What one night camping at Afghanistan's stunning National Park looks like (Overnight in refugee tents?)
Visiting Band-e-Amir is an absolute tourist favourite. The beautiful turquoise blue waters of the lake attract both foreign and domestic tourists who want to come to relax amongst the waterfalls or to take a boat out to the lake.
Located a few hours’ drive from the famous city of Bamiyan, home to the Buddhas of Bamiyan, Band-e-Amir is possible to visit in just one day.
But we had different plans.
We wanted to stay there overnight.
In this blog, I recount our bizarre but magical night at Band-a-Amir, camping under the stars alongside Afghan women.
Firstly, let me take you through how we visited Band-e-Amir and everything you need to know about it. The situation is constantly changing in Afghanistan, even day by day and person to person. The information is accurate to our visit only in September 2024.
If you want to visit Band-e-Amir, make sure to stay up to date with the latest information.
The rest I can provide only as insight and tips!
Visiting Band-e-Amir
You can visit Band-e-Amir from Bamiyan in Afghanistan. It is about 6hrs from Kabul to Bamiyan, then another 2-3hrs or so from Bamiyan to Band-e-Amir.
You should get permits in Kabul before departing, then again upon arrival in Bamiyan.
You can spend anything from 2 hours to a full night at Band-e-Amir.
Can Foreigners Visit Band-e-Amir?
Yes, but you may have some pushback. Especially if you're a solo/group of women.
Women at Band-e-Amir
A note on women at Band-e-Amir. The Taliban officially banned women from public parks. This includes Band-e-Amir National Park. However, in practice, we saw local Afghan women there. Quite a few, in fact. The issue is a bit more nuanced than just a black-and-white blanket ban implemented.
As you'll see below.
Driving to Band-e-Amir
We started our drive from Bamiyan in the late morning.
Our aim was to get to Band-e-Amir at around 2-3 pm or later. We were a group of women and had heard that it is much easier to get in later on in the day. Apparently, ‘those that care’ have already gone home by then.
DRAGON VALLEY
We stopped first at Dragon Valley. This was originally to kill some time - but we were incredibly happy we did it. A beautiful valley just outside the main city.
The roads to the top where you’ll have a killer viewpoint are a bit precarious, but certainly worth it.
At the top, you’re greeted with a view that stretches right down through the valley and far and wide. Interestingly, this area located 2,500m above sea level used to be seabed. Indeed, if you pick your way through the cracks you can find bits of coral and can see how porous the rocks are. Don’t ask me how this works, but it was very interesting to me!
The next bizarre thing is if you walk down the length of the top viewing area, or down the dragon’s back, as this area is named for its dragon shape, you will come to the dragon’s head.
It has two distinct ‘eyes’, noticeable for the fact that out of the eyes are two streams of slightly salted water. You’ll find locals. Coming up here to bottle it and drink it for later. I tried a little just for the sake of it but didn’t trust it enough to be bottling it! Just a slight hint of salt; otherwise, pretty fresh.
And it wasn’t just us enjoying the refreshingly cool water with a view. Not long after we arrived, we suddenly heard the sound of bells and hoofs, and I was almost knocked off my feet as the herd of goats came hurtling towards the stream clearly also thirsty and wanting to have a refresh. Not their first time here, they ran straight to the source - which, balanced precariously at the side of the valley, very quickly became overcrowded.
Soon, the shepherd followed.
Allowing his goats to graze, he waited patiently at the side until they moved on of their own accord; thirsts quenched and ready to go. The sudden wave of goats that approached from around the corner, as well as how in-tune they were both with each other and with one lonely the shepherd, was quite a sight to behold.
As quickly as they arrived, they were on their way again, and it was also time for us to get moving, too.
We made our way precariously back down the valley and through the small village back to the main road to continue our journey to Band-e-Amir.
