Darvaza Gas Crater

It is often called the Gates of Hell. The usual story is that Soviet geologists drilling for gas in 1971 broke into a cavern, the ground collapsed, and the gas was set on fire so it would burn off in a few weeks. It is still burning. The flames are smaller than in photos from a few years ago, but after dark the crater glows and you can feel the heat from the rim.

We arrive in the late afternoon, see the crater at sunset and again at night, and sleep in a yurt camp within walking distance. Dinner is a barbecue at the camp. Early risers can walk back to the rim at dawn. When the road allows, we also stop at the smaller water and mud craters nearby. The last stretch is a sand track, so we switch to an off-road vehicle.

Darvaza is about 26
  north of Ashgabat, roughly four hours by road. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons: summer days pass 4
 , and winter nights drop below freezing.