UNESCO
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MEET AN EXPERT
Our co-founder Jay Tindall loved being one of the few western tourists to visit Turkmenistan, and will never forget coming face-to-face with the Door to Hell at Darvaza!
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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.
Explore some of the many wonders of Turkmenistan, from the ancient to contemporary, revived and rebuilt, with this four-day cultural journey. With several internal flights, you will be able to visit the gems of this country, from the border town of Dashoguz to the capital city of Ashgabat, as well as UNESCO World Heritage sites including Kunya-Urgench, the former capital of the medieval Khorezmshah Empire, and Old Nisa, the first Parthian Empire capital, and Ancient Merv, one of the most significant ports on the Silk Road. Soak in all the culture of this fascinating country, and learn more about its history than you ever thought possible in so little time.
Your adventure in Turkmenistan begins today as you are greeted at the Uzbekistan border to complete all paperwork. Enjoy lunch in the border town of Dashoguz, then drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kunya-Urgench, the former capital of the medieval Khorezmshah Empire. Explore the town’s monuments, mausoleums and mosques, before returning to Dashoguz for an evening flight to the capital city of Ashgabat, where you’ll check in to your hotel for the night.
Spend the day discovering the incredible capital city of Ashgabat. Known as the “City of White Marble” for its gorgeous architecture, this relatively new city was born out of a former Russian village on the Silk Road and today is the country’s largest city. In the morning, explore the Bazaar of Tolkuchka to see some of the camels, cattle, carpets, jewellery on sale; then head out of town to tour the fortress of Old Nisa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the first Parthian Empire capital. After lunch at a local restaurant back in the city, check out the monuments at the “Park of Independence” and “Neutrality Square”, as well a memorial dedicated to victims of the 1948 earthquake. Finally, wrap up the day with a visit to the the National Museum of History and Ethnography, where you may see hundreds of thousands of historical and archaeological artifacts before enjoying dinner and another overnight stay at your hotel.
Today, you’ll be transferred to the airport to take a flight to Mary. Here you’ll discover Ancient Merv, another UNESCO World Heritage Site and cultural park, as well as one of the major archaeological spots in Central Asia. An important player in development of the Silk Road, Merv has been preserved and refurbished to display the various areas and time periods of this “wandering city”. Explore the incredible decor, architecture and brickwork of the city’s forts and mausoleums, learning more about the history of the Silk Road and soaking in the ancient, medieval and post-medieval atmosphere. Afterwards, head back to Mary to visit a local historical museum, before flying back to Ashgabat for a final night.
by Bloomberg Pursuits 
by Departures 
