Owadan Tourism: Sample tours

Sample tours

The programs, tours and tour extensions described below can all be tailored to your wishes and designed to cater for individuals, couples, families and groups of any size. They serve to give you an idea of possible itineraries through the highlights of Turkmenistan as well as to less known, but equally fascinating places.

West Turkmenistan. NEW!

Off the beaten track in Turkmenistan? Turkmenistan is a huge country, and has a lot more to offer than the well-traveled places such as Ashgabat, Darwaza, Merw and Kunya Urgench. For those that have a few extra days to spend, and that want to explore those secret historical treasures, authentic tribal villages, and unique creations of nature, we can warmly recommend a jeep tour to West Turkmenistan.

On the first day we drive westwards from Ashgabat to Nohur (125 km), a village that has largely been able to retain its authentic lifestyle for centuries, due to its location, secluded in the valleys of the Kopet Dag Mountains. Nohur is famous for its home silk weaving production: several female members of every family still busy themselves with traditional silk weaving (keteni) techniques. Besides, behind the village is a unique graveyard, where the number of horns on each grave is indicative of the importance of the person buried here. The highland of Nohur is gorgeous and ideal for picnic. Several families living here breed the traditional, massive Turkmen shepherd dogs, Alabay. Nohuris consider themselves as a separate Turkmen tribe, and claim descendency from the armies of Alexander the Great, that crossed from Persia into Central Asia through the passages in the Kopetdag Mountains.

From Nohur we continue our journey through the Kopet Dag Mountains to Karakala (120 km), where we will stay overnight in a private home, enjoy a hot shower, a healthy dinner and warm hospitality of our host family (alternatively, the possibility of private home stay is also available in Nohur).

The next day we depart early for our trip through the Moon Mountains of Karakala and further through the Sumbar Valley, along the Iranian border. We pass small villages, and watch the grazing of thousands of sheep and goats, under the watchful eye of friendly local shepherds with their alabay dogs. Just before reaching Etrek town, we leave the main road and drive over the hard sand bedding (takyr) with nothing but sand as far as the eye can see. This is a perfect place for a picnic lunch. We then drive through the secluded village of Madau (of course we stop to greet the villagers, play with the children, climb the sand dunes and watch the baby camels that are nurtured in every household here).

From Madau we descend into the lowland where once the Silk Road city of Dehistan was located. From Kunya Urgench in the north of Turkmenistan a caravan route went southwards through Dehistan (also called Misrian) into Persia, this way avoiding the strenuous trip across the Kopetdag Mountains. Only when the local river changed course in the 15^th century the people left the town to crumble. Today, we can still marvel at the remains of two minarets and a gorgeously decorated mosque portal inside the massive city walls. Here we can set up camp and watch the sun set over Dehistan, or we can carry on our journey via Mashat Ata, a graveyard with several old mausoleums, ancient stone graves, and the oldest mosque-mausoleum on Turkmenistan territory (10^th century). We reach the main road again near Bugdayli village, and carry on to Balkanabad, where we reach a comfortable hotel in the evening hours.

After a good night sleep we drive northwards into the valleys of the Balkan Mountain Range, where herds of camels find good grazing ground. Road conditions get drastically worse after Koshoba village, the last stop where we can buy cold drinks and fuel the vehicles. We make a steep descend right after Koshoba and enter the region that is known as Yangi Kala. It is the southern region bordering the Kaplankyr Nature Reserve. The landscape from here is characterized by the fact that it was part of the pre-historical Para Tetis Sea, which dried up about 5 million years ago, and left us today with spectacular pink, lime green and white colored cliffs and riffs. The further we drive the closer we get to the Karabogaz Gulf. We can't reach the water edge, because of the salty swampy terrain, but we have ample opportunity to discover the nearby region (Yangi Suw), climb to various viewpoints, and enjoy picnic among the limestone cliff formations.

