Afghanistan

Getting around

Hitching

Hitching is never entirely safe in any country in the world, and we certainly don’t recommend it in Afghanistan. Travellers who decide to hitch should understand that they are taking a small, but potentially very serious risk. Never try flagging down a lift in areas where security is known to be poor.

In Afghanistan there is little meaningful distinction between hitching and taking taxis. Anyone with a car will stop if you flag them down. Drivers usually expect some money for picking you up, so it’s best to offer a little; it may be refused, but it’s more likely not to be. Keep public transport fares in mind so that, should you strike someone trying to extort silly amounts from you, you’ll have some idea of how much is fair to offer. Many Afghans will be baffled by the sight of a foreigner without a vehicle and pick you up out of curiosity.

In some parts of Afghanistan, hitching a ride on trucks can sometimes be the only way of getting around – for example on the central route in winter. The big Kamaz trucks normally get through, but can be painfully slow. Most NGOs are banned from picking up passengers on the road.

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Car & motorcycle

Car

Roads are generally of a poor quality in Kabul. The Ring Rd from Herat to Kandahar, Kabul and up to Mazar-e Sharif is paved, along with link highways from the Pakistan border to Kabul, and from Iran to Herat. Elsewhere, roads are gravel or worse, and road reconstruction continues to be depressingly slow.

Road rules are extremely lax, but most vehicles at least aspire to drive on the right. Wherever tarmac allows drivers to get some speed up, accidents are common. The Kabul–Mazar-e Sharif highway is particularly bad in this respect, where drivers seem to view the road more as a venue for a game of motorised buzkashi rather than a conduit for getting from A to B. Watch out for the very Afghan practice of turning old tank tracks into speed bumps.

Beware of driving off-road due to the risk of landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXOs). In areas of instability, high-visibility white NGO vehicles have sometimes been deliberately targeted by criminals and insurgents. Travel at night is not recommended. If travelling in remote areas or in winter, your vehicle should contain adequate tools and spares, emergency rations and (ideally) communication equipment.

Hire

It’s not possible to hire cars without drivers in Afghanistan. In Kabul there are a number of private companies that hire out reliable vehicles with drivers such as Afghan Logistics & Tours. Outside Kabul, the best bet is to ask at your hotel or the transport park, and get trustworthy recommendations if possible.

Hiring a 4WD with driver (typically a Toyota Landcruiser or Surf) typically costs around US$150 per day, including fuel.

Taxi

There are two main ways of travelling by car in Afghanistan if you don’t have your own vehicle: ordinary taxi or shared taxi.

Ordinary taxi

In this case you’d hire an entire taxi for a special route, ideal for reaching off-the-beaten-track places, or where minibus connections are hit-and-miss. A private taxi allows you to stop at will and will hopefully give you some control over the manic tendencies latent in many Afghan drivers – don’t be afraid to suggest a preference for the brake over the accelerator pedal. Select your driver with care, and always look over his vehicle. If you’re travelling solo, it’s often recommended to visibly note the car’s registration number and phone it through to a friend with your itinerary.

You’ll have to negotiate a price before setting off. Along routes where there are also shared taxis this is simple arithmetic, adding up the total number of individual fares. Make sure everyone is clear which route you’ll be taking, how long you want the driver to wait for you at the destination and whether or not fuel is included. You may have to haggle hard, as many drivers will see the opportunity to add ‘foreigner inflation’ to the price.

Shared taxi

Aside from minibuses, shared taxi is the main form of road transport around Afghanistan, and operates on the same principle, whereby a yellow taxi or private car does a regular run between two destinations and charges a set fare for each of the seats in the car. These cars can almost always be found in the same transport depots as minibuses. Fares are more expensive than a minibus, but you reach your destination faster.

Most shared taxis are yellow Toyota Corollas, and typically take two passengers in the front seat and three in the back seat. The front middle seat can be quite uncomfortable on bad roads, leaving you getting friendly with either the driver or the gear stick. Drivers will often sell the front seat to just one passenger at a slight premium. It’s always possible to buy an extra seat for comfort or just to get the car to depart faster.

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Bus & tram

Bus & minibus

Getting around by bus and minibus isn’t always terrifically comfortable, but it’s undeniably cheap and services run to most places you’ll want to get to. The road distances chart shows approximate road distances between major towns and cities.

