Classic Turkmenistan: from Nisa to Darvaza

Culture and history, the nature of the regions, UNESCO World Heritage Sites and the mix of the modern and the ancient. Individual or group tour, by transfers, bus and plane.

Day by day

1. 01

   Arrival in Ashgabat

   • Meeting at the airport, transfer to the hotel
   • Free time to rest
2. 02

   Ashgabat

   • In the morning you meet your driver and guide at the hotel for the city tour
   • Old Nisa, 15 km from the city: capital of the Parthian Empire, founded in the 3rd century BC (UNESCO)
   • Turkmenbashi Ruhy (Kipchak) Mosque, the largest in Central Asia, with the mausoleum of the first President and his family
   • The Neutrality Arch, a 95-metre tower: a funicular to the viewing platform, a small museum and a panorama of the city
   • Independence Park, with the yurt-shaped Independence Monument, fountains and 27 statues of historical figures
   • The National Museum of History and Ethnography, with over half a million exhibits from all regions
3. 03

   Ashgabat, Dashoguz, Kunya-Urgench

   • Morning flight to Dashoguz (about 570 km), then the drive to Kunya-Urgench (120 km), old capital of the Khorezm Empire (UNESCO)
   • The mausoleum of Turabek Khanum (14th c.) and the tomb of Said Ahmed, a Golden Horde leader (14th c.)
   • The Kutlug Timur minaret (11th–13th c.), about 62 metres, the tallest in Central Asia
   • The mausoleum of Sultan Tekesh (12th c.)
   • Kyrk Molla, a sacred hill and old fortress of about 3 hectares with the ruins of the Mamun Library (8th–9th c.) and an old cemetery
   • The mausoleum of Fakhreddin Razi, also known as the mausoleum of Arslan II (13th c.)
   • The mausoleum of Najmuddin Kubra (12th c.), founder of the Kubrawiya Sufi order
   • The mausoleum of Sultan Ali (16th c.), an unfinished complex
   • Transfer to the hotel
4. 04

   Dashoguz and Darvaza

   • After breakfast, the drive to Darvaza
   • Two gas craters, one with boiling water, the other with bubbling sulphurous mud
   • The yurt camp, the legendary crater and a nomad-style kebab dinner
   • Overnight at the camp
5. 05

   Back to Ashgabat

   • Lunch at a traditional restaurant with local cuisine
   • Markets and local bazaars
6. 06

   Departure

   • Check-out, transfer to the airport

Route