For those that want to enjoy the landscape of the region over sunset and sunrise, there is the option of staying in tents near Yangi Suw; equally recommendable is a stay at Gozli Ata. Gozli Ata is the name of a pilgrim site, where since ancient times a tribal graveyard has developed surrounding the grave of a famous local man that is said to have had a special talent to see into people's souls. The site is also located in the lowlands of Yangi Kala, against the backdrop of limestone cliffs, and offers gorgeous views at sunset and sunrise. The pilgrim house has several rooms with hundreds of felt floor mattresses with traditional Yomut and Ersari tribal designs, and a huge rooftop veranda. There is a water well, a set of pit latrines, and a full-fledged kitchen.

Alternatively, we carry on our journey to Turkmenbashi and reach our hotel in the evening hours.

Notes and ideas:

1. From Yangikala a three-day unique jeep route leads northwards, via Kyzyl Kiya town and along the shores of Karashor Lake to Dashoguz. This 3-day route of extreme natural beauty requires picnics and overnights in tents.

2. In the area near Gozli Ata there are several other uniquely-located pilgrim sites that are worth visiting, such as those of Kemal Ata and Ersari Ata; if you spend the night at Gozli Ata and prepare to reach the Caspian Sea coast towards the evening of the next day, you will have created a chance to explore these pilgrim sites.

3. Near Balkanabad we find the salt lakes of Mollagara, the caves of Jebel (rock carvings from Stone Age), and the remains of a stone temple at the top of Bolshoy Balkan. For those interested, a day extra in Balkanabad offers the opportunity to see all these.

4. At 10 kilometers from Turkmenbashi a holiday resort area Awaza has been developing since 2008. For those that want to enjoy a day relaxation at the shores of the Caspian Sea there is a choice from a dozen 5-star hotels with all modern services and facilities, offered at very attractive prices. A visit to the water-sound-and-light show that is held every evening at the beach front makes a visit to Awaza complete.

Accommodation Basic:

Day	Itinerary	Program	Transport	Accommodation
1	Ashgabat-Nohur-Karakala	Drive to Nohur; explore the Nohur village and surrounding area; picnic lunch; carry on to Karakala; arrival; dinner; overnight.	4x4	Homestay
2	Karakala-Dehistan	Drive through the 'moon mountains' and the Sumbar Valley; lunch; visit Madau village; drive to Dehistan. Camp; dinner; overnight.	4x4	Camping
3	Dehistan-Gozli Ata	Drive to Mashat Ata; continue to Balkanabad; lunch. Visit Mollagara; continue to Gozli Ata. Dinner and overnight.	4x4	Pilgrim's House
4	Gozli Ata-Yangi Suw	Explore the area around Gozli Ata; visit Kemal Ata; lunch. Continue to Yangi Kala and explore the area. Camp near Yangi Suw. Dinner and overnight.	4x4	Camping
5	Yangi Suw-Turkmenbashi- Ashgabat	Drive to Turkmenbashi and the Caspian Sea shore; evening flight from Turkmenbashi to Ashgabat.

Accommodation Comfort:

Day	Itinerary	Program	Transport	Accommodation
1	Ashgabat-Nohur-Archman	Drive to Nohur; explore the Nohur village and surrounding area; picnic lunch; carry on to Archman; arrival; dinner; overnight.	4x4	Sanatorium Archman
2	Archman-Balkanabad	Start early. Drive through the Sumbar Valley to Madau; lunch; visit Dehistan. Carry on to Balkanabad; arrival in the evening at the hotel. Dinner and overnight.	4x4	Hotel Nebitchi****
3	Balkanabad-Awaza	Start early. Drive to Yangikala and explore the area around Yangi Suw; lunch; carry on to Turkmenbashi and Awaza. Dinner and overnight.	4x4	Hotel Kuwwat ***** or similar
4	Awaza-Turkmenbashi-Ashgabat	Relax in the morning at the Caspian Sea. Take the afternoon flight from Turkmenbashi to Ashgabat.

6-day tour (Turkmenistan's Historical Highlights)

If you are on a very tight time schedule, but you do want to get a feel for Turkmenistan, this program will most likely suit you. This one week tour takes you to the most fascinating and well-known historical sites of Turkmenistan.

