Band-e-Amir National Park

National Park · Yakawlang, Bamyan

A chain of six deep-blue lakes held behind natural travertine dams at nearly 3,000 metres in the Hindu Kush — mineral walls built by the water itself, holding back sapphire basins beneath pink limestone cliffs. Declared Afghanistan's first national park in 2009, it sits on UNESCO's Tentative List and is the country's best-loved domestic destination, reached by a rough 75-kilometre road from Bamyan. In August 2023 the Taliban banned women from entering the park; no lifting of that ban could be confirmed as of September 2026.

Band-e-Amir access road, off the Bamyan to Yakawlang road, Yakawlang, Bamyan, Afghanistan

Open in the sense that the gate is staffed in daylight, roughly May to October; effectively closed by snow much of the winter. Nothing is published — verify in Bamyan before the drive.

Band-e-Amir National Park on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos