June 2, 2007.

Recently Bonnie Boyd took a look at tourism in Turkmenistan. So I thought, why not Nuristan? What is the potential for tourism there? The governor of Nuristan, whose name of course is Nuristani, had this to say to some French journalist on that subject:

It’s paradise. You can go hiking, fishing, rafting, birdwatching … in winter you can ski…

Birdwatching hmm? Yes, I do so want to check off Apache, A-10 Warthog, Chinook and Predator Drone from my birder check-list. But other than watching the large mechanized birds full of Americans and the above mentioned activities, what is there for a tourist to do in Nuristan? I investigated and I found that tourists are practically crawling all over Nuristan.

Here’s photographic proof, courtesy of Ranger 9865, who I assume is some sort of tour operator:

Horse-back riding!

Sledding in the snow!

Musical Entertainment!

Fine dining!

World-class golf courses! (OK, I cheated. This is just downriver in Kunar, which has a cricket team by the way.)

So you get the idea. Vacationing in Nuristan is feasible if you and 100 or so of your elite airborne soldier friends wish do do so. For everybody else, the transportation problems, security issues and general lack of amenities means that you’ll have to wait for at least a few more seasons before you go to Nuristan.