Dragon Valley in Bamiyan, Afghanistan
MOUNTAIN VIEWS
Having driven from Kabul to Bamiyan the night before, we had already been pretty spoilt with the incredible views that seemed to stretch for miles. But driving to Band-e-Amir will also not disappoint.
You’re at pretty high altitudes here, increasing almost to 3,000m above sea level at some points. Yet, you’ll find mountains towering above in the distance.
As well as the landscapes, we also drove through various small towns and villages. We stopped here to pick up some bread and vegetables for a picnic in Band-e-Amir which I would definitely recommend.
There’s not much at the lake area and anything that there is is going to be a lot more expensive.
Most of the drive from Bamiyan you can cover pretty quickly.
The roads are tarmac and in pretty good condition - but once you’ve covered most of the distance, you turn into the dirt roads. Although we had been driving for over an hour and had already got most of the way there, the next part of the drive was a very slow one and took almost the same amount of time to cover half the distance.
No complaints, though, as this drive is a very scenic one, and it wasn’t long before we saw the first lake.
Smaller than the main Band-e-Amir, this little Band is beautiful from above and we took a stop here to take some photos, getting all the more excited as we bumped our way along.
Arrival at Band-e-Amir
It wasn’t long before Band-e-Amir came into view. It’s a beautiful sight to behold and those turquoise, greens, and blues you see in the photos?
It really is that beautiful and crystal clear, and you’re pretty much guaranteed to be there on a sunny, clear day.
We made our way down through the winding roads to the entrance to Band-e-Amir.
And this was where we were pretty nervous.
We were a car of women, and recently there was a rule implemented banning women from the Band-e-Amir area. However, we were hopeful we could still enter after coming in the afternoon, when ‘those that care’ had gone home already. It is one thing for a foreign woman like myself to be able to enter, but we were 1 foreign woman, and 4 Afghani women. There was certainly a high chance we would be sent back.
We kept our heads down at the back of the car, faces covered, and didn’t say anything as we let the driver do the talking, wondering if all that driving was about to go to waste.
The guy at the gate leaned his head into the car and passed through some leaflets.
It was a hotel leaflet for inside the Band-e-Amir.
3 nerve-wracking minutes went by as we flicked through the leaflets, a few more words were exchanged, and he waved us on through. We were in!
A place that should be banned for women… a car full of them had made it through.
We were ecstatic.
This kind of thing you will find a lot throughout Afghanistan, and it’s one of the many nuances to try to understand about this complicated country. It is currently ruled by the Taliban; they are the official government. But, just like in any other country in the world - the government body are not representative of the ideas and opinions of every single one of its citizens. More often than not, you will find that the local people don’t enforce these rules; when they don’t have to.
Either because it is too much effort and they can’t be bothered, or because they don’t agree with the extremist views themselves.
band-e-amir lake afghanistan
Camping At The Band-e-Amir
Our car pulled up outside the entrance to the bustling market stalls that line the rocky ground and pathways leading up to the waterfall and the main attraction itself; the lake Band-E-Amir.
The car park was jam-packed and the markets were full of trinkets and colourful clothing, cowboy hats and cheap jewellery, with sellers and kids calling you over. It felt like any busy tourist destination around the world and - dare I say it - a bit like Blackpool (the run-down tacky seaside town in the northeast of England).
It’s not all that surprising once you consider that this is one of if not the most popular places for foreign and domestic tourists alike.
Finding a Home
At the entrance to the market area and just to the side of the busy parking lot was a muddy pile of small, crowded tents. When I pictured camping at Band-E-Amir, it wasn’t quite this…
We inquired about the price and availability, before deciding that we’d first take a further look for a more… scenic location than the side of the road in the pathway of literally every other visitor.
Luckily, one of us was from Bamiyan and had been her before. She reassured us that there were indeed more scenic tents further on.
Hauling our luggage through over the wet rocks, we made our way slowly through the markets and out into the open air, where we caught our first sight of the streams trickling down from the waterfalls that were not yet in sight; although we could hear the distant sound of falling water.
