Itinerary
- Day 1
Ashgabat
Your flight arrives in Ashgabat early morning. From there, it's a short transfer to your hotel in the city center where you'll check in and settle in for the night.
- Day 2
Ashgabat
After breakfast, you'll walk through Ashgabat's modern architecture and see the Italian marble-clad buildings. The Altyn Asyr Grand Bazaar is next, then you'll head 12 km outside the city to Nisa, an ancient Parthian capital and UNESCO site. You can see the Arch of Neutrality and Independence Park before heading back for the night.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Breakfast at hotel
- Sightseeing tour of Ashgabat
- Visit Altyn Asyr Grand Bazaar
- Visit Nisa (UNESCO World Heritage site)
- View Arch of Neutrality
- Visit Independence Park
Optional Activities
- Photo permit at Nisa (12 manat)
- Video permit at Nisa (12 manat)
Landmarks Altyn Asyr Grand Bazaar Nisa Arch of Neutrality Independence Park - Day 3
Ashgabat to Turkmenbashi
This morning involves a visit to a stud farm where you'll see Akhal-Teke horses, one of the world's oldest breeds, with an optional short test ride if interested. After lunch, you'll check out the National Museum, Russian Bazaar, and Ertogrul Gazi Mosque. By evening, you'll board an overnight train to Turkmenbashi with dinner included.
- Meals
- Dinner (Dinner box)
Included Activities
- Visit Akhal-Tekkin stud farm
- Visit National Museum
- Visit Russian Bazaar
- Visit Ertogrul Gazi Mosque
- Overnight train journey Ashgabat to Turkmenbashi in sleeping car
Optional Activities
- Short guided test ride on Akhal-Tekkin horses
- Photo permit at museum (50 manat)
- Video permit at museum (50 manat)
Landmarks National Museum Russian Bazaar Ertogrul Gazi Mosque - Day 4
Turkmenbashi to Yangisuw Canyon
After breakfast with views of the Caspian Sea, you'll visit an Orthodox church and wander through the local bazaar for Turkmen snacks. Later, you head to the tourist resort town of Awaza on the Caspian coast, then switch to an off-road vehicle through the desert toward Yangisuw Canyon. You'll hike through the canyon and camp in a tent for the night.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast in a lovely restaurant with a view of the Caspian Sea)
Included Activities
- Breakfast with Caspian Sea view
- Visit Orthodox church
- Visit local bazaar
- Visit Awaza tourist resort
- Off-road vehicle drive to Yangisuw Canyon
- Hike through Yangisuw Canyon (approximately 1 hour, 3 km)
Optional Activities
- Purchase Turkmen snacks at bazaar
Landmarks Yangisuw Canyon Awaza - Day 5
Yangisuw Canyon to Gözli-Ata
The drive takes you to Yangikala Canyon with its massive limestone cliffs reaching 150 to 200 meters high, believed to be remnants of a primeval coral reef where you can see ammonites and shells. The rock colors shift throughout the day. By late afternoon, you'll head to the pilgrimage site of Gözli-Ata and stay in a tent or basic pilgrim hostel.
Included Activities
- Visit Yangikala Canyon
- Hike through Yangikala Canyon (approximately 1-2 hours, 4-5 km)
- Drive to Gözli-Ata pilgrimage site
Landmarks Yangikala Canyon Gözli-Ata - Day 6
Gözli-Ata to Balkanabat
You'll drive through the desert to the pilgrimage site of Kemal Ata, then explore a nearby valley with distinctive round boulders called the Valley of Balls. If time allows, the Mushroom Rocks are worth a quick stop. From there, it's on to Balkanabat, the first socialist oil town from the 1970s, where you'll stay overnight in a hotel.
Included Activities
- Visit Kemal Ata pilgrimage site
- Explore Valley of Balls (approximately 1 hour, 2 km hike)
Optional Activities
- Visit Mushroom Rocks
Landmarks Kemal Ata Valley of Balls Mushroom Rocks - Day 7
Balkanabat to Gyzylarbat
Heading south toward the Iranian border, you'll reach Dehistan, a former important Silk Road crossroads. You'll hike to the ancient mud volcano Boyadag at 110 meters high with its Martian-like terrain. The ruins of Dehistan are next, featuring preserved minarets and an entrance portal being restored. You'll continue via the Moon Mountains of Karakala to Gyzylarbat and stay in a simple guesthouse.
