Untamed Borders

Untamed Borders in brief 

A young and energetic travel company devoted to travel in (the undisputed parts of) Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, the northern reaches of Pakistan and India’s little visited north-east, including the Tawang Valley - where? Exactly. 

Our Review of Untamed Borders

If you want to take a trip to (the safe bits of) Afghanistan, Untamed Borders should be close to the top of your shortlist. It will be a short shortlist, but the company does offer several tours each year to the country, as well as to other areas in the region - northern Pakistan, Uzebkistan and north-eastern India. 

A chance meeting between a British traveller, James Willcox, and an Afghani tour guide and one-man tourist board, Prince Mahir Ullah Khan, led to a particularly niche tour operator: Untamed Borders. The company has helped foreign film crews and diplomats access the safer areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan, and has excellent contacts on the ground (Prince Mahir was facilitating access for press even during Taliban times), which they are happy to share with clients. Expect to meet plenty of local characters, from headhunters (retired, or so they say) to ex-mujahedin who've moved into hospitality. Really.

Untamed Borders ethical credentials are strong, as well. Two-thirds of the company is owned by Pashtuns, so much of the money you spend with them will go back into the local economy. 'Tourism not Terrorism' is the government's new tagline. Why not do your bit?

They offer some unexpected and very original tours - each year Untamed Borders runs a ski trip to Afghanistan's Bamiyan region, if you want to go severely off-piste.