Afghanistan Tour Operator. Licensed. Afghan-Owned. On the Ground.
Darya Expeditions is registered with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Information & Culture — Licence ATO-00573. Founded in Kabul by two Afghan brothers from Bamiyan. Every tour we run is led by someone who was born here.
See Our ToursWho We Are
Built in Bamiyan. Run from Kabul.
Hussain Naveed and Hassan Jan Naveed grew up in the Bamiyan Valley. They lost their parents young and built their lives through education — as students, then as teachers, then as founders of a private education centre in the Hazarajat region.
That education centre, built from nothing, has served over 300 students — most of them girls and young women — under Taliban rule. When the Taliban returned in 2021 and closed girls’ schools across the country, Hussain negotiated directly with local Taliban officials to keep his centre open. He is still teaching today.
Hussain and Hassan founded Darya Expeditions. The name comes from the Dari word for river — darya — a reference to the country’s lifeblood: the Amu Darya, the Helmand, the Panjshir. The logic behind the company was simple: no one can show you Afghanistan better than people who have spent their entire lives here.
The Credentials
The Founders
Hussain Naveed – President
Hussain was born in the Bamiyan Valley and grew up through three decades of conflict — Soviet occupation, civil war, the first Taliban period, the American intervention, the second Taliban period. He graduated university against the odds, became an English teacher, and then in 2021 — the year everyone was leaving — he opened a private education centre in the Hazarajat region. Taliban family members attended his classes. Girls enrolled when no government school would take them. The centre is still running today.
Hassan Naveed – Vice President
Hassan is Hussain’s brother. He grew up in the same household, through the same losses, through the same Bamiyan. Where Hussain built the education centre, Hassan built the operational infrastructure — the Kabul logistics, the northern routes, the checkpoint relationships, the ground transport network that Darya runs on. Hassan manages day-to-day operations from Kabul. He speaks Dari, Pashto, and English. He has driven or escorted tours across every province Darya currently operates in.
Hussain Naveed
In August 2022, VICE World News travelled to Afghanistan specifically to document Hussain’s work. The article — “Inside Afghanistan’s Secret Schools for Girls” — ran globally. It is one of the most-read pieces VICE published that year on Afghanistan.
He founded Darya Expeditions to do for tourism what he had done for education: build something Afghan-owned, Afghan-run, and built to last.
Two brothers. One company. Every tour led by Afghans.
Darya is not a Western operator with an Afghan subcontractor. It is not a Dubai LLC reselling a Kabul operation. It is an Afghan company, registered in Kabul, owned by Afghans, with Afghan guides on every departure. When you book with Darya, the people taking your money are the same people taking you around the country.
How We Work
Legal & Licensing
Registered with the Afghan Ministry of Information & Culture
Darya Expeditions — registered name Darya-e-Ba Shuko Travel & Tour Co — holds Travel & Tours Licence ATO-00573, issued by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Information & Culture, Deputy of Tourism, Finance & Administrator, Directorate of Tourism.
Registration No: 00309 TIN: 9027292250 Registered address: Pul-e-Surkh, Kabul, Afghanistan
This licence is the legal requirement to operate as a tour company in Afghanistan. It is renewed annually with the Ministry. Our permits are current. Our guides carry operator documentation at every checkpoint.
What We Offer
Private Tours
Exclusive to you and your companions. Any destination, any duration, any dates. We quote within 24 hours. Solo travellers to groups of 25 — your vehicle, your guide, your pace.
Plan a Private Tour
Monthly Group Tours
Our Grand Afghanistan tour departs every month — guaranteed, regardless of group size. Ten days, five cities, Herat flights included. From $2,900 per person. Never cancelled.
Join the Next Departure
Day Trips from Kabul
Panjshir Valley, Ghazni, Jalalabad — all within a day’s drive of Kabul. Perfect if you have limited time or want to add a day either side of a longer tour.
Day Trips from Kabul