird Market,
Day 3 Mazar e-Sharif Day Tour (B,L,D)
After a good breakfast we set out to visit, the Blue Mosque and we make our way to the old city of Balkh. Haji Piyada Mosque which estimate being built in 794 AD and then to the what remain of 2500 years ago of Bala Hisar, the crumbling walls of Bactrian Kingdom. This is also the bith place of Zoroaster and Zoroasteriasm by Aleander the Great. It was once the prosperous trading spot of the Silk Road and the old Buddhist Stupa at Nau-Vihara Temple.
We continue to Khodja Parsa Park. Khodja Abu Nasr Parsa was a spiritual leader of the Naqshbandi order from Heart who lived during the 15th century. We then walk across to Mausoleum of Rabia Balkhi, one of the first Female poet in Persian history. Harith, her brother murdered her for having an affair with a slave name Baktash. It is in the basement that she wrote one of her most famous poem in her own blood while she lay there holding on to her last moment. We take a moment at Tombs of Mullah Mohammad Jan, a famous Persion scholar and an ancient Zoroaster caves.
We will visit the Blue Mosque, Haji Piyada Mosque, Buddhist Stupa Nau Vihara Temple, Khdja Park, Mausoleum of Rabia Balkhi, Zaouia of Mullah Mohammad Jan.
Day 4 Mazar e-Sharif - Samangan - Mazar e-Sharif (B,L,D)
Since the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, the Stupa of Takht-e Rostam in Samangan Province is arguably Afghanistan’s most impressive pre-Islamic site. Unlike other stupas, the one of Takht-e Rostam has not been mounted above ground, but it has been carved into the ground,
A Japanese archaeological mission under the direction of Professor Seiichi Mizuno, excavated here in 1959 and 1960. From them we learned that this complex was a thriving Buddhist community during the 4th and 5th centuries A.D.
The stupa cave crowns the hill in front of the monastery. Rockcut stupas such as this were popular in India, the home of Buddhism, as early as the 1st century B.C., but this one is absolutely unique in size and construction. 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.
The relic chamber in most conventional stupas was generally placed about three-quarters of the way up the stupa, and sealed. Since this stupa was carved from solid rock, the relic chamber was located in the square harmika on the summit. The harmika originally supported the staff of the chatri or umbrella with which all stupas were embellished.
Today we can enjoy this well preserved with an immense rock-cut stupa, pradakshinapatha, exotic pillared galleries, decorated shrines and ablution kunds.
Enroute we will visit Tashkurgan and visit an old hunting lodge.
We will visit Takht-e Rostam, Tashkurgan and old hunting lodge
Day 5 Mazar e-Sharif - Kabul - Panjshir Valley - Kabul (B,L,D)
Today after breakfast,we depart by flight to Kabul. Upon arrival in Kabul Airport we will depart for Panjshir Valley which is a newer province in Afghanistan which split off from Parwan Province in 2004. With jagged snowcapped peaks forming its boundaries, the Tajik stronghold has remained one of the most inaccessible regions. The valley, whose name translate into “5 Lions” in Tajik and Dari is home to about 100,000 people, mostly of Tajik ethnicity. Enjoy quiant villages, fresh air and ruins of left behind Russian tanks.
We will have a brunch stop at Charika the main town of the Koh Daman Valley and the capital of Parwan Province, we’ll enter the Panjshir Valley via the strategic village of Gulbahar famous for producing the best mulberry in the country. We will also visit Ahmad Shah Massoud Mausoleum and have the opportunity to chat with herders and farmers.
We will visit scenic valley villages, photos stop at abandone tank, upclose with local communities
Day 6 Kabul - Bamian (B,L,D)
After a good breakfast, we depart by flight to Bamian. The world's largest standing Buddha statues had survived for a millennium and a half in Afghanistan — until the Taliban destroyed them. Bamiyan located about 200 kilometers Northwest of Kabul, acted as a center for Buddhists under the Kushan Emperors. Several thousand Buddhist monks stayed in the valley from 3rd to the 6th century AD. Along with the monks came Buddhist art and culture. The famous dwelling caves created into the walls made of sandstone. The Buddha status were also carved from this stone.
Believe to be the burial site of important saints. The famous Western Big Buddha (Salsal Buddha) of 53 meters and Eastern Buddha (Shamama Buddha) is 38 meter-high. Historical documents mentione that celebrations were held every year attracting numerous pilgrims to pay devotion and make offerings to the Buddhas. It is classified by UNESCO as a world heritage site. There is a stairways leading to the head of the Buddha and more than 500 caves with traces of murals and carved decoration from over thousands of years ago.
