Capital: Kabul
Time zone: GMT + 4.5
Telephone services: At the time of writing no services were available.
Emergency telephone numbers: At the time of writing no services were available.
Tourist information: Afghan Tourist Organisation (ATO), Ansari Wat, Shar-i-Nau, Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: (9251) 30323.
Passport information: Valid passport required by all. Return Ticket required. Requirements may be subject to short-term change. Contact the relevant authority before departure.
Visa information: Visa required by all except: Nationals of Afghanistan holding official passports. Travellers holding re-entry permits issued by Afghanistan. Travellers holding confirmed onward tickets and continuing their journey to another country by the same aircraft within 2 hours.
Health information: Polio, Typhoid, Vaccination recommended
Malaria: Exists in the falciparum and vivax varieties.
Yellow Fever: A vaccination certificate is required if arriving from endemic or infected areas. Travellers arriving from non endemic areas should note that vaccination is strongly recommended for travel outside the urban areas.
Other Health Risks: Cutaneous leishmaniasis, Cholera, tick born relapsing fever, Typhus, and Rabies are all present.
Food & drink: Water is untreated and not safe to drink. Avoid dairy products as they are not pasteurised. Fruit and vegetables should be peeled before consumption
Currency: Afghani (Af) = 100 puls.
Credit cards and travellers cheques are not accepted.
ATM availability: Unavailable.
Cost of living: Limited accommodation and commodities in Kabul. All are inexpensive
Languages: Pashtu and Dari Persian. English, French, German and Russian are also spoken
Weather: Regions above 2500m are extremely cold. There are considerable differences between temperatures in the summer and winter and between day and night in lowland regions and the valleys
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50 Hz.
Post: No postal, telephone, fax or telex services available.
Transport: Buses, trolley buses and taxis operate in Kabul. It is essential to check these services with the relevant airline offices
Special information: EXTREME RISK: No travellers should enter Afghanistan and great care is needed in bordering countries and especially regions close to the international border with Afghanistan.