Kabul → Bamyan → Band-e Amir → Herat · Highlands and Timurid Herat
Cliffs and Citadels: Kabul, Bamyan & Herat — 7 days / 6 nights
- 7 days · 6 nights
- $1,050–$1,540 per person
- Private tour
The Cliffs and Citadels tour is Al Hamid Tour and Travel's 7-day, 6-night private tour of Kabul, Bamyan, Band-e Amir and Herat. It costs $1,050 to $1,540 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 (Kabul–Herat and back) are booked by us and paid separately.
The two halves of classic Afghanistan in one week: the central highlands by road, with the Bamyan valley and Band-e Amir, and then Herat in the far west, an hour's flight from Kabul.
How long is the Cliffs and Citadels tour, and what does it cost?
The Cliffs and Citadels tour takes 7 days and 6 nights through Kabul, Bamyan, Band-e Amir and Herat and costs $1,050–$1,540 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
- 7 days and 6 nights
- Price
- $1,050–$1,540 per person
- Route
- Kabul → Bamyan → Band-e Amir → Herat
- Where you sleep
- Kabul 1 · Bamyan 3 · Kabul 1 · Herat 1
- Flights
- Kabul–Herat and back: booked by us, paid separately
- Best months
- May to June and September to October
- Starts and ends
- Kabul
Where does the Cliffs and Citadels tour go?
What do you do each day of the Cliffs and Citadels tour?
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Day 1Kabul
Arrive in Kabul
Your guide meets you at the airport. Babur's Gardens in the afternoon, and dinner in the city.
Night in Kabul
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Day 2Kabul → BamyanBy road
The road to Bamyan
About 180 km, four to six hours through the mountains west of Kabul. An evening walk along Bamyan's bazaar street below the cliff.
Night in Bamyan
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Day 3Bamyan
The Buddha niches and Shahr-e Gholghola
The two Buddha niches and the monks' caves around them, the climb to Shahr-e Gholghola, and Shahr-e Zuhak, the red fortress at the eastern end of the valley.
Night in Bamyan
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Day 4Bamyan → Band-e AmirBy road
Band-e Amir
A day at the six deep-blue lakes of Band-e Amir National Park, about two hours west of Bamyan, and back for the night.
Night in Bamyan
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Day 5Bamyan → KabulBy road
Back to Kabul
The drive back to the capital, and in the evening a walk along Chicken Street for carpets and lapis lazuli.
Night in Kabul
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Day 6Kabul → HeratBy air
Fly to Herat
About an hour's flight west. The Great Mosque and its tile workshop, and the citadel above the old city.
Night in Herat
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Day 7Herat → KabulBy air
Herat, then the flight back
The leaning minarets of the Musalla, the shrine of Gazar Gah and the glass and silk workshops of the bazaar, then the evening flight back to Kabul for your connection.
You fly home
How does the price of the Cliffs and Citadels tour compare?
Ours: $1,050 to $1,540 per person, which is $150–$220 a day. Other operators that publish a price for a similar route charge $1,500–$1,900 for 7 days, or $214–$271 a day. Prices checked in October 2026.
What does the Cliffs and Citadels 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 Cliffs and Citadels tour?
May, June, September and October suit the whole route: Bamyan's roads are open and Herat is not yet too hot.
Cliffs and Citadels: questions and answers
How long is the Cliffs and Citadels tour?
7 days and 6 nights: 1 night in Kabul, 3 nights in Bamyan, 1 night in Kabul and 1 night in Herat. The days can be moved around your flights.
How much does the Cliffs and Citadels tour cost?
$1,050 to $1,540 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 (Kabul–Herat and back) are booked by us and paid separately.
Which places does the Cliffs and Citadels tour visit?
Day 1, arrive in Kabul; day 2, the road to Bamyan; day 3, the Buddha niches and Shahr-e Gholghola; day 4, band-e Amir; day 5, back to Kabul; day 6, fly to Herat; day 7, herat, then the flight back.
Can women visit Band-e Amir on the Cliffs and Citadels 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 Cliffs and Citadels tour take?
Two: Kabul to Herat and Herat back to Kabul, about an hour each. We book and ticket both; they are paid separately from the tour price, from about $105 each way.
When is the best time for the Cliffs and Citadels tour?
May to June and September to October. May, June, September and October suit the whole route: Bamyan's roads are open and Herat is not yet too hot.
What does the price of the Cliffs and Citadels 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 Cliffs and Citadels tour?
Besides the Cliffs and Citadels 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); Hindu Kush Crossing (8 days, $1,200–$1,760); Heart of Asia Grand Tour (11 days, $1,650–$2,420). 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
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
11 days · 10 nights
The best of Afghanistan
Heart of Asia Grand Tour
- Kabul2 nights
- Bamyan3 nights
- Kabul1 night
- Mazar2 nights
- Herat2 nights
$1,650–$2,420 per personflights extra