Darvaza and the Kow-Ata Underground Lake

Day by day

1. 01

   Arrival and Ashgabat

   • Meeting at Ashgabat international airport, transfer to the hotel, rest
   • After lunch, Gypjak Mosque and the mausoleum of Turkmenistan’s first President
   • City tour: Independence Monument, Neutrality Arch, Earthquake Monument, Russian Bazaar
   • Night drive along the main streets with a stop at the Palace of Happiness
   • Overnight at the hotel
2. 02

   Across the Karakum to Darvaza

   • After breakfast, Nisa, once the capital of the Parthian Empire (UNESCO)
   • Into the Karakum desert by 4x4 jeep, with a stop in Bahardok village to see rural Turkmen life, then the Water and Mud craters
   • The gas crater: feel the heat and listen to the wind and the sound of this giant oven
3. 03

   Kow-Ata underground lake

   • Drive back to Ashgabat (250 km), check-in and rest
   • Kow-Ata (“Father of caves”), 107 km from Ashgabat: a cave like a great auditorium, stalagmites and warm emerald water at 33–37 °C — bring a swimsuit
   • Overnight at the hotel
4. 04

   Carpets and horses

   • Altyn Asyr bazaar, the largest in Ashgabat: Turkmen carpets, silver ornaments, souvenirs
   • The Carpet Museum, with the largest collection of Turkmen carpets of any museum
   • The horse farm: Akhal-Teke horses, a tea break and a short horse show
   • Overnight at the hotel
5. 05

   Departure

   • Night transfer to Ashgabat international airport

Route