Example Itinerary
From the moment you cross over the border from Uzbekistan, your tour in Turkmenistan is full of adventure, excitement and wonder. In just nine days, you’ll explore several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, set up camp in the heart of the desert by a molten lava crater, discover medieval villages amid modern towns and spend time in the white-marbled city of Ashgabat, the capital and largest city in the country - all while following traditional routes through the desert or along the old Silk Road. Discover history, discover culture, discover Turkmenistan.
This itinerary is an example. It’s designed to inspire you and provide you with thoughtfully curated ideas. You can choose to do this exact itinerary or completely personalize it. All trips are 100% bespoke.• Door to Hell: To see the flaming crater at its most impressive when lit up at night, travelers will set up camp in the desert village of Darvaza.
• Desert Drives: Deep in the Karakum Desert, travelers will discover sweeping sand dunes and plains of dusty takyrs.
• UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Explore the archaeological park of Merv and discover relics ranging from ancient to post-medieval times.
Begin your adventure through Turkmenistan at the Uzbekistan border. After meeting your guide, go through customs and drive to the border town of Dashoguz, the capital of the northern region of Turkmenistan, to check into your hotel and stay overnight.
Today you’re off and away, as you enjoy breakfast and then head northwest toward Kunya-Urgench, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the medieval capital of the Muslim Khorezmshah Empire. Explore the monuments, mosques and mausoleums of this glorious city, then take off south on the traditional route across the Karakum desert to the desert village of Darvaza. Here, your drivers will set up camp for the night as you tour the nearby flaming crater, an incredible molten lava cavity caused by natural hot gasses in the ground. After exploring the vast circumference of this crater, head back to camp for a dinner of delicious nomadic food and an overnight stay in your tent.
After breakfast, it’s time to pack up camp and head east towards the heart of the Karakum desert, the village of Damla. Head over high sand dunes and across plains of dusty, hard-packed clay - a natural phenomenon called “takyrs” - for an incredible three-hour drive deep into the desert where Damla sits. Spend the rest of the day exploring this traditional rural village, home to cattle, sheep, goats and camels, before staying overnight in a national house.
After a farewell to Damla over breakfast, you’ll set off through the desert once again, this time toward Ashgabat, the capital city of Turkmenistan and a soon-to-be gem of Central Asia known for its impressive white marble buildings. On the way, make a short stop at Yerbent, a metropolis – so to speak – within the desert, where you can see traditional houses set against satellite dishes and modern, urban living. You’ll arrive in Ashgabat in the late afternoon, just in time to settle into your hotel and spend the evening exploring.
This morning, you’re heading east along one of the former Silk Road routes, stopping to visit the former medieval city of Bagabad, home of a Timurid-period citadel and the ruins of the famous Seyit Jemaleddin mosque. Afterward, you’ll continue to Mary, a city in the Karakum desert and a famous archaeological site. Here, you’ll have some time to explore the city before staying overnight.
Continue to explore the incredible history of Turkmenistan, as today you take off northeast from Mary towards Gonur Depe, the former capital of the Margust country. Gaze out at unique fields and villages as you drive through the desert, arriving at the former city and archaeological site, the center of a remarkable Bronze Age civilization. Discover some of the city’s hidden treasures before enjoying a picnic lunch, then head back to Mary in the afternoon to check out the local history museum and some more of the city’s great sites.
Today it’s back to the capital city of Ashgabat - but not before exploring the incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site and archaeological park of Ancient Merv, a reconstructed version of the once-major stop on the Silk Road, portraying time periods from ancient to post-medieval. After learning more about the history of this significant location, explore the ruins of Abiverd, once an important trading town in northern Khorasan. After sightseeing, set off back to Ashgabat for your overnight stay.
Spend the day exploring some of the most significant sites in and around Ashgabat. First, head to the nearby fortress of Old Nisa, the first capital of the Parthian Empire, located on an irregular pentagon hill at the foot of the Kopet-Dag Mountains. Then, head to Kipchak village to visit the biggest mosque in the country and the family mausoleum of the first president. Finally, wrap up the day sightseeing within Ashgabat itself, checking out sites including the incredible white marble statue in the Park of Independence and the Arch of Neutrality, a revolving statue with the first president on top. You will stay overnight once again in Ashgabat.
This morning, you depart early in the morning with a transfer to the airport for your flight back home or on to your next exciting destination, putting a close to your incredible adventure tour.
Price is based on double or twin hotel room occupancy and includes accommodation, transfers, car/driver, English-speaking guide, activities and entrance fees, breakfasts and some casual lunches while touring. Flights and optional special activities will be quoted separately. Most personal expenses, including dinners, alcoholic beverages, spa treatments and gratuities can be paid on the spot while traveling.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
An Asia-focused magazine brought to you by Remote Lands – a platform for adventure, luxury, and authenticity from experts and explorers around the continent.
It would be impossible to take in all the history, depth, and curiosities of Turkmenistan in just three days. Still, worth a shot.
Jay Tindall takes his camera to the Turkmenistan desert for a look into the famed Darvaza gas crater, otherwise known as the Door to Hell, in the dead of night.
The new year is already upon us and so it’s time for us to once again share our pick of what we think are Asia’s hottest destinations for the coming 12 months.
Here is a small selection of the kind words our guests have said about us, as well as features by journalists and travel writers.
From the moment I happened upon the REMOTE LANDS website over a year ago, browsed the options, I knew that this would be well worth it. The entire staff is nothing less than professional with service that made us feel like royals.
This was truly the trip of a lifetime. Magical destinations, the most luxurious hotels in the world, and the most wonderful travel companions we could’ve wished for. We were treated like family everywhere we went and we have 14 new best friends.
We have used some of the top rated travel specialists all over the world and, without question, Catherine Heald and Remote Lands are at the very top of the list!
