Band-e Amir

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In the central highlands of Bamyan, intensely blue water meets pale limestone cliffs at a chain of lakes unlike anywhere else in Afghanistan.

Turquoise water and limestone cliffs at Band-e Amir National Park

Photo: USAID Afghanistan, Wikimedia Commons, public domain

Lakes held by stone

Band-e Amir is a group of six mountain lakes separated by natural travertine dams. Mineral-rich water deposited calcium carbonate over long periods, slowly building the pale barriers that hold back the vivid blue pools.

RegionBamyan Province

LandscapeSix highland lakes

ProtectedNational park since 2009

The lakes are also part of local religious tradition and storytelling. Their names include Band-e Haibat, Band-e Zulfiqar and Band-e Panir.

A treasured landscape

Band-e Amir became Afghanistan’s first national park in 2009. For Afghan families it is both a place of natural beauty and a destination for summer visits, picnics and pilgrimage. The high elevation brings cold winters and a short visitor season.