Day	Itinerary	Program	Transport	Accommodation
1	Home-Ashgabat	Departure from home country; flight to Ashgabat. Arrival early morning. Transfer to hotel. Overnight	Air, road (<10 km)	Hotel
2	Ashgabat	City Tour, National Museum, Nissa (UNESCO 2007). Overnight.	Road (<50 km)	Hotel
3	Ashgabat-Mary	Drive to Mary with site visits on the way at Anau, Abiverd and Ulugdepe. Transfer to hotel. Overnight.	Road (350 km)	Hotel
4	Mary-Ashgabat	Visit Merw (UNESCO 1999), Mary Museum. Transfer to the airport for your evening flight to Ashgabat. Transfer to hotel. Overnight.	Road (50 km); air	Hotel
5	Ashgabat-Dashoguz- Ashgabat	Early morning flight to Dashoguz. Drive to Kunya Urgench (UNESCO 2005) and visit Yzmukshir. Evening flight to Ashgabat. Overnight.	Air; road (280 km); air	Hotel
6	Ashgabat-home	Departure early morning from Ashgabat; transfer to airport; flight to home country.	Road (<10km); air

Comments for maps: 1 Anau; 2 Abiverd; 3 Kunya Urgerch; 4 Yzmukshir; 5 Darvaza; 6 Jerbent; 7 Talkhatan

8-days tour (Turkmenistan at a Glance)

If you have little time but you want to see more than only the historical highlights of the country, this tour is a good choice. It allows you to experience the different facets of Turkmenistan and includes visits to the most famous historical and pilgrim sites of Turkmenistan, and gives you the opportunity to experience Turkmen traditional village life and to enjoy some of Turkmenistan's natural beauty.

Day	Itinerary	Program	Transport	Accommodation
1	Home-Ashgabat	Departure from home country; flight to Ashgabat. Arrival early morning. Transfer to hotel. Overnight	Air, road (<10 km)	Hotel
2	Ashgabat	City Tour, National Museum, Nissa (UNESCO 2007). Overnight.	Road (<50 km)	Hotel
3	Ashgabat-Mary	Drive to Mary with site visits on the way at Anau, Abiverd and Ulugdepe. Transfer to hotel. Overnight.	Road (350 km)	Hotel
4	Mary	Visit Merw (UNESCO 1999), Mary Museum, Talkhatan and Ahun Baba. Overnight	Road (130 km)	Hotel
5	Mary-Ashgabat-Nohur	Early morning flight to Ashgabat. Afternoon drive to Nohur via Kowata. Overnight.	Air; road; off-road (130 km)	Camping
6	Nohur-Ashgabat-Darwaza	Drive to Ashgabat. Afternoon drive to Darwaza via Erbent. Overnight.	Off-road; road (390 km)	Camping
7	Darwaza-Dashoguz- Ashgabat	Drive to Kunya Urgench (UNESCO 2005). Drive to Dashoguz and evening flight to Ashgabat. Overnight.	Off-road; road; air (370 km)	Hotel
8	Ashgabat-home	Departure early morning from Ashgabat; transfer to airport; flight to home country.	Road (<10km); air

11-day tour (Turkmenistan - The Best Of)

You want to experience Turkmenistan and get to know its people? You like to get off the beaten track and wander in its un-spoilt nature and visit unexplored historical sites? This tour offers a good selection of all that:

