Let’s rewind from the end. You’ve got an 82-year-old Australian woman walking the streets of Kabul with a smile on her face. No fear. No cold stares. Just warm greetings and nods from the locals. You don’t hear this every day, especially when it comes to Afghanistan.
But this is the experience Somaya Moniry, a 24-year-old Afghan woman, wants travelers, especially women, to have.
Wait, Women’s Tours in Afghanistan? Yep, that’s a thing now.
She wanted to improve her English. While doing that, she found Couchsurfing, hosted a traveler, and went with them to show them around western Afghanistan.
That trip? It flipped a switch.
“We always hear the bad stuff,” she said. “But once I saw the beauty, the culture, the kindness—it changed everything.”
Fast-Forward: Now She Leads an All-Female Tour Across Kabul
One of her guests? Suzanne, an Australian, had dreamed of coming to Afghanistan since the 1960’s. She hesitated for decades, with her family warning her against coming here – until now.
“It was nothing like I expected,” Suzanne said. “I thought I would be fearful. But everyone was kind, smiling and engaged.”
Another traveler, who traveled from Chicago, comes solo like Suzanne, had the same thought. “The Afghan people are very warm. I know I have more freedom than the local women; yet I have never felt unwelcome.”
A Country Stained from War…but Still Radiates
Let’s be frank, Afghanistan is a country that’s been in a war for over four decades. The Taliban’s return in 2021with the subsequent withdrawal of NATO forces was crushing and sent dazed shockwaves around the globe.
Most tourists present in Afghanistan are explorers/independent travelers. There is an uptick in the number of people traveling in guided tours. In NA there were travelers from UK, China, Greece, Netherlands and beyond.
The visa process is no longer a nightmare either. A 30-day tourist visa? Totally possible now, especially from embassies abroad.
Empowering Afghan Women – One Tour at a Time
Zoe Stephens, a British tour leader from Koryo Tours, takes people to places not featuring on most people’s travel bucket list. She works closely with Moniry and local female guides to create experiences that are much more than just a sightseeing tour.
Think local women’s centres, traditional cooking demonstrations, embroidery sessions – all of which are closed for male tourists.
Zoe explains by saying “We are trying to do something different, not just visit somewhere but to give something,” “By working with female guides we can achieve that for both authenticity and ethical impact.” For visitors from women’s point of view in Afghanistan is large.
The Start Was an App. The Result? Much Larger.
Somaya’s journey started on an app. But where it has gone? Way off the app.
With the act of committing her home, showing up to one walk, and saying yes to one experience, she is now a face of hope—someone helping to re-frame how the world views Afghanistan and how Afghan women view themselves.
She didn’t just start up a tour company. She started a movement.
And it all began with a single step out her front door.
Travel has the capacity to change perspectives. But at times it also changes lives.
