Afghanistan is a country of constant change, from how to get a visa to airport arrival procedures and many more things there is never a constant state of anything in this amazing country. Since the Taliban takeover in August of 2021, the country has been going through some big changes in terms of development of infrastructure, largely thanks to China.
If you are like us and come through Kabul Airport several times a year you will notice that every time you arrive back, there is a new building, or new road at the airport that seemingly has sprung up overnight. One of the bigger projects in the country that was in dire need of change has certainly been the roads.
One of the big promises of the new government was the repairing of the major highways around the country. For years these roads and bridges were destroyed during the war and were way too dangerous for tourists to even attempt travel on. The reconstruction of these roads has been going on for a very long time now and accurate information is hard to come by, but we have just driven on a bunch of them so we can give you a current update as of April 2025.
So, what are the current conditions?
Kandahar to Ghazni
This was one of the worst roads with lot’s of dust, traffic and just all over bad conditions. However, we are happy to report this road has been repaired! There is the odd place where you might be on a bumpy section, however for no more than a few minutes at a time. The worst sections was through Zabul province and this has really improved. The drive time will be roughly 6-8 hours from Kabul to Ghazni, depending on the stops you make and traffic at the time.
Ghazni to Kabul
This one is one of the best improved roads in the country! This journey was previously around 4-5 hours, however this has now been cut down to 2hours and in some cases when traffic isn’t bad 1.5 hours! We really can’t express how happy it makes us to travel so fast on a road in Afghanistan!
Kabul to Bamyan
This road is mostly very good as well. There is a section just after the junction at Maidan Shah that is a rocky dirt road that goes through small villages, however this doesn’t last too long and then turns into a fantastic road to Bamyan City. If you’re doing this route in the winter however, snow and ice will absolutely be present so expect delays due to weather. The journey from Kabul to Bamyan city will take roughly 3 hours if traffic is good.
Mazar-i-Sharif to Kabul
This is a very long stretch of road which includes a trip through the infamous Solang Pass. The road for the most part from Mazar to the start of the Solang pass is pretty good, however on this stretch there is a lot of traffic all the time. The road up the pass is not too bad but is slow going as is to be expected on such a steep climb. The Solang Tunnel itself has been repaired and the road on the inside is amazing. On either side you can see plumes of fumes coming out, which may make you think the whole tunnel will have terrible ventilation, but it’s not as bad once you’re inside. In the central part of the tunnel there is much better ventilation so the days of the whole tunnel being filled with fumes is behind us, at least for now. Lighting has also been drastically improved in the tunnel making it much less scary.
The road down from the Solang Tunnel to Kabul, is not as in good condition. It is currently being repaired and it is extremely bumpy. When you factor in traffic for this it is slow going. It looks like they are starting the preparations for the road to be fixed, but for now the overall condition is pretty bad on this one section. Once you get closer to Kabul it gets better, but this stretch alone will take a few hours once you’re off the mountain. The total drive time from Mazar to Kabul will be around 13 hours with no stops. Fingers crossed this one improves soon!
Travelling overland in Afghanistan is easily one of the best ways to see the country. This will show you some interesting views of local life in villages and you may even see nomads and people wearing very traditional clothing in remote areas. On top of this the views and scenery as you drive along are absolutely fantastic!
If you’d like to join us on an Afghanistan road trip then contact us at
[email protected]
to secure your spot on our next Afghanistan tour. Spaces on our Afghan tours are limited so get in quick before they sell out!