Day	Itinerary	Program	Transport	Accommodation
1	Home-Ashgabat	Departure from home country; flight to Ashgabat. Arrival early morning. Transfer to hotel. Overnight	Air, road (<10 km)	Hotel
2 (Sun)	Ashgabat	Tolkuchka Bazaar, City Tour. Overnight.	Road (<50 km)	Hotel
3	Ashgabat-Mary	Drive to Mary with site visits on the way at Anau, Abiverd and Ulugdepe. Transfer to hotel. Overnight.	Road (350 km)	Hotel
4	Mary	Visit Merw (UNESCO 1999), Mary Museum, Talkhatan and Ahun Baba. Overnight	Road (130 km)	Hotel
5	Mary-Ashgabat-Karakala	Early morning flight to Ashgabat. Afternoon drive to Karakala via Kowata and Nohur. Overnight.	Air; road; off-road (350 km)	Camping
6	Karakala -Balkanabad	Drive to Balkanabad via Dehistan. Overnight.	Off-road; road (390 km)	Hotel
7	Balkanabad - Awaza	Drive to Turkmenbashi and Awaza via Yangikala. Overnight.	Off-road; road (370 km)	Hotel
8	Awaza -Turkmenbashi- Ashgabat-Darwaza	Morning flight to Ashgabat. Afternoon: drive to Jerbent, and further to Darwaza. Overnight camping.	Air; road; off-road (280 km)	Camping
9	Darwaza -Dashoguz- Ashgabat	Drive to Kunya Urgench (UNESCO 2005). Drive to Dashoguz and evening flight to Ashgabat. Overnight.	Off-road; road; air (370 km)	Hotel
10	Ashgabat	Visit Nissa (UNESCO 2007) and the National Museum; free afternoon. Overnight.	Road (<40 km)	Hotel
11	Ashgabat-home	Departure early morning from Ashgabat; transfer to airport; flight to home country.	Road (<10 km)

Comments for maps: 1 Anau; 2 Abiverd; 3 Kunya Urgerch; 4 Yzmukshir; 5 Darvaza; 6 Jerbent; 7 Talkhatan; 8 Merv; 9 Gonur (Margush); 10 Nissa; 11 Karakala; 12 Dehistan; 13 Nohur; 14 Yangikala; 15 Awaza; 16 Kugitang

15-day tour (Turkmenistan Complete)

With a few more days to spend, you can explore all the corners of Turkmenistan, take your time to enjoy the sites and scenery, and make new friendships. Every day of this 2-week tour has its own excitements!

Day	Itinerary	Program	Transport	Accommodation
1	Home-Ashgabat	Departure from home country; flight to Ashgabat. Arrival early morning. Transfer to hotel. Overnight	Air, road (<10 km)	Hotel
2 (Sun)	Ashgabat	Visit the famous Tolkuchka Bazaar, City Tour. Overnight.	Road (<50 km)	Hotel
3	Ashgabat-Mary	Drive to Mary with site visits on the way at Anau, Abiverd and Ulugdepe. Transfer to hotel. Overnight.	Road (350 km)	Hotel
4	Mary	Visit Merw (UNESCO 1999), Mary Museum, Talkhatan and Ahun Baba. Overnight	Road (130 km)	Hotel
5	Mary-Turkmenabad	Visit Margush (Gonurdepe). After lunch drive to Turkmenabad. Overnight.	Off-road; road (450 km)	Hotel
6	Turkmenabad-Kugitang	Drive to Kugitang (4x4) via Astana Baba and Alamberdar Baba Historical Complex. Visit Kainar Baba Spring and Koyten Lake. Overnight.	Road; off-road (450 km)	Lodge
7	Kugitang	Visit the Plateau of the Dinosaur Steps, the Umbar Dere Waterfall and the pilgrim Cave of Kyrk Gyz. Overnight.	Off-road (<50 km)	Lodge
8	Kugitang-Turkmenabad-Ashgabat	Drive to Turkmenabad. Visit a local carpet workshop on the way. Evening flight to Ashgabat. Overnight.	Off-road; road; air (450 km)	Hotel
9	Ashgabat-Karakala	Drive to Karakala via the Spiritual Mosque-Mausoleum of Turkmenbashi, and Nohur. Overnight camping.	Road; off-road (350 km)	Camping
10	Karakala-Balkanabad	Drive to Balkanabad via Dehistan. Overnight.	Road; off-road (390 km)	Hotel
11	Balkanabad-Awaza	Drive to Turkmenbashi via Yangikala. Overnight.	Road; off-road (370 km)	Hotel
12	Awaza-Turkmenbashi-Ashgabat-Darwaza	Morning flight to Ashgabat. Afternoon: drive to Jerbent, and further to Darwaza. Overnight camping.	Air; road; off-road (280 km)	Camping
13	Darwaza-Dashoguz-Ashgabat	Drive to Kunya Urgench to visit the Historical Park there (UNESCO 2005). Drive to Dashoguz. Return to Ashgabat by evening flight. Overnight.	Off-road; road; air (370 km)	Hotel
14	Ashgabat	Visit Nissa (UNESCO 2007) and the National Museum; free afternoon. Overnight.	Road (<40 km)	Hotel
15	Ashgabat-home	Departure early morning from Ashgabat; transfer to the airport; flight to home country.	Road; air (< 10 km)

