Turkmenistan is, by far, one of the most mysterious and difficult countries in which I have ever set foot. Due to its isolation from the outside world and political obscurity, it is one of the least traveled among all the Stans, and by far one of the most interesting.
The country is run by a regime that has absolute control over everything in the country. Officially, they encourage tourism, but the requirement of traveling with an expensive guided tour and policemen watching your every move may discourage regular travelers from visiting Turkmenistan.
Since you and I are not regular travelers, within this article, you will find all the information you need to travel through Turkmenistan the right way.
- Turkmenistan One Week Itinerary
- More Turkmenistan Activities
- When to Visit Turkmenistan?
- Things to Prepare Before Traveling to Turkmenistan
- One Week Turkmenistan Itinerary
- Turkmenistan Travel Video
- How to Get Turkmenistan Visa?
- How to Get to Turkmenistan?
- How to Get Around Turkmenistan?
- Further Reading for Central Asia
Turkmenistan One Week Itinerary
| ☀️ Day 1: | Darvaza Crater |
| ☀️ Day 2-4: | Ashgabat |
| ☀️ Day 5-6: | Yangykala Canyon |
Day 1: Crossed the border from Khiva and got picked up by Stantours at the border. Stopped by at Köneürgench for lunch and went to the Darvaza crater. Slept in a tent there for one night.
Day 2: Drive to Ashgabat. Stay in Ashgabat for one night.
Day 3: Another full day in Ashgabat.
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Day 4: Fly to Turkmenbashi, get picked up by Stantours at the airport, and drive to Yangykala Canyon. Camp there for a night.
Day 5: Drive back to Ashgabat. Stay in Ashgabat for one night.
Day 6: One last full day in Ashgabat or make your way to the border you want to cross out.
Day 7: Either fly out from Ashgabat or cross the border to Iran, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, or Kazakhstan.
More Turkmenistan Activities
When to Visit Turkmenistan?
The best time to go to Turkmenistan is during March - May or September - November, when the temperature is more manageable at around 23 - 35°C. The temperature can be extreme during summer and winter, so I wouldn't recommend going during those times.
Things to Prepare Before Traveling to Turkmenistan
- Print Documents: With the approved letter invitation provided by your tour agency or embassy, you can get your visa stamp at your designated entry point. However, be sure to print the letter of invitation before arriving at the border.
- Prepare enough USD: It is impossible to get USD in the country, so if you have to pay your tour company in Ashgabat with USD, prepare it before you arrive in Turkmenistan. If you carry a VISA ATM, you can get Turkmen Manats out from an ATM at the Oguzkent Hotel in Ashgabat.
- Be prepared for internet censorship and limited wifi access: Free wifi is only available in big hotels like Hotel Oguzkent and Grand Turkmen Hotel in Ashgabat, and the internet is heavily censored for obvious reasons. Therefore, have a VPN service installed on your phone. If you are using Android, I'd recommend Orbot as it has never failed me anywhere I went.
One Week Turkmenistan Itinerary
Day 1: Darvaza Crater (1 night)
The Darvaza crater (the gateway to hell) is probably one of the reasons why you are in Turkmenistan in the first place. This unstoppable burning crater is out of this world.
The crater is best seen at night while you camp nearby in the desert.
- Explore Turkmenistan with Stantours - 👍 I went with them. They were great!
- Tashkent to Ashgabat (10 days)
- Customized Private Turkmenistan Trip with Daily Departure (6 days)
It is less impressive during the day, but still pretty amazing!
Day 2 - 4: Ashgabat (3 nights)
At first, you will hate Ashgabat, but give it a few days. As you learn the ropes and get used to its weird no-photo policy and the lack of locals walking around the city during the day, you will start to enjoy this white marble city as it is.
Ashgabat is an architectural wonder, with many alien-looking white marble structures scattered all around the city. It is like Las Vegas but without the people.
Places like the Wedding Palace (Bagt köşgi), Sculpture Of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Alem Center (Älem), Constitution Monument (Konstitusiýa binasy), Bitaraplyk Binasy, and Independence Monument (Garaşsyzlyk binasy) are quite a sight to behold, and photography is allowed here.
