This mountainous land locked country is most known for its production of melons, pomegranates and grapes. It also has some of the largest deposits of lithium, natural gas, coal and oil in the world. Its capital and largest city is Kabul. It’s an interesting country and some images of Afghanistan are not always favourable. That is, until you see the spectacular pictures of the Koh-e-Baba Mountain Range which is where Afghanistan’s ski resorts can be found.
The location you need to head to for this amazing destination is the Bamyan Province in Central Afghanistan. Its west of Kabul around a 180km (112 miles) drive away, the closest main airport to Bamyan is Afghanistan Kabul International Airport (KBL /OAKB) which is 130km away. This is the best airport for foreigners when arriving in Afghanistan.
Skiing in Afghanistan offers superb back country skiing, there are no marked runs or ski lifts so why are skiers and snowboarders from around the globe arriving on mass there? There is uphill and downhill skiing which covers a distance up to 4km, its altitude is 2,550 m. Skiers from around the world flock to this location to take part in The Afghan Ski Challenge which is a backcountry ski race. This event takes place each spring and it’s inviting skiers from a variety of countries to take part. The first ski lift to the mountains is expected very soon and further snow sports are to be introduced to encourage more tourism to the area.
Bamyan Ski School is very important to the area and has been teaching young Afghan children to ski. This is taken very seriously as international ski instructors teach the children about safety on the mountains and about avalanche safety too. It’s hoped that these children will eventually be able to take part in The Afghan Ski Challenge.
Afghanistan’s mountainous region covers over 90% of the Bamyan Province, and the extremely cold weather last for at 6 months. Of course this is ideal skiing conditions, however Bamyan has much more to offer than just skiing and this fascinating country will captivate you. There are four districts within the city which covers an area of 3,539 hectares. This beautiful region is home to many Buddha statues which have been carved into the cliffs. The city has views of the amazing statues as they were carved into the cliffs to face the city. The Monks Caves of Shahr-e Gholghola (City of Sighs) and the city, where destroyed by the infamous Genghis Khan in 1221. However, its ruins are the most visited attraction in Afghanistan today. The oldest oil paintings in the world where discovered in caves in the Bamyan Valley in 2008 by a team of international conservators and archaeologists.
Bamyan Valley’s is one of Afghanistan’s most popular tourist attractions. Over the years its archaeology findings has found to be a mix of Chinese, Greek, Indian, Persian and Turkic (Turkish, Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uighur, Uzbek, and Tatar) influence. Bamyan lies along the famous and historic Silk Route that was so important for trade from the second century B.C. until the 14th century A.D. It spanned from Asia to the Mediterranean and the phrase, “Where east meets west” was born from this. It was named the Silk Route due to the massive trade of silk during this period. During this time Bamyan was the crossroads for all trade taking place between China and the Middle East.
If you have never considered visiting Afghanistan, do it this year. Enjoy the ski resort for its incredible scenery and discover a hidden world of ancient history.