1. Day 1 Arrival in Ashgabat

   We’ll meet in the heart of Turkmenistan’s capital and after a bit of rest we’ll begin our day with an optional in-depth orientation walk around Ashgabat.

   Upon leaving the hotel, we’ll wander along the tree-lined boulevards of the nation’s capital, heading to the Tekke Bazaar. Tekke Bazaar is a busy market, popular amongst local people; this covered bazaar sells it all – meat, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and clothing whilst opposite, second-hand booksellers set up on weekends in the small park. If you’re lucky, you may find a copy of the Ruhnama, written by the president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov. Niyazov famously said, ”a person who reads Ruhnama three times becomes smart, and after it, he will go straight to heaven”. From the Tekke Bazaar, we will wander to Inspiration Park – a public park at the centre of downtown Ashgabat. Inspiration Park is a narrow parkland lined with sculptures of Persian poets, scholars and great thinkers, surrounded by beautiful natural scenery.

   We’ll continue our exploration, calling at another Bazaar, the Russian Bazaar. A covered market where you will be able to pick up a vast array of items – the perfect stop if there’s anything you’ve forgotten to pack! Cables, chargers, sweets, kimchi, baked goods, fruit & nuts as well as souvenirs. This market has it all, unless you’re after Turkmen cotton. The Alty Asyr Shopping Centre over the road is an excellent stop for some well-priced Turkmen cotton goods offering everything from tracksuits and T-shirts to towels and bedsheets.

   Once we have stopped for a spot of lunch, we will continue the walk, checking out Ashgabat’s Soviet past on our visit to the Statue of Lenin. Ashgabat’s Lenin may not be the biggest, but his enormous carpet patterned plinth compensates for this. Not far from Lenin we’ll catch a glimpse of Russia’s most famous poet, Pushkin at the Pushkin Monument. From Pushkin, we will walk onwards to visit Pervyy Park – Ashgabat’s oldest park, founded in 1890, formerly named Officer Park, Lenin Park, First Park and Independence Park.

   From the park, it’s a short stroll to Ashgabat Train Station. Initially built-in 1888, the first railway station was destroyed in the 1948 earthquake along with much of the city. A new station was built in 1950 and remodelled in 2009; the station looks impressive, crowned by the eight-pointed star (Rub El Hizb). Finally, we will head back to the hotel for our first group meal.

    

   Accommodation: Hotel Ak Altyn, Ashgabat

   Included Meals: Dinner

2. Day 2 Ashgabat City Tour

   After a hearty breakfast, we’re up and out into Ashgabat, our first stop, the Altyn Asyr Bazaar, formerly the Tolkuchka Bazaar. Located on the outskirts of Ashgabat, it’s the largest market in the country and one of the largest in Central Asia. Relocated to its current location in 2011, Altyn Asyr is a massive affair selling everything from household goods, clothes, Turkmen carpets, camels and much more!

   After our mega shopping experience, it’s off to the races as we make our way to the Ashgabat Hippodrome. Sunday is race day here in Ashgabat, and what better animal to watch racing than the legendary Turkmen Akhal-Teke Horses. The greyhound of the horse world, the Akhal-Teke horse is one of the oldest existing horse breeds in the world.

   After a delicious lunch, we’ll explore a little more of Turkmenistan’s marbled capital. Our first visit Independence Park and Independence Monument, constructed to celebrate the independence of Turkmenistan on the 27^th October 1991. As well as the memorial, the park is home to an impressive array of statues of characters from Turkmen history.

   From Independence to Neutrality we go! Our next visit is the Monument of Neutrality built in 1998; a gold statue of Turkmenbashi tops this impressive structure.

   We hope you’re not too tired of statues just yet as we have a few more to go – next up, the Earthquake Monument and Museum. A grim reminder of the terrible earthquake that struck Ashgabat in 1948, killing 110,00 people and levelling the city. Both are tastefully presented and very educational.

   On our way back to the hotel, we will pass a few of Ashgabat’s more unusual buildings, The Ministry of Gas is shaped like a giant cigarette lighter, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is shaped like a globe, and our personal favourite, The Ashgabat Dental Hospital is shaped like a massive tooth!

   Once we have returned to the hotel, you are free to continue exploring Ashgabat or enjoy some well-deserved rest.

    

   Accommodation: Hotel Ak Altyn, Ashgabat

   Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

3. Day 3 Darvaza Gas Crater & Bokhurdag

   This morning there is a bit of free time for relaxing or shopping for supplies, which may be useful as later today we’re off into the desert.

