Band-e Amir

Band-e Amir, high in the central highlands of Afghanistan near Bamyan, is one of the most beautiful natural sights in all of Central Asia and the country's first national park. Here a chain of six deep-blue lakes lies dammed by natural walls of travertine, mineral deposits laid down over millennia, their intensely coloured waters set against stark, dry mountain cliffs at over 2,900 metres. The effect is serene and almost unreal, a vivid ribbon of blue in an austere landscape long held sacred by local people. It is a place of genuine wonder and one of the great natural treasures of the mountains.

History

The six lakes - Gholaman, Qambar, Haibat, Panir, Pudina and Zulfiqar - were dammed by mineral-rich water seeping out of faults and leaving calcium carbonate behind, wall upon wall; Haibat is the largest and deepest. The name means "the Ruler's Dam" in Dari, and some take the ruler to be Ali, the fourth caliph, whose sword gives Band-e Zulfiqar its name. Plans for a national park began in the 1970s but stalled in the wars, and at one point a hydroelectric dam was considered here instead; the park was finally established in 2009, covering about 606 square kilometres, and by 2023 drew more than 100,000 visitors a year (Wikipedia, Band-e Amir National Park).

What's there

• The blue lakes - the chain of intensely deep-blue mountain lakes.
• The travertine dams - the natural mineral walls holding the water.
• The stark cliffs - the austere dry mountains framing the lakes.
• The national park - Afghanistan's first and finest protected area.

When to go

Late spring through early autumn, roughly May to September, brings the mildest weather to this high, remote region, when the lakes show their fullest, most intense blue against the dry cliffs; the surrounding highlands are snowbound and bitterly cold in winter. Clear summer days give the most vivid colours.

Good to know

Band-e Amir is high and remote, reached by long mountain roads, and its altitude of over 2,900 metres makes for cool air and thin light even in summer, so warm layers help. As one of Afghanistan's genuine natural wonders, a chain of astonishingly blue lakes held by natural dams amid stark mountains, though, it is a place of serene and almost unreal beauty.

Nearby

The Bamyan valley, with its famous cliff niches, lies nearby.

Key facts