Here are all the places you should see if you like the over-the-top style of architecture that is abundant in Ashgabat. Personally, I love them!
Oguzhan Palace (Oguzhan Köşgi) and the Russian bazaar are also interesting to see, but photo-taking is not allowed as they are near a military barracks. They actually came up to me, looked at my photos on my camera, and deleted them!
Day 5 - 6: Yangykala Canyon (1 night)
Turkmenistan is at its best when you go outside of the city and to a remote area to camp. Yangykala canyon is one of the most spectacular natural sights in Turkmenistan. With its unique red, pink, and orange bands that stretch across the canyon walls, it is definitely worth visiting all the way out here.
The best spot to camp is on the windy plateau above the canyon, where you can enjoy a 180-degree view of Yangykala from above.
The sunrise and sunset are the best times to experience the canyon.
Daily Budget
This location leans a little towards the expensive side, where I find myself spending approximately $40 - $60 USD per day per person. Despite this, it remains fairly affordable.
Please keep in mind that these are suggested daily budgets based on my own style of travel, which leans more towards the budget side of things. If you aim to stick to this budget, anticipate sleeping in dormitories, dining out only occasionally, and being comfortable with the cheapest and most convenient modes of transportation, which often involve a considerable amount of walking.
How to Get Turkmenistan Visa?
Through Guided Tours (Expensive)
This is the option I chose, as it allowed me more freedom to see the country as it should be seen and to go to remote places with ease. It is also the most expensive option.
If you choose to go with this option, I would recommend reaching out to Stantours and asking for David as he was the one who recommended the itinerary to me. Stantours has proven to be one of the cheapest options available and the most reliable. If you decide to go with Stantours, ask for a driver named Vova. They said the driver wouldn't be able to speak English, but Vova was more than capable of explaining the story behind the places you are visiting. Plus, he made a delicious grilled chicken for dinner in the desert.
For the 7-day itinerary recommended in this post, I paid 1,200 USD with Stantours, including everything such as accommodation, food, jeep, domestic flights, and the 2 visa applications. I could probably have gotten it cheaper if I had booked it earlier since the domestic flight was almost 200 USD more than it should have been.
Note: Even with a guided tour, there is still a 50% chance of your visa getting rejected, so contact your tour agency way in advance before arriving in Central Asia. Mine got rejected once, but thankfully I had 3 weeks' notice, so I was able to apply for another one and got approved in time for my trip.
Get the Transit Visa Instead (Cheapest)
This is the most economical option, but you will need to be flexible with your time. First, you must go to a city where there is a Turkmenistan embassy. Bishkek, Tashkent, or Dushanbe are good places to base yourself while you wait for the visa. It may take 2-4 weeks, so apply as soon as you can.
There are a few caveats in going with this option. First, the transit visa's maximum stay is only 5 days, including your arrival and departure days, so you barely have time to see much. Also, the country you came from must be different from the one you departed to, as you are supposed to be transiting.
The cost for the transit visa is around $55 USD or $155 USD for Russians.
For more updated information on obtaining the transit visa, please see this page.
How to Get to Turkmenistan?
You can fly to Ashgabat or cross the border from Uzbekistan if you are already traveling there. Be sure to browse through Skyscanner or Expedia before comparing prices, so you get the cheapest flight possible.
How to Get Around Turkmenistan?
If you go on a guided tour, they should provide you with a jeep when traveling anywhere outside of Ashgabat. If you have a transit visa, there will be one or two taxis waiting at the border where you can pay them a ridiculous price (50 USD+) to get to places like Ashgabat or the Darvaza crater, but that is your only option. Public transportation is non-existent outside of Ashgabat.
Within Ashgabat, buses are well-connected and easy to navigate. Just go up to one of the bus stops, look at the color-coded bus lines, and take the one that passes the place you want to see.
That is it for One Week Backpacking Turkmenistan Itinerary. Have we missed anything? Have you found the guide useful? Let us know in the comments below!
