A new travel guidebook for Afghanistan is due to be released soon, the first by a mainstream publisher for more than 20 years.

It comes as tourism to the nation continues to grow. Close to 9,000 international tourists visited Afghanistan in 2024 according to the government, with an extra 3,000 visiting in the first three months of 2025.  

Now a major new Bradt Guide for the country has been produced, written by James Willcox – an Afghan expert and founder of adventure travel company, Untamed Borders. Bradt are renowned for producing in-depth travel books, covering off-the-beaten-track and unconventional locations, with Afghanistan the latest in their collection.

James began organising trips to Afghanistan in 2008. Along with organising many hundreds of cultural group and private trips to the nation, James also launched the first ever international group ski trips to Afghanistan in 2011 and co-founded the Marathon of Afghanistan. The race ran for 6 years, and to date, is the country's only ever mixed-gender sporting event.

James has led the way in other pioneering projects in the Afghanistan too. These include organising trekking tours in the Wakhan Corridor, arranging logistics for the first kayaking trip to Afghanistan, the nation's first snowboard film and is an associate producer of Champions of the Golden Valley – a multi-award winning film about the Afghan skiing community.

James, who has visited the nation close to 40 times, says, “Afghanistan sits at a crossroad of cultures, geographically linking Central Asia to the Subcontinent. While today it is the least developed country in Asia, it has a long and fascinating history - having played a vital role on the ancient Silk Road, where people from all around the world converged, leaving a rich cultural and historical legacy.

There is also an immense range of landscapes. From epic snowcapped mountains and some of the world's last true remaining wildernesses, to harsh desert, vast plains and bustling cities.

It's a country which few have had chance to experience in modern history. This provides a real sense of adventure and, for me, there is something magical about exploring a nation, which isn't gripped by mass tourism. It provides a richer experience. For anyone who visits Afghanistan, often the people and the human interactions are what sticks most in your mind, the immense hospitality and kindness of Afghans.

I hope the book opens more people's eyes to the opportunities and experiences that Afghanistan has to offer, so they can soak up the kind of wonderful experiences, which have drawn me back again and again, for the past 17 years.”

In the 1960s and 70s Afghanistan was firmly on the hippie trail map, drawing many thousands of intrepid tourists on their adventures to the Subcontinent.

Decades of conflict in the years since had seen tourism almost disappear, apart from a small trickle of hardy visitors. However, there has been a resurgence since 2021, when the Taliban came back to power and the allied forces departed.

The increased interest in travelling to Afghanistan is partly due to the security on the ground improving, as James explains:

“The reality is over recent years it has become easier to move around and travel in the country.

The last few years have seen a degree of relative stability, in comparison to the decades before. Afghanistan still has enormous challenges and poses some specific risks to travellers, but with the right preparation, it is possible to visit almost all corners of the country.”

The total number of tourists to Afghanistan in 2025 is expected to surpass the total for 2024 and the country is seeing a rise in domestic tourists too.

The book is due to be officially released in February 2026, but can be ordered via presale now.

You can find out more information about Untamed Borders' services in Afghanistan by emailing – info@untamedborders.com – and can see the company's upcoming group itineraries here. For those who can't visit Afghanistan in person, Untamed Borders also offers virtual tours of the country, led by the nation's first female tour guide – Fatima Haidari.