We then visit Shahr-e Gholghola, located in the city centre are this imposing fortress was the location of the Ghorid Bamiyan’s final battle against the Mongol hordes of Genghis Khan. The fortress was holding up against the siege by Genghis Khan under command of Bamiyan’s ruler, but it fell when the ruler’s own daughter betrayed him in hopes of being married to the Mongol leader. Genghis Khan and his horde stormed the fortress, slaughtering anyone in their way; including the daughter that had betrayed the ruler of Bamiyan. The brutal attack carried out by the Mongols gave Shahr-e- Gholghola a new nickname – “The City of Screams“.
After which we Shahr-e Zohak another Ghorid-era set of ruins. Perched on cliffs high above the valley, the fortress guards the eastern gateway to Bamiyan. During the Siege of Bamiyan in 1221, Genghis Khan’s grandson was killed by an arrow shot from this hilltop citadel.
Enraged by the death of his grandson, Genghis Khan made his way towards Bamiyan. Shahr-e- Zohak was the first obstacle in his quest to conquer the valley. In classic Mongol style, the horde obliterated the fortress and slaughtered all of its inhabitants. Local legend says that the stone ruins remaining here are stained red from the blood that was spilled during the battle. The red stones give Shahr-e Zohak its nickname, “The Red City”.
We will visit Bamian Giant Buddha, Shahr-e Gholghola, Shahr-e Zohak
Day 7 & 8 Bamian Day Tour (B,L,D)
WAfter a good breakfast, we head west to Dara-e Ajdahar (translates to Dragon Valley). It’s said that once upon a time, a dragon terrorized the locals in Bamiyan. Countless attempts were made to slay the dragon, but all failed. That is, until one day, Ali, the son of Prophet Mohammad, arrived in Bamiyan. Ali sliced the dragon in two, ending the villagers suffering.
We continue to Band-e-Amir, a collection of 6 sapphire-blue lakes, was name Afghanistan first national park in 2009. Separated by natural dams, each lake is several metres lower than the one above it. The largest lake, Zulfiqar, measures 490 hectares. The dams separating the lakes are formed of travertine, a form of calcium carbonate. Band-e-Amir is one of the world’s most significant examples of this type of formation.
We will visit Dara-e Ajdahar, Band-e-Amir, local market
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Day 9 Bamian - Kabul - Herat (B/D)
Enjoy a good breakfast and we will depart for airport for a whole day of flying.
Day 10 Herat Day Tour (B/L/D)
After a good breakfast, we will start our exploration in one of the most conservative city in Afghanistan. You will find woman wearing chador or a burqa. Herat is one of the prettiest and colorful city with colorful Persian mosques, ancient houses, caravanserais and restored citadel.
Our first stop is Masjid Jame, Grand Mosque. The mosque was first built in 1200 AD by the order of Ghurid ruler Ghiyath al-Din Muhammad b. Sam on the site of two smaller mosques from the Persianate Muslim Ghaznavid dynasty that were destroyed by an earthquake, and renovated and extended by the Timurids later in 1400. We will then proceed to Heart antique bazaar to gazed at beautiful stones and traditional jewelry or maybe set your eyes on those gorgeous lapis lazuli stone of the finest quality.
We then proceed to Qala Ikhtyaruddin Citadel Dating back to the 4th century BC, its large towers and walls visible from afar, the Arg (fort/palace) was built by Alexander the Great on the ruins of an already existent fort to protect the Macedonian Empire from people’s revolt. Qala Ikhtyaruddin was destroyed during the invasion of Gengis Khan and rebuilt during Fakhruddin’s rule by his minister Ikhtyaruddin, after whom it was later named.
We will visit Masjid Jame, Old City, Antique Bazaar, Qala Ikhtyaruddin
Day 11 Herat Day Tour (B/L/D)
We will visit the Tomb of Queen Goharshad Begum the wife of Shah Rukh, Timurid Emperor. She was a famous politician of the Timurid era, a do-gooder, a generous patron of art who ruled the empire with dignity and wisdom after her husband’s death. She was the daughter of Ghiasudin “Turkhan”, a title given to him by Genghis Khan himself, a famous fighter and politician of the Timurid era who took part in several wars.
The famous architectural features in Herat dating back from the Timurid dynasty are the minarets, the tomb of Goharshad Begum, buried next to her son and husband, the shrine of Khaje Abdul Ansari, and Masjid Jame. The mausoleum lies in between the minarets considered the symbol of Herat.
