4-Day Turkmenistan Silk Road Tour with Darvaza Crater and Merv

Morning

• Meet your guide at the Farap-Alat border post (Turkmen-Uzbek border).

• Complete customs procedures, visa formalities, and passport control.

• Transfer to Mary City.

Afternoon

• Explore Ancient Merv, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the largest metropolitan centers on the Great Silk Road.

• Visit the Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, Greater and Lesser Kyz Kala, and the ancient settlements.

• Drive into the desert to visit Gonur Depe, the capital of the legendary Kingdom of Margush (Margiana).

• Discover this remarkable Bronze Age archaeological site dating from the 23rd to the 18th centuries BC, regarded as one of the world's earliest centers of civilization.

Evening

• Check in at the hotel in Mary.

Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay.

• Enjoy breakfast at the hotel.

• Drive towards Ashgabat (approximately 350 km) with historical visits along the route.

• Explore the ruins of Abiverd Ancient City, an important medieval Silk Road trading center in Northern Khorasan.

• Visit the remains of the Seyit Jemalleddin Mosque in Anau, known for its rare mosaic dragon depictions.

• Discover Old Nissa, the ancient sanctuary and royal fortress of the Parthian Empire and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Visit the National Carpet Museum and admire its extraordinary collection of handwoven carpets.

• Explore the State National Museum and view priceless historical artifacts, including treasures discovered in Margiana.

• Stop at the Turkmenbashi Ruhy Mosque in Kipchak, the largest single-dome mosque in the world.

• Enjoy a city tour of Ashgabat, famous for its illuminated white-marble architecture.

Overnight stay in Ashgabat.

• Enjoy free time in Ashgabat for sightseeing and shopping.

• Visit landmarks such as the Independence Monument and the Arch of Neutrality.

• Browse local souvenirs at the Russian Bazaar.

• Drive into the Karakum Desert towards the Darvaza Gas Crater.

• Arrive at the crater and witness the spectacular sight of the burning flames against the desert landscape at sunset.

• Enjoy a traditional open-fire BBQ (shashlyk) dinner near the crater.

• Spend the night at a desert camp in traditional yurts beneath the star-filled Karakum sky.

• Enjoy breakfast at the campsite.

• Drive north towards the historic Khorezm oasis.

• Explore Konye-Urgench, the former capital of the Khorezmian Empire.

• Visit the Kutlug-Timur Minaret, the tallest minaret in Central Asia.

• Discover the Turabek-Khanum Mausoleum with its magnificent geometric dome mosaics.

• Explore the mausoleums of Sultan Ali and Il-Arslan.

• Transfer to Dashoguz and continue to the Dashoguz-Shavat border post (Turkmen-Uzbek border) towards Khiva.

• Receive assistance with border crossing formalities.