Driving From Bamiyan To Kabul, Afghanistan 🇦🇫: A Photo Journal

Intro

Following a lovely time exploring Bamian, Afghanistan, it was time to head back bright and early to Kabul. Seeing as I have already written in depth about the drive on the outbound, and the drive is pretty much the same on the way back, I figured to make this more of a photo journal of the journey. 

Waking up bright and early at the Norban Qala, we embarked from the hotel at 6 am sharp. 

Photo Journal

It's a scenic drive through the rural areas of Afghanistan. For many kilometers, the only thing you might see are a few people attempting to hitchhike their way to the closest town. Taliban checkpoints fill the way, some friendlier than others, and some even asking you to say "I love The Taliban" in order to pass.

But the scenic view makes up for it:

The scenic beauty of Afghanistan is unmatched

The scenic beauty of Afghanistan is unmatched

The scenic beauty of Afghanistan is unmatched

The scenic beauty of Afghanistan is unmatched

The scenic beauty of Afghanistan is unmatched

And the flowers, I would like to visit Wakhan in the summer

Occasionally, you will run into a small village tucked away.

After around about 4.5 hours, we made it to the outskirts of Kabul where life started to pick up again. In the countryside of Afghanistan, life is much simpler and quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of the city.

At this time in March, it was still Ramadan, meaning that during the day the roads were packed. It would take an hour to drive a kilometre, when in fact it was much quicker to walk. However, come 6 pm and the light was gone, that same kilometre took just 5 minutes.

It's quite striking to see what the media portrays versus the on-the-ground situation.

It's a beautiful country.

Filled with beautiful people

And horrific traffic, to say the least

You just don't move...

Oh, I forgot to say, that all taxis that are blue and white are Taliban-controlled taxis and safe. Only use these when traveling to Afghanistan...

Eventually after all of the traffic, we arrived at our "government" controlled hotel by midday, ready to eat some food.

Final Thoughts

People say that taking a road trip through places in the United States, Europe, and biking around SE Asia is beautiful, but there is nothing more exhilarating than driving 6 hours from Bamian to Kabul. It's that juxtaposition I spoke about: on one hand you have the most gorgeous views, and on the other are unpaved roads and Taliban checkpoints.

I enjoyed it, and that's all that matters.