We then visit the Gazur Gah shrine to visit the resting place of the important Sufi figure and poet Khwajah Abdullah Ansari, also known as Pir-i Herat (sage of Herat), who lived in the 11th Century. The site was created as a medieval settlement around a religious site and funerary complex and continued to develop after the death of Ansari also with a religious school built by Ghurid rulers in the 12th century and a more elaborate renovation by the Timurids in the 15th century.
We will visit Tomb of Queen Begum, Zaouia Gazur Gar, Jihad Museum, Old City, Caravanserai Akhund Zadeh, Silk Bazaar
Day 12 Herat - Kabul - Kandahar (B/D)
After a good breakfast, we will fly from Herat to Kandahar with transit at Kabul
Day 13 Kandahar Day Tour (B/L/D)
Kandahar, the birthplace and first capital of modern Afghanistan, founded by Ahmad Durrani in 1747, today home to less than a million people, is located on the Asia Highway halfway between Kabul and Herat. The area is rich with ancient history. Here, Alexander the Great founded Alexandria of Arachosia in 329 BC, and the region was repeatedly fought over for by the Staffavids and Moghuls. It was the independent-minded Afghans of Kandahar, first under the leadership of Mirwais Hotaki, its mayor, and then of Ahmad Shah Durrani, who hastened the decline of both empires and annexed much of their territories to the young Afghan Kingdom in the 18th Century.
We will visit City Centre, Cloak of Prophet Mohammad Mosque, Aino Meno, Chehlizina, Mausoleum of Mirwas Khan Hotak, The old Bazaar
Day 14 Kandahar - Kabul (B/L/D)
After a good breakfast, we will fly from Kandahar to Kabul.
Day 14 & 15 Kandahar - Kabul (B/L/D)
After a good rest and early breakfast, we will start our tour to visit Sakhi Shrine a shrine and mosque. It is associated with the place to which the cloak of the Islamic prophet Muhammad was brought and with a visit from Ali, the son-in-law and cousin of Muhammad, who would become the fourth Caliph and first of the Twelve Imams. From here we enjoy a sweeping view of Kabul city through Bibi Mahro hill.
We proceed to the Darulaman Palace which was commissioned by Amanullah Khan, the ruler between 1919 and 1929 intended to be a centrepiece of new capital city, gleaming with European style architecture. The city did not materialise and set on fire in 1970s, shelled by Mujahideen in 1990s and targeted by the Taliban in 2012, the palace sits in ruin. Shah-e Doh Shamshira Mosque also known as the “Mosque of King of Two Swords” built by the same person, has the most unusual in Islam. With facades are all Italianate baroque with stucco detailing, picked out in white against a lurid lemon yellow paint-job.
Visit the Bala Hisar, estimated being constructed in 5th century AD, the Jewish Synagogue, only outside as there is no service at this moment.
Then to Tajbeg Palace, which was designed in the 1920s by European architects, was the idea of Afghan leader Amanullah Khan as part of his modernization program. Informally known as the “Queen’s Palace,” Tajbeg was the home of Queen Soraya Tarzi, herself a modernist and instrumental in Afghan women’s rights until Amanullah’s untimely abdication in the face of increasing religious upheaval.
We continue the next day to explore, Omar Landmine Museum and a possible visit to an orphanage or Women's center and spending the remaining days for some shopping.
We end our day at a meal in Qarha Lake.
We will visit Sakhi Shrine, Darulaman Palace, Shah-eDoh Shamira Mosque, Bala Hisar, Jewish Synagogue, Tajbeg Palace, Lake Qarha, Omar Landmine Museum
Day 16 Kabul Departure (B)
Today we will transfer guests to Kabul International Airport for departure. May everyone have a good flight home bring back the best of Afghanistan.
*** The above itinerary is for reference only, and is subject to any necessary changes in accordance to local requirements, weather conditions, or any unforeseen circumstances
*** Due to situation at this moment, Kandahar visit cannot be confirm. In the even we can secure visit of Kandahar, the
will be 15D14N
*** Prefer a private tour? Email us for quotation.
What's Included
What's Excluded
16 Nights
Accommodation
41 Meals
15 breakfast,
11 lunches, 15 dinners
On-Trip Transportation
4x4 or mini van
Local Guide
Passionate English-
speaking local guide
Entrance Tickets
monument listed in itinerary
Activities
-Kite flying
Gratuities
Driver & guide
Travel Insurance
You must have one!
Personal Expenses
Flight Ticket
Economy airfare
(All Internal Flight)
Visa
Afganistan tourist visa
Own shopping, winter clothing
International Flight Ticket