Included Activities
- Visit ancient mud volcano Boyadag
- Hike to Boyadag (approximately 2-3 hours, 5 km, 130 m elevation change)
- Visit Dehistan ruins
Optional Activities
- Visit Moon Mountains of Karakala
Landmarks Boyadag Dehistan Karakala Moon Mountains - Day 8
Gyzylarbat to Balishem Desert Camp
The great Karakum Desert crossing starts as you drive north from Serdar until the road ends at Garabogaz, then continues on an old Karwan trail. Part of the route follows the bed of the Uzboy River to the ruins of the Ygdykala fortress from the Parthian Empire. You'll arrive at a desert camp near Balishem where you can stroll through the oasis at sunset, watch local women milking, or visit a yurt to try fermented camel milk.
Included Activities
- Drive across Karakum Desert
- Visit Ygdykala fortress ruins
- Stroll through Balishem oasis at sunset
Optional Activities
- Observe local women milking
- Visit yurt and try fermented camel milk
Landmarks Ygdykala fortress Uzboy River bed - Day 9
Balishem Oasis to Darwaza
Traveling east, you'll pass through constantly changing desert landscapes with vast sand dunes, parched plains, and rock formations while watching for camels. The drive leads to the Darwaza oasis and the famous Darvaza gas crater, a collapsed drilling site where natural gas has been burning since the early 1970s, creating an otherworldly spectacle. You'll stay in a renovated yurt camp. Sunset views from the nearby mountain are worth the short evening walk with a headlamp.
Included Activities
- Drive through Karakum Desert
- Visit Darvaza gas crater (Crater of Fire)
Optional Activities
- View fire crater from mountain at sunset
Landmarks Darvaza Gas Crater - Day 10
Darwaza to Murzachirla
Leaving the fire crater, you'll head back into the desert toward the Damla oasis where around 80 families live year-round in a sheltered hollow. You'll observe daily life as women felt carpets and men tend cattle and camels. This shows how people survive in this remote environment. By evening, you'll reach Murzachirla and camp outside the village.
Included Activities
- Visit Damla oasis and village
Landmarks Damla Oasis - Day 11
Murzachirla to Gonur Tepe
You'll drive to the Gonur Tepe archaeological site, about 60 km north of Merw. This Bronze Age settlement features walls, a citadel with a palace, a necropolis, and pottery workshops with kilns. After setting up camp at the excavation site, you'll have the chance to freely explore the settlement without admission fees as your guide prepares dinner. Bronze Age finds are displayed up close and sunset here is something you'll remember. German archaeologists have worked here since 2010.
Included Activities
- Visit Gonur Tepe archaeological site
- Free evening exploration of excavation site at sunset (approximately 2.5 hours, 2 km)
Optional Activities
- Guided tour of excavation site
- Photo permit at Merw (12 manat)
- Video permit at Merw (12 manat)
Landmarks Gonur Tepe Merw - Day 12
Gonur Tepe to Mary
In the morning, you'll take a guided tour of the Gonur Tepe excavation site where you might speak with anthropologists or watch German researchers at work. Afterward, you'll drive a few hours to Mary, Turkmenistan's second-largest city and district capital with about 150,000 people. After desert days, a hot shower and leisure time feel great. The city center bazaar has Turkmen souvenirs and tailors for traditional clothing.
Included Activities
- Guided tour of Gonur Tepe excavation site
- Drive to Mary
Optional Activities
- Visit city center bazaar
- Commission traditional dress tailoring
Landmarks Gonur Tepe - Day 13
Mary to Merw UNESCO Site
You'll explore the historic city of Merw, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest cities in the Islamic world alongside Cairo, Damascus, and Baghdad. This former Silk Road trading center offers the domed mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar and Ibn Zaid, the medieval castle of Keshk, and the distinctive goffered walls of the Kyz Kala ruins. Back in Mary, you'll visit the historical museum, a mosque, and a Russian Orthodox church before heading to your hotel.
Included Activities
- Visit Sultan Sanjar mausoleum
- Visit Ibn Zaid mausoleum
- Visit Keshk medieval castle
- Visit Kyz Kala ruins
- Visit Mary historical museum
- Visit mosque in Mary
- Visit Russian Orthodox church in Mary
Landmarks Merw Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum Keshk castle Kyz Kala - Day 14
Mary to Ashgabat
You'll drive back to Ashgabat on the new highway through the desert, a route nearly as fast as flying. Free time in the afternoon lets you rest or explore. A farewell dinner awaits at a special location that the tour company is keeping as a surprise. The evening concludes with a city tour of Ashgabat at night, experiencing how the lights transform this oversized metropolis.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Dinner (Farewell dinner at a particularly beautiful location)
Included Activities
- Drive to Ashgabat
- Farewell dinner at special location
- Evening city tour of Ashgabat at night
- Day 15
Ashgabat
It's time to head to the airport for your return journey home, wrapping up your Turkmenistan adventure.
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
