Kabul → Bamyan → Band-e Amir → Takht-e Rostam → Mazar-e-Sharif → Balkh → Herat · The best of Afghanistan
Heart of Asia Grand Tour: Kabul, Bamyan, Mazar-e-Sharif & Herat — 11 days / 10 nights
- 11 days · 10 nights
- $1,650–$2,420 per person
- Private tour
The Heart of Asia Grand Tour is Al Hamid Tour and Travel's 11-day, 10-night private tour of Kabul, Bamyan, Band-e Amir, Takht-e Rostam, Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh and Herat. It costs $1,650 to $2,420 per person, with an English-speaking guide, a private vehicle and driver, hotels with breakfast, and help with the visa letter and provincial permits. Flights (Mazar-e-Sharif–Herat and Herat–Kabul) are booked by us and paid separately.
Iqbal called the Afghans the heart of Asia, and this is the grand tour across the whole of it: the capital, the central highlands, the road over the Hindu Kush to the north, and Herat in the far west. By road where the drive is part of the trip, and by air where it would cost a day.
How long is the Heart of Asia Grand Tour, and what does it cost?
The Heart of Asia Grand Tour takes 11 days and 10 nights through Kabul, Bamyan, Band-e Amir, Takht-e Rostam, Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh and Herat and costs $1,650–$2,420 per person as a private tour with Al Hamid Tour and Travel. Where the price falls in that range depends on your group size and travel dates: send us both and we confirm it in writing.
- Length
- 11 days and 10 nights
- Price
- $1,650–$2,420 per person
- Route
- Kabul → Bamyan → Band-e Amir → Takht-e Rostam → Mazar-e-Sharif → Balkh → Herat
- Where you sleep
- Kabul 2 · Bamyan 3 · Kabul 1 · Mazar-e-Sharif 2 · Herat 2
- Flights
- Mazar-e-Sharif–Herat and Herat–Kabul: booked by us, paid separately
- Best months
- May and September to October
- Starts and ends
- Kabul
Where does the Heart of Asia Grand Tour go?
What do you do each day of the Heart of Asia Grand Tour?
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Day 1Kabul
Arrive in Kabul
Your guide and driver meet you at Kabul airport. Babur's Gardens and the view over the city in the afternoon.
Night in Kabul
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Day 2Kabul
Kabul
The National Museum and Darul Aman Palace, the restored old city of Murad Khani and its workshops, and Chicken Street for carpets and lapis lazuli.
Night in Kabul
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Day 3Kabul → BamyanBy road
The road to Bamyan
About 180 km, four to six hours through the central highlands.
Night in Bamyan
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Day 4Bamyan
The Bamyan valley
The Buddha niches and the monks' caves, Shahr-e Gholghola and the view over the valley.
Night in Bamyan
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Day 5Bamyan → Band-e AmirBy road
Band-e Amir
A day at the six blue lakes of Band-e Amir National Park.
Night in Bamyan
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Day 6Bamyan → KabulBy road
Back to Kabul
Shahr-e Zuhak on the way out of the valley, then the drive back to Kabul.
Night in Kabul
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Day 7Kabul → Mazar-e-SharifBy road
Over the Salang Pass to Mazar-e-Sharif
A full day of seven to nine hours over the Hindu Kush by the Salang Pass and tunnel, with a stop at the rock-cut stupa of Takht-e Rostam near Aybak.
Night in Mazar-e-Sharif
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Day 8Mazar-e-Sharif
The Blue Mosque and Balkh
The Blue Mosque, then Balkh's ancient walls, the Green Mosque, the tomb of Rabia Balkhi and Noh Gonbad.
Night in Mazar-e-Sharif
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Day 9Mazar-e-Sharif → HeratBy air
Fly to Herat
The direct flight west to Herat, about an hour and a quarter. In the evening, Gazar Gah, the shrine of the poet Khwaja Abdullah Ansari.
Night in Herat
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Day 10Herat
Herat
The Great Mosque and its tile workshop, the citadel, the covered bazaars and the leaning minarets of the Musalla.
Night in Herat
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Day 11Herat → KabulBy air
Fly back to Kabul
The glass and silk workshops in the morning, then the flight back to Kabul for your connection.
You fly home
How does the price of the Heart of Asia Grand Tour compare?
Ours: $1,650 to $2,420 per person, which is $150–$220 a day. Other operators that publish a price for a similar route charge $2,200–$3,200 for 8–10 days, or $275–$320 a day. Prices checked in October 2026.
What does the Heart of Asia Grand Tour price include?