Now that we have all the information we need, it's time to plan your trip to Turkmenistan! Here are some resources to help you get your trip going:
Are you planning to travel to Turkmenistan independently? Be sure to check out my guide on How To Plan A Backpacking Trip here.
Further Reading for Central Asia
Are you looking to dive deeper into Central Asia? Here are a selection of travel guides and itineraries for traveling in Central Asia:
- Looking for a complete one-month itinerary and a travel guide for Central Asia? One Month Itinerary For Central Asia
- For a complete itinerary to Kazakhstan, check out: 10 Days Backpacking Kazakhstan Itinerary.
- Looking for things to do in Almaty, Kazakhstan? Check out the 10 Best Things to Do in Almaty.
- If you are staying in Almaty for a while and want to explore the city's culinary delights, be sure to check out our 10 Best Cafes and Restaurants to Try in Almaty.
- Want to get off the beaten path in Kazakhstan? Shymkent is an awesome place to visit. Here are the 9 Best Things to Do in Shymkent.
- Want to visit Turkestan in Kazakhstan? Check out our Complete Travel Guide to Turkestan.
- If you want to witness the city of the future in Central Asia, Astana is definitely the place you want to be. Here are the 10 Best Things to Do in Astana.
- A great country to start your journey in Central Asia is Kyrgyzstan since it is the easiest country to enter the region. Here's a complete 3-week itinerary travel guide to Kyrgyzstan.
- Bishkek, the capital city, is a great place to use as a base for you to get all tourist visas for the surrounding countries like Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and the city has a ton to offer. Here are the top 10 things to do in Bishkek.
- Kyrgyzstan is known for its mountains, and one of the best treks you can do is the Ala Kul trek. Here's a travel guide for trekking the Ala Kul trail and how you can do it in 2 days.
- The Pamir Highway is one of the best road trips you can do in your life, and it begins in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, and ends in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Here's a complete guide on how to plan your Pamir Highway road trip.
- If Kyrgyzstan is known for its mountains, then Uzbekistan is known for its culture and architecture. With several ancient Silk Road cities, there is a ton to see in Uzbekistan. Here’s a 2-week itinerary and a travel guide in Uzbekistan.
- You can watch all my travel videos from Central Asia here: Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan.
- Looking for more travel guides for Central Asia? You can find more on my Central Asia Travel Guide page.
- For more of my travel guides, visit the All Destination Travel Guide page.
14 Comments
Nice photos. Love the crater pic at night. More photos of the local people would be nice (as seen on your video). Good tip on the visa issues
Thank you for the comment. They weren't very welcoming in the city as I believe they are not at all used to tourists but when I got outside it was much better. :)
Hi there, just wondering did the guide bring you to the bazaar to exchange some money with black market rate? Or you just used the ATM machine for withdrawal? I am currently joining their tour and the guide refused to bring me to the black market money changer.. it’s really frustrating as everything cost like gold..
Hey,
I didn't get my money from the black market when I was there. I got it out from the ATM at the Oguzkent Hotel and that's the only way I was able to do it.
I see.. Thanks for your reply man.. Everything’s so expensive when I was there last week by using the official rate..
Hey Ryan, It was but I didn't have to pay much as the tour I got was mostly all included with a few days in Ashgabat where I had to spent my own money but the buses and food aren't so expensive. :) Maybe it changed since then though.
Glad you had a safe trip there!
Hello! I'm going to be in Uzbekistan in 2020 and I'm thinking about adding Turkmenistan since I'll be in the neighborhood. Do you know if the tour you did with Stantours would be cheaper when split with a group? Thank you!
Hey Sarah, It should be cheaper. You won't get the same price traveling with 2 because they need to double their food supply and equipment etc. but it shouldn't double the price I paid. I would recommend you try emailing Stantours and let them quote the price for you.
I hope this helps!
Did you feel safe in that country?
Mostly yes. I was with my guide most of the time. The locals are friendly outside of big cities. Except that one time, when I was in Ashgabat and I felt a little intimidated at first because there is so many non verbal rules like not being able to take photos in a market that I felt like I was suffocating mentally but after the second time around, I got used to it and I had a pretty fun time there. Definitely, one of the weirdest countries I've ever been.