7-Day Turkmenistan Tour

Your guide will pick you up at the airport and accompany you to the capital city of Turkmenistan – one of the most beautiful cities of the world which was recently included into the Book of Guinness as the Most-White Marble City in the World. Today you will visit main tourist attraction in the capital parks and monuments, impressive mosque and other iconic buildings. Accommodation hotel. Rest.

After breakfast, will visit “Old Nisa” – The Sanctuary of Perfin Kings (UNESCO site) and “Gypjak” Mosque and Mausoleum of the late President of Turkmenistan. Visit the State Museum of Turkmenistan. It stores ancient artifacts found at the excavations of the settlements Nisa, Merv and Gonur Depe, collection of vintage Turkmen carpets, rare examples of national clothing, jewelries, and antique weapons. The 9 halls display figurines of Athens, Eros, silver gilded griffin, horn-shaped ivory vessels-rhytons of the Parthian era, gold jewelries, medallions-stamps from Margiana and Buddhist artifacts. Next drive airport, flay Ashgabat – Turkmenbashy. Accommodation hotel. Rest.   

Early morning drive to see Yangykala canyons is located 165 km to the north from Balkanabat and 160 km to the east from Turkmenbashy. 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. Drive to Balkanabat, accommodation hotel. Rest.

In the morning is drive to Nokhur. The village itself fills a small depression valley in the mountains of the Kopet Dag Range, and the houses are built with local boulders cemented with mud. Apart from the main street through 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 Nohkur 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. Then the tour will continue in Kow-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 (you should swim in a lake). Afterwards we will continue our way to Ashgabat city. Night is at hotel.

After breakfast hotel, drive to Mary. On the way you will stop at Annau, the ruins of 15th century – Seyit Jamal-ad-Din Mosque and Abiwerd – an ancient Sassanid city. Archaeological excavations at the ancient city of Abiwerd have been made in the last century to about 8 km west of the Kahka station in an area of 12,000 m². The central tell is 60 feet high and 700 feet round. Excursion Ancient Merv – Merv was located at the road crossing of the Great Silk Road and quickly became one of the largest and biggest cities of the ancient world and was one of the most important capitals of Islam along with Baghdad, Cairo and Damascus. Guided tour: Gyz Gala, Erk Gala, Soltan Gala, SoltanSanjar Mausoleum, IbnZeid Mausoleum. Rest. Night is at the hotel.

After breakfast, you will visit Mary Museum. With an extensive ethnography section, including a large collection of Turkmen jewelers, carpets, stuffed animals, a fully decorated yurt and pottery from the time of the Mongol occupation. However, best of all is the archaeological section, bringing together artefacts found at both Merv and Margush, including pottery, weapons, household implements and jewelers. The fine quality and design of household items from Margiana is striking and rivals the collection of the National Museum in Ashgabat. Next drive to Ashgabat. Accommodation hotel. Rest.

Transfer to border Ashgabat Airport. End of the program, seeing off tourists.