1. Day 1 Arrival in Ashgabat

   We’ll meet at a designated spot in 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, surrounding beautiful natural scenery.

   We 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 perfect for anything you may have 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 visiting 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, and 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 From Bazaar to Bizarre - Ashgabat City to Darvaza Gas Crater

   After a hearty breakfast, we’re up and out, our first stop is 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! The market gives us an excellent opportunity to stock up on snacks and drinks as we drive north for our desert adventure.

   Our next stop is the small desert village of Bokhurdag. It is here that we’ll 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 a Monument to the Basmachi Revolution is located. The Basmachi revolutionary monument is built here as this area was a Basmachi stronghold in the 1920s. The Basmachi were an Islamic group fighting the new occupying Soviet forces.

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

   The incredible Darvaza Gas Crater, 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, Darvaza

   Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

3. Day 3 Konye-Urgench Bokhurdag and Home

   Today we’ll break camp and depart the Gas Crater continuing the journey north towards Dashoguz. As we approach Dashoguz, we’ll stop to visit the UNESCO listed site of Konye-Urgench. Conquered by Arabs in 995, Konye-Urgench became the second-largest city after Bukhara and eventually the capital of the Samanid Empire. After being attacked by successive invading armies, Konye-Urgench went through a series of destruction and reconstruction; it was ultimately left abandoned in the 1800s.

   When we arrive at the site, we will be sure to visit the major attractions including the Turabek-Khanum Mausoleum, the Kutlug-Timur Minaret and Caravanserai Gate. Turabek-Khanum Mausoleum is the largest surviving monument at Konye-Urgench; it is an elegant structure famed for its intricate tile work. A kind of Taj Mahal mausoleum, it is the final resting place of Turabek Khanum, the wife of Qutlugh Timur, the ruler of  Khorezm, between 1321 and 1336. The Kutlug Timur Minaret was built in the 11^th century and is the most imposing structure at the site. The towering minaret reaches 60 metres high, made all the more distinctive as its 12-metre wide base tapers of to a mere 2 metres at the top. As the name suggests, Caravanserai Gate is a 14^th century gate believed to have been the entrance to a caravanserai (travellers lodgings). The building behind this large arched gate may have gone, but the gate still remains and retains many of its original features, such as its exquisite tile work.

   Once we have exhausted our sightseeing in Konye–Urgench, it’s off to Dashoguz city for a late lunch. Following our last meal together as a group, we will have some time to explore a little of this small city on the edge of the Karakum Desert.

   Dashoguz has long been the centre for cotton production. It may not be the most exciting visit, but Gorogly Park offers us the chance to view some impressive monuments, the marble-clad Dashoguz History Museum. We will also visit the Bai Bazaar to catch a slice of local life in a city far from Ashgabat.

   Once our adventure has ended, those who are leaving Turkmenistan via the Uzbekistan border will be transferred to the Shavat – Dashoguz Crossing. For those departing via Ashgabat, we have one more adventure on the evening flight returning to Ashgabat from Dashoguz airport. This return flight will get you back to Turkmenistan’s flamboyant capital in time for the evening flights to Turkey and beyond.

    

   Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Heart of Ashgabat