10-day horse riding tour

Always wanted to ride an Ahalteke horse? We can arrange one-hour, half-day, one-day and multiple-day horseback riding trips for you. The below sample tour is for riders with a fair amount of riding experience: during this tour you will be accompanied by experienced stable staff and guides (proficient in foreign languages) and stay overnight in tents or yurts. You can adapt this tour to your own wishes and possibilities: while the base camp remains the horse farm in Geok Depe, you can extend or shorten the program.

The last week of April is dedicated to the Turkmen Race Horse. During this week several horse competitions take place that culminate in the selection of the Horse of the Year, on the last Sunday of the month of April. Next to this annual event, there are horse races in the National Hippodrome, every Sunday in spring and autumn. Please contact us for more exact information about events.

Day	Itinerary	Program	Transport	Accommodation
1	Home-Ashgabat	Departure from home country; flight to Ashgabat. Arrival early morning. Transfer to hotel. Overnight.	Air, road (<10 km)	Hotel
2	Ashgabat (SUN)	Visit an Ahalteke horse race, City Tour, National Museum	Road (<40km)	Hotel
3	Ashgabat-Geokdepe	Drive to the horse farm to familiarize with the horses and the team. Overnight at the horse farm.	Road (50 km)	Yurt at horse farm
4	Kopetdag	Trek in the Kopetdag Mountains. Overnight in tents.	Horseback (15 km)	Camping
5	Kopetdag	Trek in the Kopetdag Mountains. Return to the horse farm for overnight.	Horseback (15 km)	Yurt at horse farm
6	Kopetdag-Karakum	Trek into the Karakum Desert. Overnight in yurts in a nomadic village.	Horseback (25 km)	Yurt
7	Karakum	Trek through the Karakum Desert. Overnight in tents.	Horseback (25 km)	Camping
8	Karakum-Geokdepe	Trek out of the Karakum Desert. Farewell dinner. Return to Ashgabat. Overnight in Ashgabat.	Horseback (25 km); road (50 km)	Hotel
9	Geokdepe-Ashgabat (SUN)	Visit the Finals of the Ahalteke Horse Selection Competition. Afternoon free.	Road (< 10 km)	Hotel
10	Ashgabat-home	Departure early morning from Ashgabat; transfer to the airport; flight to home country.	Road; air (< 10 km)

Comments for maps: 1 Anau; 2 Abiverd; 3 Kunya Urgerch; 4 Yzmukshir; 5 Darvaza; 6 Jerbent; 7 Talkhatan; 8 Merv; 9 Gonur (Margush); 10 Nissa; 11 Karakala; 12 Dehistan; 13 Nohur

10-day architecturarts & crae, fts tour

Turkmen carpets are world famous for their quality and various tribal designs. During this tour you do not only get acquainted with the process of carpet making, but also observe other forms of arts and crafts that the Turkmen people have nurtured over the centuries: Turkmen jewelry, silk work and embroidery are as unique in design as the Turkmen carpets. You will have a chance to meet artists, watch them work, and purchase a precious souvenir for at home. Of course this tour also includes visits to the most magnificent of architectural structures that Turkmenistan possesses.

The last week of May is dedicated to the Turkmen Carpet. During this week several exhibitions are held throughout the country that display the most extraordinary creations by artists from all around the country. For those that don't have the opportunity to visit at this particular time period, a visit to the Carpet Museum is a very worthy alternative. Please contact us for more exact information about the events and exhibition calendar.

