6-Day Western Turkmenistan Tour with Darwaza and Yangykala

• Arrive at Ashgabat International Airport, where you will be met by our representatives and transferred to the hotel.

• Enjoy some free time.

• Have an Ashgabat city tour in the afternoon. See the Presidential Palace, Ruhyyet Palace, Wedding Palace, modern "Yildyz" Hotel, Ferris Wheel, Constitution Monument, Arch of Neutrality, Monument and Park of Independence, Ertogrul Gazy Mosque, Ashgabat 2017 sports and housing facilities, and the Earthquake and Victims of WWII Monuments.

• Drive to visit the Ashgabat Cable Car. It is a 4 km (2.5 mi) cableway between Ashgabat and the foothills of the Kopetdag, the first and only one in Turkmenistan. The length of the cable car is 4 km, and the journey time is 20 minutes.

Overnight in Ashgabat.

• Savour breakfast at the hotel and go on a morning drive to visit Turkmenbashy Ruhy Mosque in Kipchak, the largest mosque in Central Asia.

• Drive to Gokdepe Fortress, which was attacked in December 1880 by the Russian Empire Army. The siege of Gokdepe lasted 23 days, after which the city was taken by storm.

• Visit Geokdepe Mosque (Saparmyrat Hajj), built in 1995 to commemorate the defeat and noted for its mint-turquoise blue-coloured roof and white marble structure.

• Drive to a horse farm to see the national pride of the Turkmen people - Akhalteke horses, considered the most excellent horses in the world. About 5,000 years ago, Turkmens began to breed Akhalteke horses. This unique breed was never mixed with other breeds. Such illustrious emperors as Alexander the Great and Darius I desired to own Akhalteke horses. There are over 35 beautiful horses on the farm. According to superstition, every sick person who touches an Akhalteke horse will get well soon.

• Drive to Kowata Underground Lake, located 107 km from Ashgabat. The Turkmen name Kow-Ata means "father of caves." This underground area seems like a magnificent auditorium: the overall length of the cave is 230 m, its height reaches 20 m, and its width is at some points 57 m. The bottom of the cave is covered with lumps of dissolved limestone (stalagmites), and its warm, gushing water is clear and emerald-coloured. The water has a constant temperature of 33-37°C. You should swim in the lake.

• Drive to Nokhur mountain village. The village itself fills a small depression valley in the mountains of the Kopet Dag Range, and the houses are built with local boulders cemented with mud. Apart from the main street through the middle of the town, the streets are so narrow that they only fit a car between the high stone retaining walls on each side. The Nokhuri people who populate this remote mountain village are quite different from other Turkmen tribes. They live in a handful of villages in the mountainous border area spanning Turkmenistan and Iran. Nokhur is the largest village, with just one or perhaps two thousand people.

• Eat a traditional dinner with a local family.

Overnight with a local family.

• Savour breakfast. Embark on a morning drive to Yangykala Canyons, one of the scenic natural objects of Turkmenistan. "Yangy kala" translates from Turkmen as "fire fortress." Indeed, the sheer cliffs of white, yellow, ocher, purple, and red colours, fancifully carved by wind and rain, are very similar to stone castles from a fantasy.

• Explore the canyons.

• Drive to Turkmenbashi City and transfer to the Avaza resort area.

Overnight in Avaza.

• Eat breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Turkmenbashy Domestic Airport in the morning and take a flight to Dashoguz at 12:40 (flights available Tue, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat).

• Arrive in Dashoguz at 13:45.

• Drive to Darwaza Burning Gas Crater (268 km), dubbed by locals as "The Door to Hell." The Darwaza area is rich in natural gas. While drilling in 1971, Soviet geologists tapped into a cavern filled with natural gas. The ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, leaving a large hole with a diameter of 70 meters. To avoid poisonous gas discharge, it was decided that the best solution was to burn it off. Geologists had hoped the fire would use all the fuel in a few days, but it still burns today.

• Watch the spectacular and fascinating view of the gas crater in the evening.

• Savour a BBQ dinner and stay overnight at the gas crater.

• Relish a picnic-style breakfast in the camp.

• Drive to Ashgabat.

• Transfer to the hotel and enjoy some free time.

Overnight in Ashgabat.

• Eat breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Ashgabat International Airport.