A Turkmenistan tour closes the Long Road Through the 5 Stans. From Khiva we cross at the Shavat border and drive 360 km across the Karakum Desert to the Darwaza Gas Crater, arriving before sunset for a BBQ dinner and a walk to the edge after dark, with a night in a yurt camp. Ashgabat follows: the Sunday Bazaar, the stables of the Akhal-Teke horses, the Ertogrul Ghazi Mosque, the National Museum, the Neutrality Arch and the Wedding Palace viewpoint over the white-marble city. Outside town we see Nissa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and former capital of the Parthian Empire.
The Darwaza Gas Crater in the Karakum Desert, white-marble Ashgabat and the Parthian ruins of Nissa: the finale of our 5 Stans tour.
Best time to visit Turkmenistan
- Spring and autumn are the usual seasons for the Karakum Desert and Darwaza
- Summer in the desert is very hot
Turkmenistan tourist attractions on our tour
- The Darwaza Gas Crater, by daylight and after dark
- The mud and water craters near Darwaza
- Ashgabat: Sunday Bazaar, Akhal-Teke stables and the Ertogrul Ghazi Mosque
- The Neutrality Arch and the Wedding Palace viewpoint
- Nissa, former Parthian capital (UNESCO)
Turkmenistan travel: common questions
Which tour includes Turkmenistan?
The Long Road Through the 5 Stans, Days 19–22: Darwaza, Ashgabat and Nissa, with departure from Ashgabat.
Where do we sleep at Darwaza?
At a desert yurt camp, with 3–4 travellers per yurt and shared bathrooms outside the yurt. In Ashgabat we stay at Ak-Altyn Hotel 3* or Sport Hotel 4*, or similar.
Is the visa included?
The visa invitation letter is included; the visa fee, approx. 100–120 USD per person, is not.
Turkmenistan tours
Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
The Long Road Through the 5 Stans
22 days / 21 nightsSilk Road & desert
A 22-day 5 Stans tour from Bishkek to Ashgabat: Tash-Rabat and Issyk-Kul, Charyn Canyon and Almaty, Dushanbe and Iskanderkul, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, then the Darwaza Gas Crater.
from $3490 per person (10–11 travellers, 3*)
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