Your guide to Afghanistan

Travel with confidence, with a licensed local team looking after you from arrival to departure.

• Afghan Guest plans every itinerary with up-to-date local knowledge and stays in touch with you 24/7 while you travel.
• Travel insurance that covers Afghanistan, including medical evacuation, is strongly recommended — ask us for specialist providers.
• Share your itinerary with Afghan Guest and someone at home before you set off.
• Ask before taking photos, and never photograph checkpoints, officials or security forces.
• Carry copies of your passport, visa and Letter of Invitation — routine checkpoints are part of travel here.

Afghan hospitality is legendary. A little respect goes a long way.

• Dress conservatively: long, loose clothing for everyone. Women should wear a headscarf and a long, loose outer garment; requirements are enforced in public.
• Greet with 'Salaam alaikum' and the right hand on the heart. Use your right hand to eat and pass things.
• Always ask before photographing people, and never photograph women without explicit permission.
• Accept tea when offered — refusing hospitality can cause offence.
• During Ramadan, avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight hours.
• Alcohol is prohibited.

Afghanistan is a cash economy — bring clean US dollars.

• The currency is the Afghani (AFN). US dollars are widely accepted for hotels and larger purchases.
• International cards rarely work in Afghanistan. Pay for hotels in advance through Afghan Guest and bring enough cash for your trip.
• Bring new, undamaged US$ notes (2013 series or newer); torn or old notes are often refused.
• Exchange money at banks or licensed money changers, not on the street.

Buy a local SIM on arrival for affordable data.

• Main networks: Roshan, AWCC, MTN (Areeba) and Etisalat — Roshan and AWCC have the widest coverage.
• SIM cards require your passport and are available at the airport and city shops.
• Coverage is good in cities and patchy in mountains (Wakhan, parts of Bamiyan).
• Mobile internet may be restricted at times — download offline maps and keep important documents offline.

Private transfers with an experienced driver are the safest way to travel.

• Domestic flights connect Kabul with Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar and other cities.
• Afghan Guest arranges private cars with vetted drivers for road journeys.
• Travel between provinces may need permits — we arrange these as part of your booking.
• Avoid travelling by road after dark.

See a travel clinic 6–8 weeks before departure.

• Recommended vaccinations commonly include hepatitis A and B, typhoid, tetanus, polio and rabies — confirm with a travel clinic.
• Drink bottled or treated water only.
• Bring a full medical kit and enough prescription medicine for your stay.
• Altitude: Bamiyan (2,500 m) and the Wakhan (3,000 m+) can cause altitude sickness — ascend gradually.

Layers, modest clothing and printed documents.

• Printed passport copies, visa, LOI, hotel confirmations and insurance documents.
• Modest, layered clothing — evenings are cold even in summer at altitude.
• Headscarf (women), sturdy walking shoes, sun protection.
• Power bank and universal adapter (Type C/F sockets, 220V).