Itinerary

1. Day 1: Farap – Turkmenabad – Mary

   • Meet with your local guide at the Alat/Farap border point. The meeting time depends on the time you cross the border. 
   • After crossing the border, you may need to take a COVID test, which costs $35 US.
   • Upon arrival at the border point, go through customs procedures and drive (1 hour) to Turkmenabad International Airport to catch a flight to Ashgabat. The trip will take approximately 6 hours by car.
   • Upon arrival in Mary, visit Ancient Merv (UNESCO World Heritage Site), an important archaeological site in Central Asia that played a significant part in the development of the Silk Road for more than 2,000 years.
   • Drive to Gonur depe, an archaeological site dating from 2400 to 1600 BCE, located about 60 km north of Mary (ancient Merv), Turkmenistan. It consists of a large early Bronze Age settlement. It is the "capital" or major Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex (BMAC) settlement.
   • Drive to Mary and visit the Mary History Museum.
   • Enjoy a city tour and visit shopping places, such as the Green Bazaar.
   • At 23:00, transfer to the rail station.
   • At 00:50, depart from Mary to Ashgabat, where you will spend the night in an air-conditioned sleeping car.

2. Day 3: Ashgabat – Darvaza

   • 08.00 Arrival to Ashgabat.
   •  Excursions include an Ashgabat City Tour and the Old Nisa Fortress. The Sanctuary of Parhian Kings, Old Nisa, was the capital of the Parthian Empire, which lasted 600 years and was the greatest enemy of the Roman Empire. 
   • After excursions in Old Nisa, a sightseeing tour of Ashgabat follows. The tour Continues with The Health trail in the mountains, the Monument and Park of Independence, the Neutrality Tower, the Ferris wheel, and the Wedding palace. Everything is white, dressed in expensive white marble—that’s why Ashgabat is called the white marble capital.  
   • If you look at Ashgabat from a bird' s-eye view, you can see two main colours—white and green. White is marble, and green is the many parks throughout the city. Ashgabat residents are rightfully proud of their parks, in the coolness of which, on hot summer evenings, all residents of the capital, young and old, relax and stroll.
   • 15:00 trip to Darvaza – Gas Crater, a substantial flaming crater located 270 km(5 hours) north of Ashgabat. On the way to Darwaza, visiting the village of Erbent or Bahardok to observe the rural life of Turkmen people. Erbent, located in the heart of Turkmenistan about 4 hours north of Ashgabat, is a destination for those interested in the traditions of Turkmen nomads. Felt products and carpets, camel milk, yurt life, hunting dogs, superstitions and magical beliefs make up pastoral life in Erbent. The word "oasis" becomes less and less appropriate as the sands of the Karakum Desert take over the village. Soon he will be swallowed whole. 
   • Continue moving to the water, clay, and gas crater. Enjoy the spectacular and fascinating view of the Gas Crater in the evening. Visit the Gas Crater. To truly enjoy this end of the world, it is best to arrive at the Gate before the sunset. Only in the dark is the full beauty of this phenomenon revealed. Powerful gas exhausts at various intervals emit huge tongues of red-blue flame several meters upward, creating the illusion of something unreal, otherworldly. People have always been attracted by the light of fire and everything unusual, but this action gives rise to new feelings of something supernatural.
   • Stay in a camp with tasty catering – dinner at picnic style - the perfect way to enjoy this highlight. Observe the fantastic view of the crater during daylight and at night, feel the heat, and listen to the sound this giant oven creates. Overnight at the camp

3. Day 3: Darvaza – Koneurgench – Border

   • 6:00 AM: Breakfast at the camp.
   • 7:00 AM: Drive to the North province of Turkmenistan to visit the architectural monuments of Old Urgench, which is 270 km away and will take 5-6 hours.
   • Kunya-Urgench served as the capital of Khorezm in the X-XII centuries.
   • 1:00 PM: Visit the Mausoleum of Najm al-Din al-Kubra, Tyurabek Khanum, Il-Arslan, Tekesh Ibn Hadzhibey, and the highest minaret in Central Asia, Kutlyg Timur.
   • 3:00 PM: Transfer to Dashoguz, to the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border point (1-2 hours). Cross the border.
   • End of the tour.