How to travel to Afghanistan during Taliban

The first time I traveled in Afghanistan was in June 2021, just when the US Army began to withdraw from the country, and shortly before the Taliban took it over.

In 2023, with the new change of Government, I decided to go back to see what was it like to travel in Afghanistan under new Taliban rule.

From a traveling perspective, a lot has changed in this country.

After more than 1 month of independent travel in Afghanistan, here is the most updated and complete travel guide to Afghanistan ever, containing everything you need to know related to safety, visas, permits, budget, top experiences, cultural facts, and more.

Read: 50 Photos that will show you the beauty of Afghanistan

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Can you travel to Afghanistan now?

Oh, yes, absolutely.

In fact, Afghanistan has always been open for tourism, and visas have always been issued at the respective embassies.

With the Taliban, nevertheless, there’s only a small bunch of embassies which can issue you a valid tourist visa – more on that on the visa section – but it’s a pretty easy and straightforward process.

Moreover, either because they want to whitewash their image, or because they need foreign currency, the new Taliban Government is welcoming foreign tourists, the only barrier being the ethical issues that such a trip may trigger on certain travelers.

Introduction: What’s going on in Afghanistan?

More than 40 years of conflict have turned Afghanistan into an actual war-torn country, starting in 1979, when tribal people rebelled against the Communist party, originating a war between the Soviet Union and the Mujahideen, which lasted until 1989.

The Soviets were defeated but then, Mujahideen war lords began to fight each other over power, impoverishing the country even more.

Fed up with all that warlordism and disappointed that Islamic law had not been installed after the communists were kicked out,…