7-Day Turkmenistan Discovery: Ashgabat, Darvaza, Nohur & Ancient Merv

Day 1 | Arrival in Ashgabat — City Introduction

Welcome to Turkmenistan. Your professional local guide meets you at Ashgabat International Airport after arrival formalities and escorts you to the hotel. Check-in follows the hotel’s standard arrangements; guaranteed early check-in or an additional pre-night can be booked separately when required by the flight schedule.

Depending on your arrival time, begin a guided introduction to the capital. Drive along the broad avenues lined with white-marble buildings and stop at selected monuments to discover the scale and character of modern Ashgabat.

Visit the Independence Monument and the Neutrality Monument, with your guide introducing their place in the capital’s ceremonial landscape. The sightseeing combines selected stops with panoramic drives past monumental buildings, fountains and landscaped public spaces.

When time and access permit, continue to the Wedding Palace viewpoint for views across the city and opportunities for photographs. In the evening, enjoy a drive past illuminated avenues and landmarks before returning to the hotel.

For late arrivals, transfer directly to the hotel and continue the city programme during the later Ashgabat sightseeing periods. Lunch and dinner are at your own expense.

Travel: Approx. 20–65 km for airport and city transfers, depending on the sightseeing programme
Overnight: Ashgabat hotel
Meals included: None

Day 2 | Ashgabat — Old Nisa, Akhal-Teke Horses & Russian Bazaar → Darvaza

After an early breakfast, leave the hotel for the morning heritage programme. The visits are arranged around the horse farm appointment and a timely departure for the desert.

Explore Old Nisa, the UNESCO-listed Parthian archaeological site near Ashgabat. Walk through the remains with your guide, who explains the layout of the site and introduces its place in Turkmenistan’s ancient history.

Continue to a prearranged Akhal-Teke horse farm. See the horses and learn about the breed’s importance in Turkmen culture, together with an introduction to their care and the farm’s activities. The programme includes a standard guided farm visit; riding and special demonstrations require separate arrangements.

Return to the city for a focused visit to the Russian Bazaar, subject to its opening schedule. Walk among the stalls, see locally available produce and browse small gifts or souvenirs. All purchases are at your own expense.

After an early lunch at your own expense, travel north into the Karakum Desert. Pause for comfort breaks and photographs, with a stop at a desert or smaller-crater viewpoint where access and conditions permit.

Reach Darvaza, use a suitable vehicle for the final unpaved approach and settle into your traditional yurt camp. Visit the gas crater in the evening, including sunset when arrival timing allows, and spend time beside the crater after dark.

Return to camp for an included barbecue dinner and an overnight in a traditional yurt.

Travel: Approx. 340–410 km, including the western heritage visits and the Darvaza transfer
Overnight: Darvaza yurt camp
Meals included: Breakfast and barbecue dinner at Darvaza camp

Day 3 | Darvaza → Ashgabat — Continued City Sightseeing

Enjoy breakfast at camp and a final morning look at the crater before leaving Darvaza. The changing light provides a different view of the crater and the surrounding desert from the previous evening.

Travel south through the Karakum Desert, with comfort breaks and selected stops for photographs. Where access permits, pause at a desert or smaller-crater viewpoint not visited during the outward journey.

Arrive in Ashgabat, check in at the hotel and take time for lunch at your own expense before continuing the capital sightseeing programme.

Visit the National Museum, where your guide introduces the history and archaeology collections and connects the exhibits with the places encountered during your journey. The visit follows the museum’s opening schedule and may be moved to another Ashgabat sightseeing period when necessary.

Continue to Ertugrul Gazi Mosque when accessible, then explore remaining monument areas or visit the Wedding Palace viewpoint if it was not covered on the arrival day.

The afternoon is coordinated with the earlier city visits to provide a varied introduction to Ashgabat. Finish with an illuminated-city drive or enjoy time at leisure, according to the day’s schedule.

Dinner is at your own expense.

Travel: Approx. 270–315 km by road, plus local sightseeing
Overnight: Ashgabat hotel
Meals included: Breakfast

Day 4 | Ashgabat → Gokdepe → Kow-Ata → Nohur → Ashgabat

After breakfast, leave Ashgabat for a full-day excursion into the Kopet Dag foothills.