   Our first stop is the small desert village of Bokhurdag. It is here that we stop to sample the local cuisine and learn a little more about living outside the bright lights of Turkmenistan’s flamboyant capital. After lunch, before heading a little deeper into the Karakum Desert, we will make a stop at the village of Erbent. Erbent is similar to most of the surrounding desert settlements, however, it is here that the Monument to the Basmachi Revolution is located. The Basmachi revolutionary monument is built here as this area was a Basmachi stronghold during the 1920s. The Basmachi were an Islamic group fighting the occupying Soviet forces.

   Once our journey resumes, we’ll continue stopping as we travel to see other examples of the desert’s mining history, visiting two other craters (one filled with water, the other with mud) a perfect pretext for the great Darvaza Gas Crater.

   The incredible Darvaza Gas Crater, continuously burning since 1971, was created when Soviet engineers were drilling what they thought were vast oil fields. No oil was found, and the fields turned out to be rich in gas, evident when the drilling rig at Darvaza hit a void and collapsed in on itself. Sometime later it’s believed that the escaping gas was set alight to prevent methane from polluting a nearby village. Here we are all these years later, and the gas crater has now become one of the world’s most unusual tourist attractions.

   We’ll arrive during daylight hours to observe the transition from light to dark as the night sky becomes illuminated by the flickering blaze of the crater.

   Camping next to this burning void, we will enjoy a delicious Turkmen BBQ prepared by our local crew.

    

   Accommodation: Camping at the Darvaza Gas Crater

   Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

4. Day 4 Ashgabat, Lunch, Shopping & Stadium

    For some, it may be a little bit of a hazy start after enjoying a night of peering into the flaming heart of the Darvaza Gas Crater. After breakfast, we’ll climb back into the 4X4s, arriving in Ashgabat before lunch.

   Once we have checked in and had a chance to freshen up, we will take local taxis into Ashgabat’s marble-clad city centre to see its famous white heart. First stop, Ashgabat’s grandiose, opulent shopping mall, Berkerar. Berkerar Mall was opened in 2015 and it looks like a cross between a mosque and a palace, from the outside at least. While the inside is just as grand, for us it’s an excellent opportunity to grab a spot of lunch and see some local life before starting our walk.

   Once we’ve eaten, it’s out into the city passing wide open streets and pristine white apartments as we make our way back to the hotel. The start of our city hike takes us past the imposing 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games Stadium Area. The stadium area was built at the cost of around 5 billion USD. At its heart lies the Saparmurat Turkmenbashy Olympic Stadium, noticeable as part of the stadium is the shape of a giant Akhal-Teke Horse Head.

   As we walk on through the city, we will skirt the Presidential Area Complex, forbidden to head inside, but we can still marvel at the magnificent golden domes and massive structures.

   Before we reach our hotel, we will pass more statues, mosaics, and impressively whitened buildings.

    

   Accommodation: Hotel Ak Altyn, Ashgabat

   Included Meals: Breakfast

5. Day 5 Nisa Fortress and Kow Ata Underground Lake

   After breakfast today, we’ll be checking out of our hotel and once again heading out of Ashgabat to explore a little more of Turkmenistan.

   Our first stop is the ancient Nisa Fortress, a UNESCO listed site, this former Parthian capital is now just a shadow of its former self, but still fascinating. A journey around Nisa Fortress is a must for those interested in history. Believed to have been started by the first Parthian king, Arsaces I, Nisa Fortress was later named Mithradatkirt (Fortress of Mithradates) after the famed Parthian who elevated the Parthian Empire to historic greatness!

   The Parthians, like their Turkmen descendants, were famed for their beautiful horses, and our next stop gets us up close to the magnificent Akhal-Teke horses as we visit a nearby stud farm. We will learn more about the famed Turkmen horse and its actual value at the stud farm.

   As we slowly edge away from Ashgabat, we’ll make one more stop at the Bakharden Cave around 60 km away from the city. The Bakharden Cave is a popular stop for locals on holidays and weekends who travel here to venture deep underground and swim in the Kow-Ata Underground Lake. Yes, it’s dark, smelly, and a little bizarre, but the 100m deep sulphur-heated lake is one of those things worth trying just once. Once you’ve taken a swim or watched everyone else attempt it, we will lunch at one of the delicious shashlik restaurants just outside.

