Afghanistan ecotourism

The San Francisco Chronicle reports on the ecotourism efforts in Afghanistan.

The Aga Khan Foundation, an Afghan NGO, says that the Bamiyan area (known for the giant Buddhas that the Taliban infamously blew up in 2001) in the center of the country is safe. The Foundation created the Bamiyan Ecotourism Project (BEP) to "raise awareness of the region's natural attractions."

Afghanistan isn't on most tourist itineraries because most of the country is in the midst of instability and civil war making it unsafe for travelers. The U.S. State Department advises against travel to the country.

But despite this the BEP says tourists looking for nature can enjoy "Afghanistan's first national park, a 220-square-mile zone around Band-i-Amir [that has] six sapphire-blue lakes set amid barren sandstone badlands."

Read the full story: Tough sell: touring audacious Afghanistan