Kabul → Bamyan → Band-e Amir → Takht-e Rostam → Mazar-e-Sharif → Balkh · Highlands, the Salang and the north
Hindu Kush Crossing: Kabul, Bamyan & Mazar-e-Sharif — 8 days / 7 nights
- 8 days · 7 nights
- $1,200–$1,760 per person
- Private tour
The Hindu Kush Crossing tour is Al Hamid Tour and Travel's 8-day, 7-night private tour of Kabul, Bamyan, Band-e Amir, Takht-e Rostam, Mazar-e-Sharif and Balkh. It costs $1,200 to $1,760 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–Kabul) are booked by us and paid separately.
A grand loop of the centre and the north: the Bamyan valley and the lakes of Band-e Amir, then the road over the Hindu Kush by the Salang Pass and tunnel to Takht-e Rostam, the Blue Mosque of Mazar-e-Sharif and Balkh, the "Mother of Cities". You fly back to Kabul at the end.
How long is the Hindu Kush Crossing tour, and what does it cost?
The Hindu Kush Crossing tour takes 8 days and 7 nights through Kabul, Bamyan, Band-e Amir, Takht-e Rostam, Mazar-e-Sharif and Balkh and costs $1,200–$1,760 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
- 8 days and 7 nights
- Price
- $1,200–$1,760 per person
- Route
- Kabul → Bamyan → Band-e Amir → Takht-e Rostam → Mazar-e-Sharif → Balkh
- Where you sleep
- Kabul 1 · Bamyan 3 · Kabul 1 · Mazar-e-Sharif 2
- Flights
- Mazar-e-Sharif–Kabul: booked by us, paid separately
- Best months
- May and September to October
- Starts and ends
- Kabul
Where does the Hindu Kush Crossing tour go?
What do you do each day of the Hindu Kush Crossing tour?
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Day 1Kabul
Arrive in Kabul
Airport pick-up, Babur's Gardens and the old city of Murad Khani.
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 on Bamyan's bazaar street.
Night in Bamyan
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Day 3Bamyan
The Bamyan valley
The Buddha niches and the monks' caves, the citadel of Shahr-e Gholghola and the view over the valley.
Night in Bamyan
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Day 4Bamyan → Band-e AmirBy road
Band-e Amir
A day at the six blue lakes of Band-e Amir, about two hours west, and back to Bamyan for the night.
Night in Bamyan
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Day 5Bamyan → KabulBy road
Back to Kabul by Shahr-e Zuhak
The red towers of Shahr-e Zuhak on the way out of the valley, then the drive back to Kabul.
Night in Kabul
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Day 6Kabul → Mazar-e-SharifBy road
Over the Salang Pass to the north
A full day of seven to nine hours: north over the Hindu Kush by the Salang Pass and tunnel, with a stop at Takht-e Rostam, the stupa carved into the rock near Aybak, about two hours before Mazar-e-Sharif.
Night in Mazar-e-Sharif
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Day 7Mazar-e-Sharif
The Blue Mosque and Balkh
The Blue Mosque at the heart of Mazar-e-Sharif, then Balkh, 20 km west: its huge mud-brick walls, the Green Mosque, the tomb of the poet Rabia Balkhi and the Noh Gonbad mosque.
Night in Mazar-e-Sharif
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Day 8Mazar-e-Sharif → KabulBy air
Fly back to Kabul
About an hour's flight to Kabul for your connection.
You fly home
How does the price of the Hindu Kush Crossing tour compare?
Ours: $1,200 to $1,760 per person, which is $150–$220 a day. Other operators that publish a price for a similar route charge $1,100–$2,590 for 7 days, or $157–$370 a day. Prices checked in October 2026.
What does the Hindu Kush Crossing 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 Hindu Kush Crossing tour?
May, June, September and October are best: Bamyan's roads are open, the Salang is clear of snow and the north is not yet too hot.
Hindu Kush Crossing: questions and answers
How long is the Hindu Kush Crossing tour?
8 days and 7 nights: 1 night in Kabul, 3 nights in Bamyan, 1 night in Kabul and 2 nights in Mazar-e-Sharif. The days can be moved around your flights.
How much does the Hindu Kush Crossing tour cost?
$1,200 to $1,760 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–Kabul) are booked by us and paid separately.
Which places does the Hindu Kush Crossing tour visit?
Day 1, arrive in Kabul; day 2, the road to Bamyan; day 3, the Bamyan valley; day 4, band-e Amir; day 5, back to Kabul by Shahr-e Zuhak; day 6, over the Salang Pass to the north; day 7, the Blue Mosque and Balkh; day 8, fly back to Kabul.
Can women visit Band-e Amir on the Hindu Kush Crossing 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.
Is the Salang Pass open all year?
The road over the Salang Pass and tunnel is the main route north, but snow can close it for days from about December to March. In those months we fly to Mazar-e-Sharif instead, and the rest of the route stays the same.
When is the best time for the Hindu Kush Crossing tour?
May and September to October. May, June, September and October are best: Bamyan's roads are open, the Salang is clear of snow and the north is not yet too hot.
What does the price of the Hindu Kush Crossing 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 Hindu Kush Crossing tour?
Besides the Hindu Kush Crossing 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); 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
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
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