We didn’t really have a plan and honestly had no idea if foreigners or women were even permitted to stay here overnight. But, only one way to find out!
After just a few minutes’ walk along the rocky pathway, the second camping spot came into view.
This was more like it.
Perched on top - and inside - a cliff directly opposite the waterfalls were four large tents. Considering we had arrived late afternoon and with such a grand view of the surroundings, we were sure that they would already be reserved. After clambering up the cliffside and asking the owner, we were able to make a deal for all 4 of the tents. Leaving the cliff and surrounding area completely for us!
Now, before I make this sound all too idyllic, let me bring you back to reality.
Because this is not the camping experience I envisioned. And it’s probably not the camping experience you are envisioning, either.
But it was an experience, that’s for sure.
Refugee Tents
First of all, camping is never glamorous. But the large tents that I keep speaking about?
You could still see the outline of the old UNHCR logo on them, and regardless, from the outside, it was pretty clear that these were repurposed refugee tents.
Inside it is incredibly spacious - probably made for 20 or so people to be cramped together. Nevertheless, they were pretty cheap, so we spent the extra few dollars to make sure we had a peaceful nights’ sleep. The tents were placed extremely close together and the walls were not terribly thick.
It only took one family to decide they wanted to party late into the night and our peaceful campsite would’ve become, well, not so peaceful.
Getting into the tent was the first tricky part.
Built to withstand emergencies of all sorts, the front was closed tight with various complicated bits of string through various holes. Once inside the outer tent, it was clear that the robustness stopped here as the zip to get into the main area was rusted and didn’t close properly.
Nevertheless, you definitely couldn’t complain. Inside was massive and the top of the tent was high enough to stand up in, held up with one large pole in the middle.
The floor of the tent was laden with carpet and the sides were lined with typical Afghan-style long pillows and thick blankets. I expect that neither of these had seen a good wash in recent months, but nevertheless, there was only a slight scent of tobacco left on them. Perhaps this was drowning out any other smell that may have been leftover.
Perched atop the flat part of a small cliff at the mouth of a cave, the view from these tents was perfect.
In front of us, the waterfalls crashed down and all around there were families and friends walking, sitting, eating, drinking - enjoying their weekends.
Overall, absolutely fine for one night. In fact, I felt incredibly lucky.
Now we were settled in with a place to put our bags, it was finally time to go exploring. It was late afternoon by this point and the air finally started to feel cooler, despite the sun still beating down heavily.
Our camp on the cliff face is in the distance
The Band-e-Amir
Once you’re in the national park, no signs are pointing towards the lake. However, there are pathways leading steadily upwards as the water from the waterfalls fought against it and trickled down.
We followed the paths and the crowds through the winding paths lining the sides of the cliffs until finally, it opened out to a clearing. On the left-hand side is another cliff; on top of it, is a mosque.
To the right-hand side, the unmistakable dark blue and turquoise colours of the Band-E-Amir.
The deep blue dashed with bright yellows and oranges of the paddle boats filled with families enjoying their day off.
It was a Friday, and the locals were making the most of their weekend.
Boats across the Band
There are a variety of boats you can hire. The majority are paddle boats with room for 4 people, but there are also smaller and bigger ones and even some motor-powered boats.
The first hurdle we had to get over is being allowed to hire them. Even though we were inside the park, I’d also heard that sometimes women are refused to use the hire boats.
In the end, it all turned out fine.
No questions asked and the only difficulty we had was trying to navigate the inflated tourist price (about 10x the amount for locals). But after agreeing on a price, we jumped into our boats and paddled the lake as the sun was setting.
Aside from a fun experience on the lake, it’s also a nice opportunity for some people watching.
We hear a great deal about Afghanistan on the news, but it’s rare to hear about these normal aspects of life.
People enjoying their time off, families getting together, people on a weekend away… it all felt rather normal.