Day	Itinerary	Program	Transport	Accommodation
1	Home-Ashgabat	Departure from home country; flight to Ashgabat. Arrival early morning. Transfer to hotel. Overnight.	Air, road (<10 km)	Hotel
2	Ashgabat (SUN)	Visit the Carpet Exhibition, City tour, Nissa (UNESCO 2007). Overnight.	Road	Hotel
3	Ashgabat-Nohur-Ashgabat	Visit the Carpet Museum in the morning, and drive to Nohur, center of silk weaving. Return to Ashgabat. Overnight.	Road	Hotel
4	Ashgabat-Mary	Morning flight to Mary. Visit Talkhatan Baba in the morning and Merw (UNESCO 1999) in the afternoon. Overnight.	Road, air	Hotel
5	Mary	Visit Margush (Gonur Depe) in the morning, and the Mary Museum and several art galleries in the afternoon. Overnight.	Road and off-road	Hotel
6	Mary- Ashgabat	Visit to a tribal village in the morning, and continue to Ashgabat in the afternoon. En route visits to Ulugdepe and Anau. Overnight.	Road	Hotel
7	Ashgabat-Dashoguz	Morning flight to Dashoguz. Drive to Kunya Urgench (UNESCO 2005). Return to Dashoguz. In the afternoon visit to a local carpet workshop. Overnight.	Air, road	Hotel
8	Dashoguz-Ashgabat	Depart from Dashoguz for a drive through the Karakum Desert. Visit a tribal desert village on the way. Arrival in Ashgabat. Overnight.	Road	Hotel
9	Ashgabat (SUN)	Visit Tolkuchka Bazaar, National Museum, embroidery workshop	Road	Hotel
10	Ashgabat-home	Departure early morning from Ashgabat; transfer to the airport; flight to home country.	Road; air (< 10 km)

Tour extensions

You like our sample programs, but you have several days extra to spend? Consider adding a short jeep tour, horse riding tour or hiking tour to your cultural-historical program. Or enjoy some time relaxing in a comfortable resort at the Caspian Sea, before continuing a long overland journey.

Country combi tour - UZBEKISTAN

You want to visit the remarkable ancient cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva as well? Combine your Turkmenistan tour with a detour through Uzbekistan. Here is just example of a combination tour out of a wide array of possible combinations:

Day	Itinerary	Program	Transport	Accommodation
1	Home-Ashgabat	Departure from home country; flight to Ashgabat. Arrival early morning. Transfer to hotel. Overnight	Air; road (<10 km)	Hotel
2	Ashgabat	Sightseeing: Tolkuchka Bazaar, City Tour, National Museum	Road (<40 km)	Hotel
3	Ashgabat-Nohur	Drive to Nohur, and visit Nissa (UNESCO 2007), Spiritual Mosque and Mausoleum of Turkmenbashi and Kowata on the way. Overnight in Nohur.	Road, off-road (130 km)	Camping
4	Nohur-Ashgabat-Mary	Explore the surroundings of Nohur. In the afternoon drive to Geok Depe for a visit to an Ahalteke horse farm. Continue to Ashgabat for your evening flight to Mary. Overnight in Mary.	Off-road; road; air (130 km)	Hotel
5	Mary	Drive through the Karakum Desert to visit Gonur Depe. In the afternoon, visit the Mary Museum. Overnight in Mary.	Off-road, road (200 km)	Hotel
6	Mary-Bukhara	Drive to Bairamali to visit Merw (UNESCO 1999), and continue to Turkmenabad. In the afternoon, cross the Turkmen-Uzbek border. Drive to Bukhara. Overnight in Bukhara.	Road (340 km)	Hotel
7	Bukhara	Spend the full day exploring the historical city center (UNESCO 1993). Overnight in Bukhara.	NA	Hotel
8	Bukhara-Samarkand	Drive from Bukhara to Samarkand. Overnight in Samarkand.	Road (270 km)	Hotel
9	Samarkand	Explore the historical center and the Crossroads of Cultures' UNESCO labeled sites (2001). Overnight in Samarkand.	NA	Hotel
10	Samarkand-Tashkent	In the afternoon drive from Samarkand to Tashkent.	Road (290 km)	Hotel
11	Tashkent-Khiva	Spend the day exploring Tashkent and take the evening flight to Urgench. Drive to Khiva. Overnight.	Air; road	Hotel
12	Khiva	Spend the full day exploring the sights of Old Khiva (UNESCO 1990).	NA	Hotel
13	Khiva-Darwaza	Depart from Khiva and cross the Uzbek-Turkmen border. Visit Kunya Urgench (UNESCO 2005) and continue to Darwaza. Overnight in tents.	Road; off-road (450 km)	Camping
14	Darwaza-Ashgabat	Drive to Ashgabat via Jerbent desert village. Arrival in Ashgabat. Afternoon free.	Off-road; road (280 km)	Hotel
15	Ashgabat-home	Departure early morning from Ashgabat; transfer to the airport; flight to home country.	Road (<10 km)

