5-Day Turkmenistan Heritage Tour with Darvaza and Yangikala

• Arrive at Ashgabat International Airport and complete arrival formalities, including the required COVID test payable in USD.
• Meet your guide in the arrivals area and transfer to the hotel for early check-in and rest.
• Enjoy breakfast at the hotel.
• Drive approximately three hours to Mary.
• Visit Merv, one of Central Asia's most significant archaeological sites and a major Silk Road hub.
• Explore the 12th-century mausoleums of Sultan Sanjar and Muhammed ibn Zeyd, noted for their Seljuk brickwork and architectural detail.
• Enjoy a short city tour of Mary.
• Drive back to Ashgabat.

Overnight stay in Ashgabat.

• Enjoy breakfast at the hotel.
• Drive to Yangikala Canyon, one of Turkmenistan's most striking natural landscapes.
• Admire the dramatic multicoloured cliffs in shades of white, red, yellow, and ochre, often referred to as the Fire Fortresses.
• Spend time exploring the canyon and capturing panoramic views, especially at sunset when the colours are at their most vivid.
• Continue to Balkanabat for dinner and an overnight stay at the hotel.

• Drive in the morning to Nokhur, a remote mountain village known for its distinctive traditions and scenic landscapes.
• Explore the surrounding nature, observe rural lifestyle, and discover local crafts.
• Continue to Kow-Ata Underground Lake, a natural cave lake with warm, crystal-clear waters ranging from 33 to 37 degrees Celsius, where swimming is permitted.
• Visit Turkmenbashi Ruhy Mosque and its adjoining mausoleum in Gypjak.
• Return to Ashgabat for an overnight stay at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Begin your Ashgabat city tour with a visit to Old Nisa Fortress, the ancient capital of the Parthian Empire and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007.
• Continue sightseeing in Ashgabat, including Olympic City, Independence Monument and Park, Magtymguly Monument, the Wedding Palace (listed in the Guinness Book), and Earthquake Victims Park.
• At 15:00, drive approximately four hours north to the Darvaza Gas Crater, a massive flaming crater best viewed at sunset.
• Dinner is served picnic-style at the camp.

Overnight stay in a traditional yurt at Darvaza.

• Early breakfast at the camp.
• Depart from the camp to Kunya Urgench (approximately a 5-hour drive).
• Explore the northern province of Turkmenistan and its historical monuments in Old Urgench, the capital of Khorezm in the 17th century.
• Visit notable sites in Old Urgench, including the Mausoleum of Nejmeddin al-Kubra, Tyurabek Khanum, Il-Alp-Arslan, and Tekesh Ibn Hadzhibey.
• See the Kutlug Timur Minaret, the tallest minaret in Central Asia.
• Transfer to the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan border at Shavat Border (approximately a 2-hour drive).
• Complete border formalities and cross into Uzbekistan.