In a good way.
Meeting Afghanis
Despite trying to keep my head down, as the only foreigner there, we were attracting a fair bit of attention. However, none of it bad attention. Multiple times people came up to me to chat, and ask me where I was from and how I found Afghanistan.
I even met a few people who were back in Afghanistan a long time ago after having moved away due to war and finally, now they feel it is safe once again to come back.
It’s refreshing to see so many domestic tourists as well as so many Afghanis coming back to explore their own country. The reception from the Afghanis at the Band-E-Amir is the same as I received all over the country; incredibly friendly and incredibly grateful that you came to visit their beautiful home.
Whilst they were mostly men, there were also quite a few women and their children.
Although, it was the first time that one of the women I was with decided it best to cover up more than usual. She said she noticed lots of Taliban around.
It’s always better to be more conservative than you have to be and to try not to attract any unwanted attention. This was the biggest lesson I learnt in Afghanistan. No matter what the actual rules are, always keep this in your mind. Not just in your clothing, but also in your behaviour and how you talk.
As the sun set, I pulled myself away from a conversation with a group of guys that kept multiplying the longer I spent there and back to our campsite.
The Band-E-Amir is located over 3,000m above sea level.
Despite the fact that we were visiting in August, the height of summer, as soon as the sun disappears, it gets cold.
Sunrise at band-e-amir
Night At The Band-e-Amir
Camping at the Band-e-Amir is not normal for foreigners. It's certainly not what most people do. And I’m not sure many had done so before.
So, the authorities didn’t know what to do with us, either.
As we were walking back to our tents, we noticed the driver walking up the path to meet us.
The Taliban had called, he said. They don’t want you to stay.
He gave us a number we needed to call and we tried to call them back. Multiple times.
They didn’t answer and so… we stayed. And waited. If they really didn’t want us there, they would’ve called again, right?
Or at least pick up our calls.
Dinner Time
Having not had a proper meal all day, our minds were elsewhere and the smell of freshly cooked food as we approached our tents was very welcoming. We’d asked the owner of the campsite to prepare a dinner for us which he cooks right at the mouth of the cave.
The bread was fresh and there was a surprising mix of dishes - considering we were in the middle nowhere.
Bread, potatoes, meat, veg… it was some of the best food I had in Afghanistan. Probably helped by the hunger and the atmosphere, though - inside a tent outside a cave 1000s of meters above sea level and surrounded by nature.
Most of the people had left by this point and outside it was fairly quiet.
So quiet that I was convinced it was raining.
All I could hear was the sound of rushing water and I was preparing to have to cover up completely and run to my tent to not get soaked in the rain.
For over an hour, I sat having dinner, listening to the weather outside and dreading opening the tent flaps to move to my tent in the rain. When I finally opened the tent, though, it was completely calm outside.
The water sound I was hearing the whole time was just the sound of the waterfalls in the near distance.
A VISIT FROM THE TALIBAN
Shortly after we finished dinner and were ready to head to our respective tents after deciding that it would be a great opportunity to have an early night, the tent flaps opened just enough to reveal two black-booted men with large guns.
They didn’t come in but wanted to speak with us.
Somaya. My guide and fixer who I was travelling with stepped out. And the atmosphere inside the tent suddenly shifted.
It was past 9 pm at this point. Were we going to have to leave and drive back to Bamiyan? Tackle those awful roads in the pitch black? Find a new place to stay?
After a short few minutes that felt like a lot longer, Somaya came back in, all smiles as usual. She was incredibly relaxed, much to my surprise.
‘So… what did they want?’ I inquired.
‘They were so lovely!’ She explained. They just wanted to make sure that we were safe. They were fine with us staying and just wanted to give us their contact number in case anything happened.
‘They apologised a lot for having to go through all the protocol and want to help make us safe’.
Knowing the Taliban were on our side and with a contact number that came with gun protection in hand… we all slept a little bit sounder that night.
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