Eco tour in Turkmenistan

Meet group at the Turkmen-Uzbek border. Drive to the North of Turkmenistan, to Kone Urgench an architectural monuments, Capital of Khorezm was between X-XII centuries. This historical park includes:  the Mausoleum of Najm al-Din al-Kubra, Tyurabek Khanum, Il-Arslan, Tekesh Ibn Hadzhibey, the highest minaret in Central Asia Kutlyg Timur. Lunch at the local restaurant. Then drive  to the Gas Crater, about 10 km north of Darwaza Village. When the Soviet geologist drilled in 1971, he accidentally discovered an underground cave filled with natural gas. A piece of mud under the drilling device collapsed, leaving a large hole about 50-100 meters in diameter. In order to prevent the release of toxic gases, they decided to ignite the leaked natural gas. Dinner at Gas Crater. Overnight in a tents or yurta.

Drive to village Damla – 100km -2/3 hours’ drive. It is located in the midst of the arid sprawl of Turkmenistan’s vast Karakum desert; the tiny village of Damla is a little haven of traditional Turkmenistani life.
Lunch – Dinner – traditional style in Damla village. Tazy hunting dogs, hunting, view sparrow hawks and to listen to traditional music on dutar. Overnight in tents.

After breakfast at Damla, drive to see camel cattle and local shepherd. To taste fresh food cooked by shepherd for lunch.
Drive to Ashgabat city. Hotel Accommodation. Rest time. Overnight at the hotel.

Very early morning  at 06:00 drive to  Nokhur (120km – 2 /3 hours). The village itself fills a small depression valley in the mountains of the Kopet Dag Range, and the houses are been built with local boulders cemented with mud. Apart from the main street through h the middle of the town, the streets are so narrow that they only just fit a car between the high stone retaining walls on each side.
The Nohkuri people who populate this remote mountain village are quite different to other Turkmen tribes. They live in a handful of villages in the mountainous border area spanning Turkmenistan and Iran. Nokhur is the largest village with just a thousand or maybe two thousand people.

Have lunch at guest house and continue our way to Yangikala (480km – 5/6 hours) . The word expression” yangi kala” is translated from Turkmen as “fire fortresses”. Indeed, the sheer cliffs of white, yellow, ocher, purple and red colors, fancily carved by winds and rains, are very similar to the stone castles from a fantasy. The most beautiful canyons are during sunset, when everything is painted in a red-hot color.
Dinner time. Overnight at tents.

After breakfast at Yangikala, at 08:00 drive to Gozli Ata (520/530km – 7/8 hours). Reportedly, a respected Sufi lived in the early part of the 14th century. His mausoleum is a brick building with twin white domes, standing in an old graveyard containing many nicely carved stone tombs. The twin- domed structure of the mausoleum is necessary to accommodate the length of the tomb: a triangular prism perhaps three ordinary graves long.

Continue to Kov-Ata – Underground Lake. The Turkmen name Kow-Ata means Father of caves. At first glance, this underground area appears like a magnificent auditorium: the overall length of the cave is 230 m, its height reaches 20 m, and its width is at some points 57 m. The bottom of the cave is covered with lumps of dissolved limestone (stalagmites), and its warm and gushing water is clear and emerald colored. The water has a constant temperature of 33-37°C.
Drive to Ashgabat. Dinner at local restaurant. Hotel accommodation and overnight.