About 3 km south-east of Bamiyan town, the Kakrak side valley holds the niche of a third Buddha statue — much smaller than the two famous ones, about 6.5 metres tall, also dynamited by the Taliban in 2001 — and a small group of monastic caves with surviving fragments of 8th-century wall painting. The valley is rural and quiet, with Hazara farms and a short walk in from the main road. Less visited than the main Buddha cliff, and worth the detour.
Kakrak Valley
Side valley with the niche of a third, smaller Buddha