7-Day Turkmenistan Tour with Darvaza, Merv and Yangikala

Arrival and hotel check-in, with time to settle in. In the afternoon, enjoy a city tour of Ashgabat, including the Olympic Stadium, Independence Monument and Park, the towering main flagpole, Arch of Neutrality, Constitution Monument, Ferris Wheel, Wedding Palace, a panoramic hilltop viewpoint, Halk Hakydasy Memorial Complex, Alabay Monument, and Ertogrul Gazi Mosque. Overnight in Ashgabat.

After hotel breakfast, drive 360 km southeast to Mary, a journey of about 4 hours. Have lunch in Mary, then continue a further 35 km to Ancient Merv - the legendary "Queen of the World" and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visit Greater and Lesser Kyz Gala (6th-7th century), the Complex of Askhabs (8th-14th century), Erk Gala (6th century BC), Gyaur Gala (4th century BC), the Hoja Yusup Hamadani complex, Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, and Muhamed Ibn Zeid Mausoleum. In the evening, fly back to Ashgabat. Overnight.

After breakfast, visit Nissa Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the earliest capitals of the Parthian Empire, founded by Arsaces I around 250-211 BC.

Then drive north for 276 km, about 4 hours, across the Karakum Desert to the Darvaza Gas Crater. Observe the water and mud craters along the way. Arrive as the desert darkens, then settle into a yurt or private tent. Enjoy a barbecue dinner under the open desert sky. Overnight at Darvaza camp.

Wake early to watch the sunrise over the crater, then have breakfast in the desert. Drive back to Ashgabat, a journey of about 4 hours.

In the afternoon, take a walking tour of old Ashgabat, covering about 1.5 km. See the Magtumkuli Drama Theatre, the Soviet-era Lenin statue, the State Central Archive, Ashgabat Mayor's Office, the Russian Bazaar, and Inspiration Park, lined with statues of Turkmen poets and literary figures. Overnight in Ashgabat.

Travel by 4x4 to Gokdepe Fortress, 54 km from Ashgabat, a drive of about 45 minutes. This is the site of the 1880-1881 Russian Imperial siege. Continue to Geoktepe Mosque, built in 1995 and known for its mint-turquoise dome and white marble.

Visit an Akhalteke horse stable, home to more than 35 horses of this 5,000-year pure breed admired by Alexander the Great and Darius I. Then continue by 4x4 to the remote village of Nokhur. Explore its cemetery, where mountain goat horns are placed over graves, and see goat skulls on houses believed to ward off evil. Visit the Kyz Bibi pilgrimage site, a sacred plane tree draped in cloth wishes, and a small cave with crib-shaped cloth offerings. Later, drive to Balkanabat, about 320 km away. Overnight.

Drive to Yangikala Canyon, about 180 km away, a journey of around 3 hours. En route, stop at the Gozli-Ata pilgrimage site.

Yangikala - "Fire Fortress" - features soaring canyon walls in white, yellow, ochre, purple, and deep red, sculpted by wind and rain. Explore the rim and descend for closer views. Then drive to Turkmenbashi on the Caspian coast, about 170 km away, for the 20:30 domestic flight to Ashgabat. Overnight in Ashgabat.

Enjoy hotel breakfast, then transfer to Ashgabat International Airport. Tour concludes.