The Band-e Amir National Park is located in the Bamyan Province of Afghanistan. There are several modern hotels in Bamyan, which is the capital of the province. The site of Buddhas of Bamyan is also located in this province. Some people visit Bamyan in the winter for skiing trips.
Kabul
Tourists can visit many parks and other places in Kabul. The Ghazi Stadium often hosts football matches. Next to the stadium is an indoor skating ground called Skateistan. There are two bowling alleys, one is named Bravo Bowling and Cafe while the other is named Striker Bowling. There are also two indoor water parks, and several snooker and billiards clubs in different parts of the city.
The Abdul Rahman Mosque, which was built recently, is one of the largest mosques in Kabul. It is adjacent to the Zarnegar Park in the Wazir Akbar Khan section of the city, not far from the Serena Hotel.
The Gardens of Babur is a historic park in Kabul. It is the resting-place of the first Mughal emperor Babur. The gardens are thought to have been developed around 1528 AD when Babur gave orders for the construction of an avenue garden in Kabul, described in some detail in his memoirs, the Baburnama. Lonely Planet describes the park as "the loveliest spot in Kabul".
The Darul Aman Palace sits directly across from the Afghan Parliament in the southeastern section of the city. As of 2019, the palace is still under renovation. Tourists may visit the inside of the palace once the renovation is fully completed.
Habibullah Zazai Park
Habibullah Zazai Park is the largest recently established amusement park in Kabul. It sits on a hillside and provides large walking space with great views of the city. Another such park is called the City Park, which is much smaller.
Kabul Zoo
has around 280 animals, which includes 45 species of birds and mammals and 36 species of fish. Among the animals there are two lions and a khanzir, which is extremely rare in Afghanistan. As many as 5,000 people visit the zoo during the weekends.
The National Museum of Afghanistan sits next to the Darul Aman Palace in the southeastern section of the city. The museum's collection had earlier been one of the most important in Central Asia, with over 100,000 items dating back several millennia. With the start of the civil war in 1992, the museum was looted numerous times resulting in a loss of 70% of the 100,000 objects on display. Since 2007, a number of international organizations have helped to recover over 8,000 artifacts, the most recent being a limestone sculpture from Germany. Approximately 843 artifacts were returned by the United Kingdom in 2012, including the famous 1st Century Bagram Ivories.
Paghman
has been used historically as a summer retreat and a hunting ground. It is located northwest of Kabul.
Qargha
is a large reservoir and next to it is a picnic area. It is located on the way to Paghman.
Other places
The Indus Valley Civilization was a Bronze Age civilization extending from what today is northwest Pakistan to northwest India and northeast Afghanistan. An Indus Valley site has been found on the Oxus River at Shortugai in northern Afghanistan. Apart from Shortughai tourists can visit Mundigak in southern Afghanistan which is another notable site. Below are some notable tourist sites away from Kabul, in other cities:
Afghanistan is a totally Islamic country. In Islam, a tourist or a traveler is called a . Such person is generally treated as a diplomat and must be protected under Afghan culture at all costs, even if he or she is disobedient to the law of Afghanistan or to the Afghan culture. Every mosque is a place of ultimate protection against common criminals. Although Afghans in general are very friendly to tourists, their country is not very safe because foreign tourists have been kidnapped and sometimes killed. Finding an honest and reliable tour guide is the key to safety in Afghanistan.
