Band-e Amir Getting there & around

Getting there & away

There are direct minibuses to the lakes from Bamiyan on Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings (150Afg, three hours), as well as a large bus every Friday morning (40Afg, 3½ hours). Hiring a vehicle from Bamiyan should cost around US$60. Public transport sometimes stops at the hamlet of Qarghanatu, two-thirds of the way from Bamiyan, for breakfast. The chaikhanas here serve kimak, a type of dried salty sheep’s cheese.

Band-e Amir is a further 15km after the turn-off from the Bamiyan–Yawkawlang route: note that there are several stretches where the verges of this road are mined, although not in the immediate vicinity of the lakes. Band-e Amir is largely inaccessible during the winter, although the frozen lakes would be a tremendous sight.