Ashgabat
Ashgabat
TOUR OVERVIEW
This tour is for those joining the 5 Stans Tour , who would like to see more of Turkmenistan while you're there.
Leaving Ashgabat, we'll visit the ancient ruins of Nisa, and the Turkmenbashy Mosque and Mausoleum, before swimming in Kow Ata, which is one of the few chances you'll have to see locals relaxing a bit. Heading into the mountains we'll visit the village of Nokhur, famous for its unique cemetery, before going all the way to the west of the country to the Caspian Sea coast. Here you'll have the chance to explore the resort town of Avaza, built in the same over the top glamorous white marble and gold as Ashgabat. Next we'll drive out into the desert to see Yangykala Canyon, an old ocean, now a vast canyon with striped coloured walls. Finally we'll fly on Turkmenistan Airlines (an experience in itself!) back to Ashgabat to start the main tour.
If you like the look of this tour but the dates don't work for you, or you'd like to do part of the tour, please get in touch and let us know. All our tours are able to be split into smaller sections, we're always scheduling new tours and your dates might work for one of them, or we can always organise an independent tour.
INCLUSIONS:
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Accommodation in twin share at roughly 3 star hotels (breakfast included), camping at Gates of Hell |
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Transport as per itinerary, beginning and ending in Ashgabat |
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Entrance fees to all sites mentioned in the itinerary |
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SAIGA guide and local guides |
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $200
EXCLUSIONS:
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Visa fee (can be paid on arrival at the airport or land border, or at an embassy beforehand) |
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Meals other than breakfast at hotels |
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Transport to and from Ashgabat at the beginning and end of the tour |
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Accommodation and any other services before or after the tour |
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Personal expenses such as souvenirs or any optional activities |
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Any COVID related expenses |
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
Stand on the edge of the vast and vibrant Yangykala Canyon
Explore the glimmering white and gold resort town of Avaza
Swim with locals in the underground cave lake of Kow Ata
Itinerary
Day 1Sat Jun 15
Ashgabat, Nisa
- Weāll be visiting all the main monuments in Ashgabat as part of the main tour, so today weāll start off by leaving the city, to visit Nisa, a UNESCO site which was once the capital of the Parthian Empire.
- Weāll then continue on to Kipchak to see the resplendent Turkmenbashy Mosque and Mausoleum, where Turkmenbashy is buried beside his mother, father and two brothers in their white marble mausoleum. There arenāt too many Turkmenbashy related sites still around, but this one is truly spectacular.
- Returning to Ashgabat in the afternoon, weāll visit the university bookshop, a great chance to pick up some very cool, unique Turkmenistan swag, including where you can find amazing coffee table books written by and about the president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, as well as ones about Ashgabat and Turkmenistan. You can even get them in English! They also have postcards and posters, and if you're lucky they might even have a copy of the Ruhnama, the book written by Turkmenbashy.
- In the evening, weāll take a night tour of Ashgabat. With the white marble buildings lit up by brightly coloured neon lights, Ashgabat is a truly spectacular place after dark.
- Spend the night at the Ak Altyn Hotel.
Day 2Sun Jun 16
Kow Ata, Nokhur, Serdar
- This morning weāll check out and leave Ashgabat, driving to Kow Ata, an underground thermal cave lake which is said to have many medical attributes, but is also used by locals as a swimming hole and makes for a very fun and relaxing swim.
- After a refreshing swim in the cave lake, we'll sit down and chill for a while with some shashlik from one of the restaurants just outside the entrance to the cave.
- Weāll continue driving west, away from Ashgabat, to the village of Nokhur, situated in the Kopet Dag mountains. Unlike the rest of Turkmenistan, even during the Soviet Union and the era of Turkmenbashy, this village were largely left to their own devices and as such live a much more traditional lifestyle than most Turkmens.
- Here weāll visit Nokhur Cemetery, where each grave is adorned with the horns of a mountain goat and a small market next to a wishing tree where you can buy all sorts of natural teas and potions.
- Keep driving to the town of Serdar where weāll spend the night in a local hotel.
Day 3Mon Jun 17
Balkanabat, Avaza, Turkmenbashy
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Today weāll complete the drive towards the Caspian Sea, arriving in Turkmenbashy in the late afternoon.
- Weāll stop in Balkanabat on the way for some lunch and a quick look at a monument to the caravans of the Silk Road.
- Arriving in Avaza in the afternoon, this is the epitome of bizarre modern day Turkmenistan. Although the facilities are extravagant and the buildings futuristic, the town is somehow best described as a ghost town.
- Weāll have dinner at the one cafĆ© that will be open, and from there you can explore the amusement parks, beaches, and hotels of Avaza, and if youāre game, take a swim in the notoriously cold Caspian Sea.
- Overnight in Turkmenbashy.
- Avaza is currently closed to foreigners, as of April 2023. We are working on the assumption that it will open before the time of this tour, however there is a chance that it won't. If it is unavailable we will change around the itinerary accordingly and as always we will work with the situation on the ground at the time to ensure that the tour is as well-rounded as possible.
Day 4Tue Jun 18
Yangykala Canyon, Ashgabat
- Today weāll visit Yangykala Canyon. Until recently most Turkmens didnāt even know that this place existed, and still not many have been there. Wide and vast, the area was once a seabed, and scattered with all sorts of fossils, it stretches as far as the eye can see. In 4x4s, weāll drive over the canyon walls, through the canyon itself, and up the other side, stopping at a couple of different viewpoints along the way.
- We will take a packed lunch with us so we can enjoy it whilst taking in all the shapes and colours of this spectacular natural phenomenon.
- Weāll fly back to Ashgabat in the afternoon and have some free time to enjoy a beer by the pool at the hotel or take a walk around the old part of the city where the hotel is located.
- For dinner this evening weāll go to the Yyldiz Hotel ā the newest and most expensive hotel in Turkmenistan, where you can have a real 5 Star restaurant experience for 1 Star prices, complete with 360 degree views of the city.
- Spend the night at the Ak Altyn Hotel in Ashgabat.
Day 5Wed Jun 19
Begin 5 Stans Tour, Ashgabat
- Today we will begin the 5 Stans Tour in Ashgabat.