I arrived in Turkmenistan with the tour guides backing my arrival so it was all easy. I first flew to Kunya-Urgench which was very interesting and took a long time. We also met other travelers coming from Uzbekistan there. The guides were always making sure we are taken care of. The tough part was driving down to Darvaza Gas Crater because the road is not good but the travel agency arranged a driver who goes up and down this road regularly and the car was definitely good for such a condition. The drive is made less boring by enjoying camel milk and stories on the way. When we arrived in the evening and can enjoy the gas crater, we also had lovely dinner and a comfortable tent to sleep in. The next day we already continued to Ashgabat which meant changing driver again. There is always a good driver available for such a journey. The group spent a day in Ashgabat to enjoy the bazaar, see the local highlights and the museum for upcoming days. It is vital to see this before heading to Nisa or Merv. The next day we already did see Nisa and while you don’t see much locally it’s therefore much better to have seen the museum already. The journey continued to Merv for a two-day visit of the many sights there. Before that we also spend an hour swimming at the Kow Ata Underground Lake and ride Akhal-Teke horses at a local place – they are a highlight of the trip! The guide was also able to change my plans. I originally was supposed to see Yangykala Canyon but then realized I’m already heading east and thus went to Turkmenabad, the sites on the way and finally the dinosaur prints and nearby caves. It also included more swimming. I want to thank the guides again for arranging all this. The canyon is probably great too but I wanted to finish off the eastern side of Turkmenistan first. Food-wise there were always places to enjoy good local and imported food, even drinks if one enjoys it. The hotel in Merv also had swimming, a spa and very fast internet which was the best in the country. I had two days free time back in Ashgabat were I can enjoy more local food, local hospitality and the friendliness of both the tour and staff. Overall I spent a long time with two of the tour guides, five drivers and one awesome horse 🙂 Arranging the tour was also easy: I talked to Batyr from the company about planning all and the letter of invitation was arranged quickly I didn’t even pay for the tour until arrival which really helps to organize all this fast.

 Cheers”

Odin, Traveled in October of 2024.