I normally prefer to travel independently and alone however I felt that this was not an option for my first visit to Afghanistan. Wild Frontiers assembled a pretty disparate group comprising seven paying guests plus a British tour leader. The company has good contacts in Afghanistan and through these we were supplied with three vehicles plus drivers along with the services of a well informed and connected local guide. As a result, I felt that we were able to extract the maximum from our 18 day trip through the northern half of this war torn country. It was hot and dusty. The landscape was stunning, the Afghanis welcoming, the whole experience enlightening. Most trips are forgotten with a couple of weeks. Not a day passes without reflection on this visit. I shall return in 2006.