Afghanistan · Safety report last updated
As of July 2026, Herat scores 18/100 on the IsMyTripSafe composite safety index — verdict: elevated risk — reconsider. Herat is not safe for travelers due to severe security risks and official travel prohibitions. The main risks for visitors are pickpocketing (moderate risk) and robbery (high risk).
Safety Report
IsMyTripSafe.com
Afghanistan · Assessed 29 July 2026
18
/ 100
Safer than ~6% of countries
Score capped at 18 — Level 4 advisory — "Do Not Travel". No other indicator can raise the score above this.
What drives this score
01 · Official Guidance
Advises against all travel to parts of the country
“Your travel insurance could be invalidated if you travel against advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). FCDO advises against all travel to Afghanistan You should not travel to Afghanistan.”
Updated 2026-07-24T12:47:27Z
Full advisory →Avoid all travel
“Canada's official risk level for Afghanistan: avoid all travel.”
Updated 2026-07-29T14:31:46.2003107-04:00
Full advisory →02 · Evidence Signals
Mugging & robbery risk
City SignalCity Web Research
Pickpocketing & theft risk
City SignalCity Web Research
Visitor safety sentiment
City SignalCity Web Research
Urban scale factor
City SignalCity Geocoding
Homicide rate
Robbery / mugging
HighWhile specific data for Herat is limited, the overall high crime index and conflict indicators suggest a significant risk of robbery and violent crime.
Pickpocketing
ModeratePickpocketing and bag-snatching are potential risks in crowded areas, though the primary safety concerns are more severe.
03 · Environment
04 · Institutions
05 · Field Research
Traveller sentiment score
Extremely negative
34/100
Official advisories and news reports indicate a severely unsafe environment, with no positive sentiment regarding visitor safety.
Herat is not safe for travelers due to severe security risks and official travel prohibitions.
All official government advisories strongly recommend against all travel to Afghanistan, including Herat, due to ongoing conflict, terrorism, and a severe lack of rule of law. The composite safety index indicates a high-risk environment, with significant concerns around terrorism deaths and political instability.
Recent developments
Common scams
Full briefing
Herat, Afghanistan, presents an extremely high-risk environment for travelers, and all official government advisories strongly recommend avoiding all travel to the country. The composite safety index for Afghanistan is critically low, reflecting severe risks associated with conflict, terrorism, and a profound lack of rule of law. The presence of active Taliban crackdowns, particularly targeting women, as reported in July 2026 by Afghanistan International and Georgetown University, underscores the volatile and dangerous conditions on the ground.
Recent news from July 2026 highlights ongoing protests in Herat, which have been met with excessive force by the Taliban, leading to casualties as reported by the BBC. These events, alongside concerns voiced about violence at demonstrations, as noted by thekabultribune.com, indicate a climate of instability and potential danger for anyone present. The risk of robbery and violent crime is considered high, compounded by the general insecurity and the low scores for political stability and control of corruption.
Travelers should be aware of common scams, such as bribery during interactions with officials, and potential issues with currency exchange or inflated pricing. Given the severe security situation, practical safety tips are limited to extreme caution and adherence to official warnings. The CDC also lists global health alerts for polio, dengue, and measles, necessitating up-to-date vaccinations. Due to the overwhelming safety concerns and official prohibitions, Herat is not considered a safe destination for any traveler.
06 · Neighbourhoods
Our field research rated 5 Herat districts for visitors and 5 best avoided. See them plotted on the Herat safety map.
Old City (Herat)avoidHigh risk of terrorism and general crime, with recent crackdowns on protests.
GuzargahavoidAreas experiencing protests and potential for excessive force by authorities.
Injil DistrictavoidGeneral high risk due to country-wide instability and potential for crime.
Karukh DistrictavoidGeneral high risk due to country-wide instability and potential for crime.
Zavol DistrictavoidGeneral high risk due to country-wide instability and potential for crime.
07 · After Dark
While specific data for Herat is limited, the overall high crime index and conflict indicators suggest a significant risk of robbery and violent crime.
After dark, be most careful around Old City (Herat), Guzargah, Injil District, Karukh District. Stick to busy, well-lit streets and licensed taxis or ride-hail late at night.
08 · Trip Profiles
Who's travelling changes which risks matter. These re-weight Herat's category data for common trip types — same data, different emphasis. Run your own profile from the interactive checker.
09 · Questions
Herat is not safe for travelers due to severe security risks and official travel prohibitions. All official government advisories strongly recommend against all travel to Afghanistan, including Herat, due to ongoing conflict, terrorism, and a severe lack of rule of law. The composite safety index indicates a high-risk environment, with significant concerns around terrorism deaths and political instability. (Assessed 29 July 2026.)
Field research flags Old City (Herat), Guzargah, Injil District, Karukh District, Zavol District as best avoided. See the district-by-district safety map.
Herat ranks #1 of 4 Afghanistan destinations we've assessed, scoring 18/100. See the Afghanistan safety overview for the full list.
The score blends 12+ public data sources — government advisories, UNODC/World Bank crime statistics, WHO health data, live air quality and disaster alerts — with AI field research over current local reporting. The databases carry 82% of the weight; the traveller-sentiment score from field research carries 18%. Full methodology.
Browse the Afghanistan safety overview or all destinations. Raw data: herat.json (CC BY 4.0).