   After lunch, it’s on with the adventure as we travel further with our 4X4s to the remote desert city of Balkanabad. We should arrive in late afternoon, giving you the chance to explore a little of this friendly city on your own.

    

   Accommodation: Hotel Niebitchi, Balkanabat

   Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

6. Day 6 Yangykala Canyon & Turkmenbashi

   We’ll depart our hotel early this morning as we have a lot of driving and a lot to see. Our first stop is the Balkanabat Market. It may be small, but it’s still an exciting stop to catch a little of the local life in this town. As we pass many of the local Soviet-style buildings on our way through town, we will make one final stop at the Monument to the Desert Explorers. Located on the  outskirts of town, the Monument to the Desert Explorers is an impressive memorial constructed to honour those early Russian researchers who discovered oil and were responsible for the founding of Balkanabat.

   Once we leave the dusty streets of Balkanabat, we’re out into the desert on our way to the Yangykala Canyon. Along the way, we pass impressive desert features such as rolling sand dunes, steep cliffs and geological features such as fossil beds containing evidence that this whole area was once a vast inland sea.

   Known by some as the ’Turkmen Grand Canyon’, the Yangykala Canyon is an impressive yet little known geological feature located deep within the desert. Never failing to impress, the canyon plays host to rock formations sporting many varied colours and cliffs and canyons to make even the best-travelled visitor happy to have made this lengthy detour. With breathtaking views all around us, we will be sure to stop and enjoy our packed lunch in this most stunning location. Once you have taken as many photos as you can, we will board our 4X4s and drive to Turkmenbashi.

   As we cut our way through the desert, we’ll eventually catch sight of the mighty Caspian Sea, the largest inland sea in the world. Clinging to the Caspian coast, we will pass through the port city of Turkmenbashi on our way to our final destination of the day, the resort town of Awaza.

   A bizarre collection of grandiose tourist hotels, attractions and sites, Awaza is a place that has to be seen to be believed. We have a real treat in store as our accommodation is one of the best in the area, and the most surreal. We will check in with enough time to catch the sunset over the Capsian before a well-deserved rest.

    

   Accommodation: Yelken Yacht Club

   Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

7. Day 7 Awaza

   Today, unlike previous days on this Turkmen adventure, you’ll have a free morning to rest, relax or explore your unusual surroundings. If it’s warm enough or your feeling particularly daring, you can take a plunge into the Caspian, wander along the shoreline looking at the interesting architecture or enjoy the Truman Show feel of our hotel resort.

   If it’s operating, we will make the day a little more bizarre and take a boat ride on the artificial Awaza Canal. A short 50-minute ride set to puzzle and confuse you is a perfect prelude to a pleasant lunch in Turkmenbashi, the oldest city in the country. Whilst the city is nowhere near as visually impressive as Ashgabat, it does have some exciting sites dotted around, many of which we will be sure to visit.

   Formerly Krasnovodsk, the city was named after a fort built by the Russians after their second invasion in 1869. Krasnovodsk served as a vital jumping point for Russian imperial soldiers as they continued forwards with their conquests of Khiva and Bukhara.

   On the 8th October 1993, President-for-Life Saparmurat Niyazov would rename the city after himself Turkmenbashi (Head of all Turkmens). First, we will visit the Turkmenbashi Railway Station; this pleasant Russian built station was constructed in 1895 and still departures and arrivals to and from locations across Central Asia.

   From the station, we’ll cross the road to see the Oil Worker’s Square and the Monument to the Great Patriotic War commemorating all of those Turkmens who lost their lives in this distant conflict, including Atamurat Niyazov, the father of Saparmurat Niyazov. From the square, we will look at some of the city’s architecture, which may not be so inspiring, but much of it was built by Japanese and German POWs from the war.

   Our final stop of the day will be the Cheryomushki Bazaar, located at the heart of Turkmenbashi. This bustling market is one of the country’s best, with friendly stallholders selling local snacks and crafts. For those interested in fish from the Caspian, the fish market on site boasts an impressive selection of the sea’s bounty.

   Once we’ve had our fill of Turkmenbashi, we’ll head to the nearby airport for our flight to Ashgabat, where we will arrive in time for our last group meal and a chance to say goodbye to our fantastic team.

    

   Accommodation: Hotel Ak Altyn, Ashgabat

   Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

8. Day 8 Departure Day

   It’s departure day! Contact your Tour Manager for information regarding airport transfers. We will always be happy to help with further plans or advise on other activities if you have extra time.

    

   END OF TOUR

Curious Hotels and Blazing Campsites