Beginning and ending in our favourite shiny marble and gold city, the focus of this tour is on exploring Ashgabat and surrounds, and spending a night at the fiery gas crater known as the Gates of Hell.
In Ashgabat we will visit all the amazing monuments in the new part of the city, we'll drive past as many white buildings as your heart desires, learn about all the world records that both the city and the country hold, and get a feel for how modern Turkmenistan functions. We'll also see the city at night, where it transforms from a sparkly and shiny sea of white marble and gold, to a Las Vegas-esque city of colourful lights, each building lit up and changing colours, differently to the next building.
Then to get to the Gates of Hell we will drive through the Karakum Desert, seeing a very different side of life in Turkmenistan. And there is just nothing like a huge fiery pit in the middle of absolutely nowhere, and spending a night there really is something else!
We are here for Indepedence Day, however it is unfortunately very unlikely that tourists will be allowed to attend any special events. With the increase in use of social media and sharing things online, and a larger number of tourists trying to attend each year, the government has become stricter about outside access to high level events. This is of course very frustrating after a decade of working to gain access to things, however this is just how it is. Of course, we will absolutely be attending anything that we are able to, however we cannot guarantee any specific events.
View the full itinerary
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.
There are also longer versions of this tour for anyone who would like to explore Turkmenistan even more, with both the Original Tour and the Mega Tour . Alternatively, if you'd also like to see some other Stans while you're here, have a look at our 5 Stans Autumn Whirlwind Tour .
INCLUSIONS:
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SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $200
EXCLUSIONS:
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Explore the glimmering white and gold monuments of Ashgabat
Spend the night mesmerised by the horrendous but exhilirating Gates of Hell
Visit the unique and resplendent Turkmenbashy Mosque and Mausoleum
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