Country combi tour - IRAN

Do you think of combining a trip across Iran with a visit to Turkmenistan? Here you find a sample of a unique newly designed combination tour:

Day	Itinerary	Program	Transport	Accommodation
1	Home-Ashgabat	Departure from home country; flight to Ashgabat. Arrival early morning. Transfer to hotel. Overnight	Air; road (<10 km)	Hotel
2	Ashgabat (Sun)	Visit Tolkuchka Bazaar; City Tour, National Museum. Overnight in Ashgabat.	Road (<40 km)	Hotel
3	Ashgabat-Mary	Morning flight to Mary. Visit the historical park of Merw (UNESCO 1999). Afternoon, visit Talkhatan and Ahun Baba and/or Mary Museum. Overnight in Mary.	Air; road (130 km)	Hotel
4	Mary-Serakhs-Masshad	Drive to Serakhs via Dandanakhan; visit the Mausoleum of Serakhs Baba before crossing into Iran and continue to Masshad. Overnight in Masshad.	Road (350 km)	Hotel
5	Masshad-Shiraz	Morning flight to Shiraz. City Tour. Afternoon free. Overnight in Shiraz.	Air	Hotel
6	Shiraz	Day trip to nomadic village. Overnight in Shiraz.	Road	Hotel
7	Shiraz-Esfahan	Visit Persepolis (UNESCO 1979) and Naqsh-e-Rostam. Return to Shiraz. Afternoon drive to Esfahan. Overnight in Esfahan.	Road (580 km)	Hotel
8	Esfahan	Full day city tour to explore the center of Esfahan, with its magnificent Emam Square (UNESCO 1979). Overnight in Esfahan.	Road (<10 km)	Hotel
9	Esfahan-Tehran	Morning free. In the afternoon drive to Tehran via Kashan and Qom. Overnight in Tehran.	Road (450 km)	Hotel
10	Tehran	City Tour, National Museum. Afternoon free. Overnight in Tehran.	Road (< 40 km)	Hotel
11	Tehran-Gorgan	Drive through the mountains to the Caspian Sea coast and to Gorgan. Overnight in Gorgan.	Road (450 km)	Hotel
12	Gorgan-Balkanabad	Cross the Iranian-Turkmen border and drive to Balkanabad via Dehistan. Overnight in Balkanabad.	Road; off-road (400 km)	Hotel
13	Balkanabad-Awaza	Drive to Turkmenbashi and Awaza via the Yangikala limestone canyons. Overnight in Awaza.	Road; off-road (370 km)	Hotel
14	Awaza-Ashgabat	Full day rest and leisure at the Caspian Sea. Evening flight to Ashgabat. Overnight in Ashgabat.	Air	Hotel
15	Ashgabat-Darwaza	In the morning visit Nissa (UNESCO 2007) and the Spiritual Mosque and Mausoleum of Turkmenbashi. In the afternoon drive to Darwaza via Jerbent. Overnight in tents.	Road; off-road (300 km)	Camping
16	Darwaza-Dashoguz-Ashgabat	Drive to Kunya Urgench to visit the Historical Park (UNESCO 2005). Drive to Dashoguz. Return to Ashgabat by evening flight. Overnight.	Off-road; road; air (370 km)	Hotel
17	Ashgabat	In the morning visit an Ahalteke horse farm, and the Carpet Museum. Afternoon free. Overnight in Ashgabat.	Road (< 20 km)	Hotel
18	Ashgabat-home	Departure early morning from Ashgabat; transfer to the airport; flight to home country.	Road; air (< 10 km)

