Afghanistan

Article by: Paul Clammer, November 2006

But more discerning types will raise a knowing eyebrow and quietly nod in agreement. Check the shelves of your local bookshop if you don't believe me. All the heavyweights of travel literature have waxed lyrical about Afghanistan at some point, from Bruce Chatwin to Eric Newby, who famously got lost on his Short Walk in the Hindu Kush.

When Lonely Planet was just a twinkle in someone's eye, Afghanistan was already a hit with those intrepids who first tramped the Hippie Trail.

When Lonely Planet was just a twinkle in someone's eye, Afghanistan was already a hit with those intrepids who first tramped the Hippie Trail. They came for the clear mountain air and the warm and noble hospitality of the Afghans. They usually left with a pile of carpets and lapis lazuli (the blue stuff in Tutankhamen's mask came from here), and cherished memories of a country that was so proud and exotic it almost seemed a place out of time.

The Russians, it has to be said, didn't make good houseguests, and the Taliban preferred blowing up the giant Buddha statues of Bamiyan to rolling out the welcome mat, but Afghanistan is still there waiting to be rediscovered by another generation of intrepids. And what will they find?

Against the odds, Bamiyan remains a stunningly beautiful mountain valley. The nearby lakes of Band-e Amir really do glitter like jewels - you'll believe the local stories of their magical origin. Probe deeper into the peaks and you'll discover the fabled Minaret of Jam, a dizzying lone sentinel for a lost empire. In Herat, the mosque and citadel easily rival anything that Samarkand has to offer (I'm not kidding), while in the thin tongue of the Wakhan Corridor you can saddle up your yak and go trekking from yurt to yurt. And I haven't even mentioned the juiciest melons, grapes and pomegranates found anywhere on the planet.

We won't beat about the bush. Afghanistan isn't easy, and you'd better keep your eye on the news before planning a trip. Staying clear of the restive south is obvious, but everywhere else? Kabul's tough at times, but it's a long way from Baghdad.

Afghanistan isn't for everyone. Maybe it isn't even for most people. But it's exciting, addictive and - for my money - the friendliest country in the world. And everyone is going to love you if you send them a postcard with a Kabul postmark!