Merv, Darvaza and Nokhur

Day by day

1. 01

   Ashgabat

   • Meeting with your guide and driver at the airport, transfer to the hotel, rest
   • The Museum of History: finds from Nisa, Merv and Margush, old Turkmen carpets, national dress, jewellery and antique weapons
   • City tour: Independence Monument, Neutrality Arch, Earthquake Monument, Alem Ferris wheel, Constitution Monument, Gulistan Bazaar
   • The evening lights of the city
   • Overnight at the hotel
2. 02

   Mary and ancient Merv

   • Drive to Mary (350 km), short tour of the city, its church and park
   • Ancient Merv (UNESCO), one of the largest archaeological sites in Central Asia, a key stop on the Silk Road for over 2,000 years
   • Transfer to the airport and evening flight to Ashgabat
3. 03

   Darvaza

   • After breakfast, to the Darvaza gas crater (260 km) by 4x4 jeep or minivan: fire erupting from the ground among yellow desert sands
   • Dinner at Darvaza, drive back to Ashgabat
   • Overnight at the hotel
4. 04

   Gokdepe, the horses and Nokhur

   • Gokdepe fortress, the vast fortification built by the Teke to defend the oasis, taken by Russian troops in 1881; Gokdepe museum and mosque
   • The horse farm: the Akhal-Teke, a short show and photos
   • Nokhur, at 1,000–1,100 m in the mountains, home of the Nokhur Turkmens with their own culture, crafts and architecture
   • Back to Ashgabat
   • Overnight at the hotel
5. 05

   Departure

   • Night transfer to Ashgabat international airport

Route