An English-speaking guide who knows the region; private vehicle and driver, including airport transfers; hotels with breakfast, two people per room; help with the visa invitation letter and the provincial permits. Not included: international and domestic flights (we book and ticket both for you), lunch and dinner, and the visa fee.
Included
- An English-speaking guide who knows the region
- Private vehicle and driver, including airport transfers
- Hotels with breakfast, two people per room
- Help with the visa invitation letter and the provincial permits
Not included
- International and domestic flights (we book and ticket both for you)
- Lunch and dinner
- The visa fee
When is the best time for the Heart of Asia Grand Tour?
May, June, September and October suit the whole route.
Heart of Asia Grand Tour: questions and answers
How long is the Heart of Asia Grand Tour?
11 days and 10 nights: 2 nights in Kabul, 3 nights in Bamyan, 1 night in Kabul, 2 nights in Mazar-e-Sharif and 2 nights in Herat. The days can be moved around your flights.
How much does the Heart of Asia Grand Tour cost?
$1,650 to $2,420 per person with Al Hamid Tour and Travel, for a private tour on your dates; the exact figure depends on the size of your group and the season. Flights (Mazar-e-Sharif–Herat and Herat–Kabul) are booked by us and paid separately.
Which places does the Heart of Asia Grand Tour visit?
Day 1, arrive in Kabul; day 2, kabul; day 3, the road to Bamyan; day 4, the Bamyan valley; day 5, band-e Amir; day 6, back to Kabul; day 7, over the Salang Pass to Mazar-e-Sharif; day 8, the Blue Mosque and Balkh; day 9, fly to Herat; day 10, herat; day 11, fly back to Kabul.
Can women visit Band-e Amir on the Heart of Asia Grand Tour?
Not with certainty. The park was closed to women in August 2023 and the ban has not been formally lifted. Since then some foreign women with a guide have been allowed in and others turned away, so we check the rule for your dates before you book; the rest of the tour, the Buddha niches of Bamyan included, runs either way.
Which flights does the Heart of Asia Grand Tour take?
Two: a direct flight from Mazar-e-Sharif to Herat, and Herat back to Kabul. The Mazar–Herat flight does not run every day, so we set the days of the tour around its timetable. We book and ticket both; they are paid separately from the tour price.
When is the best time for the Heart of Asia Grand Tour?
May and September to October. May, June, September and October suit the whole route.
What does the price of the Heart of Asia Grand Tour include?
An English-speaking guide who knows the region; private vehicle and driver, including airport transfers; hotels with breakfast, two people per room; help with the visa invitation letter and the provincial permits. Not included: international and domestic flights (we book and ticket both for you), lunch and dinner, and the visa fee.
Do you arrange the Afghanistan visa?
Yes. Al Hamid Tour and Travel issues the invitation letter for every guest and walks you through the application, whether you use the online e-Visa or an embassy. It also handles the provincial travel permits for every stage once you land. The visa fee itself is paid by you.
Want to book this tour? Send us your dates and we will confirm the price and what the route looks like around your flights.
Which other multi-city tours could you take instead of the Heart of Asia Grand Tour?
Besides the Heart of Asia Grand Tour, we run five other multi-city tours: Buddhas and Blue Lakes (6 days, $900–$1,320); Gardens and Minarets (4 days, $600–$880); Three Capitals Road (5 days, $750–$1,100); Cliffs and Citadels (7 days, $1,050–$1,540); Hindu Kush Crossing (8 days, $1,200–$1,760). All are private and start in Kabul, and the stops can be changed to fit your days.
6 days · 5 nights
Highlands and blue lakes
Buddhas and Blue Lakes
- Kabul1 night
- Bamyan3 nights
- Kabul1 night
$900–$1,320 per personall by road
4 days · 3 nights
Two historic cities
Gardens and Minarets
- Kabul1 night
- Herat2 nights
$600–$880 per personflights extra
5 days · 4 nights
Ghaznavid and Durrani capitals
Three Capitals Road
- Kabul2 nights
- Kandahar2 nights
$750–$1,100 per personflights extra
7 days · 6 nights
Highlands and Timurid Herat
Cliffs and Citadels
- Kabul1 night
- Bamyan3 nights
- Kabul1 night
- Herat1 night
$1,050–$1,540 per personflights extra
8 days · 7 nights
Highlands, the Salang and the north
Hindu Kush Crossing
- Kabul1 night
- Bamyan3 nights
- Kabul1 night
- Mazar2 nights
$1,200–$1,760 per personflights extra