New from Bradt is Afghanistan, the first travel guidebook to the country from a mainstream publisher in almost 20 years. Afghanistan is a paradox: a nation so well-known internationally, yet one so infrequently explored that it has been effectively untouched by tourism since being a key stop on the hippie trail four decades ago. The Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, China and the ex-USSR 'stans collide in Afghanistan. It is both the graveyard of empires and one of the world's most hospitable countries. From the searing deserts of the south to the high peaks of the Hindu Kush, any trip here is challenging - but one that is now eminently possible with the right preparation. Cue expert travel advice from Bradt's authorial team, comprising an adventure-tourism specialist and a prolific guidebook-writer who cover all the practicalities needed to travel securely and rewardingly - from how female travellers should best enjoy the country to where to stay in Kabul, the sprawling capital. Even the most well-travelled visitor will find their soul stirred and their blood pumping from spending time in Afghanistan. Visit iconic locations such as the Khyber Pass, the Minaret of Jam (14 hours' drive from the nearest paved road!) or the Buddha Niches of Bamian (even if the Taliban have destroyed the statues once found there). Go trekking with Kyrgyz nomads in the Pamir mountains. On the vast steppe, watch buzkashi, a sport where riders attempt to place a goat carcass in a goal. Stay in chaikhanas, communal tea houses that have changed little from the time of Silk Road traders. Enjoy Herat's Timurid architectural gems. Visit the shrine of Hazrat Ali, Afghanistan's pre-eminent pilgrimage site, in Mazar e Sharif. At Band e Amir, experience the country's first national park, and take a swan-shaped pedalo across the lapis lazuli blue waters of its lakes. Follow in the footsteps of Marco Polo in the Wakhan Corridor. Or hike among the forested peaks of Nuristan, where non-Afghan visitors so rarely tread. With Bradt's Afghanistan to inform and inspire you, the off-beat holiday of a lifetime beckons.
James Willcox has travelled extensively throughout Central Asia, the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. In 2008, he founded the travel company Untamed Borders (untamedborders.com), which specialises in providing unparalleled access to some of the world's most inaccessible places, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Middle East, North Africa, East Africa, former Soviet Central Asia and the Caucasus. Willcox has worked in tourism in Afghanistan since 2010, guiding two or three tours each year, working with TV crews and organising events. In doing so he helped pioneer ski tourism in the country, helped organise Afghanistan's first National Marathon race, and trained and employed the country's first (and only) female tour guide. He has been awarded a personal commendation from the Afghan government and a medal from the Afghan Olympic Committee for his efforts in promoting tourism and sport in Afghanistan. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Dana Facaros (facarospauls.com) wrote her first travel guide to the Greek Islands in 1977, then married her college sweetheart Michael Pauls and dragged him into travel-writing fray. They have been at it ever since, writing guidebooks and apps while contributing to a number of UK publications, including the Sunday Times, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Daily Telegraph, Wanderlust and Holiday Which? Alongside numerous guidebooks for Cadogan, they are the authors of eight Bradt guidebooks: Dordogne & Lot, Italy: Umbria & the Marche, Northern Spain, Emilia-Romagna, Northern Greece, Languedoc-Roussillon and Gascony & The Pyrenees. Over recent decades they have lived in Greece, Spain, Italy, Ireland and southwest France, where they are currently based. Facaros is excited about collaborating with James Willcox on Bradt's guidebook to Afghanistan, particularly about writing about the history, culture and food of this remarkable country.
