Nurestan Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Nurestan is the extreme Northeast part of Afghanistan. On the map, it is the little handle reaching toward China.
Contents |
Understand
Nurestan is one of the most remote areas on Earth, right up in the Hindu Kush mountains. "Hindu Kush" translates as "Hindu Killer", which describes the terrain and climate well. The area used to be called Kafiristan, land of unbelievers, until it was converted to Islam at swordpoint in the 19th century and became known as Nurestan.
Kipling wrote of it in "The Man Who Would be King". In his day, no Europeans had been there. John Huston made a film [1] based on the book, with Sean Connery and Michael Caine in lead roles. It is a fine movie and the geography is about right, but the culture is more from Kipling's imagination than anything related to the actual place.
Another wonderful book about the area is Eric Newby's "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush", long out of print but recently reprinted by Lonely Planet, [2] ISBN: 0864426046. When Newby and a friend visited Nuristan in the 1950s, they were the second or third European expedition ever to reach it.
Talk
Get in
To even get close to Nurestan, you need a four-wheel drive vehicle with a winch and other rough-country preparation.
You probably cannot enter from China. They are sensitive about that border because of smuggling and Islamic politics.
Get around
For most of the area, you need to hike or ride a horse or donkey.
See
Do
There are some peaks of interest to mountain climbers. Newby and friend attempted one.
Eat
Drink
Stay safe
See the Afghanistan article for hazards related to war, politics and poor sanitation. All apply to Nurestan.
In addition, Nurestan poses risks of altitude sickness.
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