Your first stop is Gokdepe, where your guide introduces the town’s historical significance. Make a brief visit to the mosque area when accessible, with time for an explanation and photographs before continuing west.

Stop at Kow-Ata, a limestone cavern containing a naturally warm underground lake. Descend the flights of steps into the cave and discover the contrast between the dry landscape above ground and the enclosed lake below.

Take time to view the cavern and, if you wish, swim when the site is open and local access rules permit. Those choosing to swim should bring swimwear and a towel. Allow time to change before resuming the journey; the descent into the cave and return to the surface involve steps.

Continue into the foothills to Nohur. Explore the village lanes, appreciate the mountain setting and learn about local customs and daily life.

Visit the distinctive cemetery, known for the symbolic mountain-goat horns on its grave markers. Your guide explains the local traditions and helps ensure that the visit and photography respect the community.

A lunch stop at your own expense is arranged according to the day’s timing. Return to Ashgabat in the late afternoon or evening, with dinner at your own expense.

Travel: Approx. 320–380 km by road, including local stops
Overnight: Ashgabat hotel
Meals included: Breakfast

Day 5 | Ashgabat → Ancient Merv & Türkmen Ojagy → Mary

Leave Ashgabat after an early breakfast and travel east towards Mary Province. Comfort breaks and a lunch stop at your own expense are arranged along the road.

Near Bayramaly, begin a guided exploration of Ancient Merv, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Central Asia’s great Silk Road centres. Your guide introduces the succession of cities that developed across the oasis and explains the surviving monuments in their historical setting.

Visit the Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, an important surviving monument of the Seljuk period, and Great Kyz Kala, one of the most recognisable earthen structures in the archaeological landscape.

Continue with selected views of Erk Kala and Gyaur Kala, where access and timing permit. The visits combine stops at the principal monuments with an introduction to the wider archaeological setting and the development of the oasis over successive periods.

Include a prearranged visit to Türkmen Ojagy, an ethnographic complex near Merv. Explore its available cultural displays and traditional domestic setting for an introduction to Turkmen customs and everyday life. The standard visit is included; meals, workshops and folklore performances require separate advance arrangements.

Continue to Mary, check in at the hotel and enjoy a short orientation through the city centre if arrival time allows.

Dinner is at your own expense, followed by an evening at leisure.

Travel: Approx. 400–460 km by road, including the Merv-area visits
Overnight: Mary hotel
Meals included: Breakfast

Day 6 | Mary → Ashgabat — Souvenir Shopping

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and, if the departure schedule permits, take a brief guided look at Mary’s centre or market. This provides an introduction to the modern city after the previous day’s exploration of Ancient Merv.

Travel west to Ashgabat, stopping for comfort breaks and lunch at a local restaurant at your own expense.

On arrival, check in at the hotel and continue with the souvenir-shopping programme. Your guide takes you to suitable local outlets or the Russian Bazaar, depending on opening hours and the products you would like to browse.

Spend time looking at locally available textiles, handicrafts and gifts, with your guide helping you navigate the shops and understand the items encountered along the way. All purchases are at your own expense.

If a selected outlet is closed on this day, the shopping period can be exchanged with another Ashgabat sightseeing period earlier in the tour.

Enjoy your final evening in the capital, with a short drive past illuminated landmarks where time allows. Dinner is at your own expense, followed by time to prepare for your international departure.

Travel: Approx. 370–400 km by road, plus local shopping transfers
Overnight: Ashgabat hotel
Meals included: Breakfast

Day 7 | Ashgabat → International Departure

After breakfast, transfer privately to Ashgabat International Airport in accordance with your confirmed flight schedule. A packed breakfast can be arranged in advance when an early transfer is required.

Your guide provides airport drop-off assistance and concludes the seven-day journey.

If your flight departs later and sufficient time remains before airport check-in, a short final city drive or shopping stop can be fitted around the transfer. Any additional stop is arranged according to opening hours and the time needed to reach the airport.

Travel: Approx. 15–30 km for the airport transfer; up to 65 km with a short final city drive
Overnight: Tour ends at Ashgabat International Airport
Meals included: Breakfast; packed breakfast by prior arrangement for an early transfer