Afghanistan is held together by the minibus. Toyota HiAces are the most favoured, and are seemingly indestructible in the face of terrible road conditions. They’re known locally as falang, a corruption of ‘flying coach’. Also popular are the slightly smaller TownAces. Passengers are squeezed in four to a row, or three in a TownAce. If you’re male, don’t be surprised if your arrival forces a change in seating arrangements, to stop you sitting next to an Afghan woman. There are no timetables, vehicles just leave when they’ve collected enough passengers. The smaller TownAces tend to fill up and depart quicker, and are also slightly faster, so there’s a slight increase in the fare. A fare that costs 450Afg in a HiAce would be about 100Afg more in a TownAce. Prices also fluctuate according to demand – a trip to Kabul would normally be cheaper than a journey to Faizabad of the same length. Unless you’ve got particularly huge bags, there shouldn’t be a luggage charge.

Transport generally leaves from motor parks on the edges of towns. They’re lively places, with touts barking out their destinations, beggars and kids hawking snacks and goods. Most places will have some sort of chaikhana where you can get a cup of tea while waiting for your vehicle to fill. Shared taxis can also be found here.

The comfort factor of your trip depends on the destination as much as the size of the passengers you’re squeezed next to. Simple journeys along sealed roads are usually fine but anywhere else can be bumpy and painful, particularly over long distances. It can sometimes be a good idea to buy an extra seat to give yourself some extra room, a tactic we highly recommend if tackling the central route or northwest Afghanistan. Drivers tend to stop every three or four hours for prayers and at chaikhanas for food. On long trips you might end up staying the night at one, so ensure you have a blanket or sleeping bag easily accessible.

Clunky old German buses also ply Afghanistan’s roads. Painfully slow and overcrowded, they’re only used by the poorest locals and those unconcerned about time or comfort. On a slightly higher level, there are coaches running along the Ring Rd from Mazar-e Sharif to Kabul and on to Herat. Cheaper than a HiAce, tickets can normally be bought a day in advance from a bus office. As the Kabul-Herat leg passes through Kandahar and the restive south, we strongly advise against foreigners taking this route in the current climate.

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Air

The two Afghan airlines, Ariana (020 2100 271; www.flyariana.com) and Kam Air (020 2301 753; www.flykamair.com) both operate domestic schedules, linking Kabul with daily flights to Herat and Mazar-e Sharif, and Kandahar several times a week. There’s also a weekly Ariana Kandahar–Herat flight. For other destinations, the schedule is an extremely moveable feast. In theory, Ariana also operates a twice-weekly flight to Faizabad, and weekly flights to Kunduz, Maimana and Shiberghan. In practice, these services can be cancelled for months at a time. Contact Ariana in Kabul, as the provincial offices are usually shut except on days immediately preceding a rare flight. Neither airlines’ websites are much help for domestic flights.

Kam Air operates a reliable twice-weekly flight between Herat and Mazar-e Sharif. It has toyed with a Kabul–Faizabad service but has only operated a few flights and has yet to open an office in the town. Kandahar and Maimana flights are also apparently planned.

Demand is high for flights, so book as far in advance as you can. Ariana’s Kabul office can be chaotic but is surprisingly efficient. Kam Air run a slightly tighter ship. Elsewhere, things are more disorganised so you might need to be persistent to get your name on the list. You’ll need your passport when you book your ticket.

Always recheck the time of departure the day before you fly. Schedule changes are both common and unexplained. If you’re in the provinces you’ll probably depart late anyway, as you wait for the plane to arrive from Kabul.

Humanitarian airlines in afghanistan

Three airlines serve the humanitarian community within Afghanistan, with flights only open to those working for accredited NGOs and nonprofit organisations. Most of the flights are operated with small Beechcraft planes, and for certain routes stricter than normal baggage limits may be applied due to flying conditions.

ICRC Air Operations (International Committee of the Red Cross; 070 285948; kabul.kab@icrc.org ; Charahi Haji Yaqub) Scheduled flights to Jalalabad, Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, Kunduz, Faizabad and Kandahar. Flights originate in Peshawar and are via Kabul. No flights on Fridays.

Pactec (070 282679/079 9300 837; bookingkbl@pactec.net ; Street 15, Right Lane 1, House 12, Wazir Akbar Khan, Kabul) Scheduled flights to Bamiyan, Chaghcheran, Faizabad, Farah, Herat, Kandahar, Kunduz, Lashkar Gah, Maimana, Qala-e Nau, Taloqan and Yawkawlang. Can also arrange charter flights.

United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS; 070 284070/282559; kabul.unhas@wfp.org ; WFP Compound, btwn Charahi Zambak & Charahi Ariana, Shahr-e Nau, Kabul) Scheduled flights to Bamiyan, Faizabad, Herat, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Kunduz, Maimana and Mazar-e Sharif.

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