AFP: Many take their chances by staying with Afghan strangers they find through the Couchsurfing network, rather than paying for a room in a hotel protected by armed guards and bullet-proof doors. “Staying with people and dressing to blend in a bit makes it possible to travel in Afghanistan with not too big of a risk,” says
New York Times: The bay windows in the Bost Hotel’s dining room looked out across the Helmand River. For all the river’s immensity, the current, borne hundreds of miles from up in the Hindu Kush, spoke only in whispers. The air hummed with mosquitoes. Beyond the river, on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the capital of
ABC News: For 200 years, Ghulam Sakhi’s family has been blowing glass in the ancient Afghan city of Herat. He creates azure, indigo and green goblets, cups and vases that have been sold in fancy stores overseas, but like so many Afghans the artisan struggles to make a living and as he tries to keep this
Atas Obscura: Tajbeg Palace stands atop a knoll dominating Kabul as a concrete allegory to Afghanistan’s recent past. Rusting wheels that once supported the manually-operated cable car that transported Queen Soraya to her husband in the nearby Darul Aman Palace share faded opulence with ornate architraves, hacked marble, and grammatically incorrect Taliban graffiti. Click here to
Marta Pascual Juanola via WAToday (Australia): I could never have imagined that five years later my partner and I would be trekking along the country’s Karakoram, Pamir and Hindu Kush ranges, searching for one of the last nomadic cultures in the world: the Pamiri Kyrgyz. Afghanistan’s Kyrgyz nomads live in the high-altitude flats of the
South China Morning Post: Ishkashim is a bright spot in Afghanistan’s long-suffering tourism industry as it attracts those seeking superb selfies. And it’s perfectly safe – just ask the locals. Ishkashim is a small district in Afghanistan’s far northeast Badakhshan province that serves as the gateway to the famed Wakhan Valley – home to some of
Tolo News: Thousands of music fans cheered their favorite musicians and singers at a music festival in Bamiyan province on Friday. The festival will continue for two days. Organizers of the event said the festival is aimed at strengthening tourism and supporting Afghanistan’s ancient culture. Click here to read more (external link).
1TV: Zakirullah, deputy head of a travel agency, told 1TV that lack of monitoring by Civil Aviation Authority has led to foreign airlines increasing plane tickets. Prices of tickets for flights to Istanbul, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and India have increased more than those to other countries. Click here to read more (external link).
WASHINGTON, June 11 (Sputnik) – US citizens in Afghanistan must remain vigilant during celebrations of the Islamic Eid al Fitr holidays after the recent terrorist attack in Kabul on Monday, the Department of State said in a travel advisory. Earlier on Monday, at least 12 people were killed and 31 more were injured in a
NBC News: Decades of conflict and political instability have all but destroyed Afghanistan’s once-thriving heritage and tourism industry, but new efforts are being made to promote the country’s spectacular riches. A trickle of overseas visitors was recorded last year although many Western governments, including the U.S., advise against travel to the country. Click here to read