Afghanistan

Conflict within Afghanistan has rendered the country largely inaccessible for a number of years. Check up-to-date travel advisories before travelling to this region. However, it’s full of hidden treasures just waiting to be discovered once the country opens up again, including curved minarets, a rich, complex history, incredible food, and vibrant culture.

Capital Kabul was once a point on the “hippy trail” to India, and is now a rapidly modernising city, with lively markets springing up everywhere you look, booming technology, and new buildings rising like mushrooms. It’s home to Kabul Museum, which houses a large number of ancient archaeological exhibits; Ka Faroshi Bird Market, a pocket of the city’s old culture which hasn’t yet been touched by the outside world; the 16th-century Babur’s Gardens; and the fascinating Omar Land Mine Museum. Head to the Unesco World Heritage site of Bamiyan Valley for some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country, characterised by golden, soft rocks which are honeycombed by manmade caves, grottoes, tunnels and passageways carved out of the stone. This was the site of two venerated Buddha statues, now destroyed. The pilgrimage site of Mazar-e Sharif is home to one of the most famous shrines in the country, which is at the centre of Nauroz celebrations all over Afghanistan.