5-Day Silk Road Tour of Turkmenistan with Merv and Darvaza

• Greetings from the international airport.
• Check in to the hotel and enjoy some time to rest.
• Then you will see the Wedding Palace, the modern "Yyldyz" Hotel, the Constitution Monument, the Arch of Neutrality, the Monument and Park of Independence, as well as the Ertogrul Gazi Mosque in Ashgabat.
• Explore the Carpet Museum, which houses the world's largest handmade carpet collection.

Overnight in a hotel in Ashgabat.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Drive to Kow-Ata ("Father of Lakes"), which is about three thousand square meters. The lake's water temperature is about +36°C all year round, and it is saturated with a great deal of salt, including hydrogen sulfide, boron, manganese, and bromine, among others. There is an opportunity to swim in the hot spring.
• Lunch. Then drive to Gokdepe Fortress and the museum.
• Visit a horse farm and Akhal-Teke horse stable in traditional style, with a riding opportunity.

Dinner and overnight stay at a hotel in Ashgabat.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Free time until noon.
• From the hotel, drive to Mary.
• In Mary, you will have lunch.
• Then drive to the ancient city of Merv (UNESCO) to discover the historical park, which includes the Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum, Small and Large Gyz Gala, Muhammad ibn Zaid Mausoleum, and some ruins of the Keshk Fortress, among others.
• Then return to Ashgabat and the hotel.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Ashgabat.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Free time until noon.
• Check out of the hotel and drive to the Darvaza Burning Gas Crater (275 km, 4 hours), one of the top international tourist destinations. The area is rich in natural gas. Burning for more than 50 years, the Darvaza Gas Crater shines like a pearl in the middle of the Karakum Desert.
• In addition to the Darvaza Gas Crater, you will also see water craters. One of the most vivid and captivating features of this trip is the fresh air of the desert and experiencing nomadic life in person.
• At night, while the light of the Gas Crater illuminates the sky, you will camp in a Turkmen national yurt or private tents and enjoy a barbecue for dinner. This unique landscape will fascinate you and make you want to return.

• Picnic-style breakfast at the Gas Crater.
• Drive to Kunya Urgench (267 km, 6 hours due to bad road conditions).
• Sightseeing tour in Kunya Urgench: visit the Portal of Caravansaray, II Arslan Mausoleum, Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum, Academy of Horezm, Kutlug Timur Minaret, and Turabek Hanum Mausoleum.
• Then drive to the Turkmen/Uzbek border, Shavat (106 km, 2 hours).