Band-e Amir

Introducing Band-e Amir

The glittering lakes of Band-e Amir must rank as Afghanistan’s most astounding natural sight, hidden in the Koh-e Baba at an altitude of 2900m. A series of six linked lakes, their deep blue waters sparkle like otherworldly jewels against the dusty mountains that surround them.

The lakes’ high mineral content gives them their colour, and in the case of the most accessible lake, Band-e Haibat (the suitably named Dam of Awe), these minerals have been deposited along its shore to produce a huge curtain wall over 12m high, streaked with sulphur and containing its waters high above ‘ground’ level. It’s a weird and stupendous sight, and it’s not surprising that locals should far prefer a mythic, rather than geological, explanation for the lakes’ formation. The lakes are reputed to contain great healing powers and pilgrims still visit to take the waters.

Approaching Band-e Amir, the first hint you have of their striking qualities is a bright flash of lapis lazuli as the largest lake, Band-e Zulfiqar appears briefly to your right. Soon after, the road starts to descend from a plateau immediately above the flat mirror of Band-e Haibat. Its deep blue waters and white dams fringed with vegetation are a rude shock when set against the cream and pink mountains – a sight to draw breath from even the most jaded travellers.

Arriving at the floor of the valley, vehicles stop a five-minute walk away from the dam walls, near a cluster of chaikhanas and kiosks. On Fridays and Saturdays, the area absolutely throngs with Afghan day-trippers, providing a rare echo of Afghanistan’s tourist heyday.

At the lakeshore, it’s possible to hire pedalos (75Afg per 15 minutes), shaped like swans, to take onto the water. They’re slightly kitsch, but are a great way of seeing the lake, particularly if you’ve got the stamina to pedal all the way to the end and back – a good couple of hours. Alternatively a boat (the ‘Donald Duck’) carries up to 10 people for trips around the lake and back for 50Afg a head.

On a more spiritual level, a small shrine, known locally as Qadamjoy Shah-e Aulia (‘The place where Ali stood’), overlooks the lake here. Built in the 1920s on the site of an older tomb, its doors are covered with small padlocks left as votive tokens, particularly from women offering prayers for love and fertility.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009