Country combi tour - AZERBAIJAN

You plan to travel to in Azerbaijan first? Make a stopover in Baku and spend a few days exploring this booming oil-rich city prior to arriving in Turkmenistan

Note: the below itinerary is based on using the Lufthansa flights Frankfurt-Baku-Ashgabat v.v. The alternative of using the ferry from Baku to Turkmenbashi is only for those with patience and a flexible time schedule as ferry departures are highly unpredictable and can easily cause a delay of several days on your overall trip.

Day	Itinerary	Program	Transport	Accommodation
1	Home-Baku	Departure from home country; flight to Baku. Arrival late evening. Transfer to hotel. Overnight	Air; road (<10 km)	Hotel
2	Baku	City tour with visit to the old walled city with the Maiden's Tower and Palace of the Shirvanshakhs (UNESCO 2000).	Road (<50 km)	Hotel
3	Baku	Half-day trip to the Absheron peninsula, for a visit to the Zoroastrian Temple Ateshgah. Afternoon visit to the State Carpet Museum or Carpet Workshops	Road (75 km)	Hotel
4	Baku-Ashgabat	Half-day trip to the rock art at Gobustan (UNESCO 2007). In the late afternoon, transfer to the airport for your flight to Ashgabat. Arrival at Ashgabat. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight.	Road; air (150 km)	Hotel
5	Ashgabat	City tour with visit to the National Museum, Nissa (UNESCO 2007) and the Spiritual Mosque and Mausoleum of Turkmenbashi.	Road (< 50 km)	Hotel
6	Ashgabat-Darwaza	Morning visit to Ahalteke horse farm and Carpet Museum. Afternoon drive to Darwaza gas crater and visit Jerbent village. Overnight in tents.	Road; off-road (300 km)	Camping
7	Darwaza-Dashoguz- Ashgabat	Drive to Kunya Urgench (UNESCO 2005) and Yzmukshir. Evening flight to Ashgabat. Overnight.	Off-road; road; air (370 km)	Hotel
8	Ashgabat-Mary	Drive to Mary with site visits at Anau, Abiverd, Nodir Shah and Ulugdepe. Transfer to hotel. Overnight.	Road (350 km)	Hotel
9	Mary-Ashgabat	Visit to Merw (UNESCO 1999) and Mary Museum. Evening flight to Ashgabat. Overnight.	Road, air (60 km)	Hotel
10	Ashgabat-home	Departure early morning from Ashgabat; transfer to the airport; flight to home country.	Road; air (< 10 km)	Hotel

You plan to travel to in Azerbaijan first? Make a stopover in Baku and spend a few days in Azerbaijan prior to arriving in Turkmenistan. After visiting ancient monuments in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan you'd like to enjoy magnificent mountain landscapes and swim in Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan? Or wander the Kazakh steppes? You think of crossing the whole Silk Road region between the Mediterranean Sea and Xi'an? We have reliable local travel partners in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran and Azerbaijan, so you can organize your whole travel itinerary in Central Asia through us.

Short breaks or weekend breaks

For foreign nationals residing and working in Turkmenistan we have an attractive selection of short tours that can be done for example over a day or a (long) weekend. Here are some examples:

Darwaza: enjoy watching the flames of the gas crater, desert, and nomadic village

Nohur: visit this gorgeous mountain village and enjoy its surrounding highland scenery

Merw: visit the historical park (UNESCO 1999)

Kunya Urgench: visit the complex of historical monuments (UNESCO 2005)

Margush: visit this intriguing Bronze Age archeological site

Karakala: enjoy the surprisingly subtropical landscapes and stay overnight at a private home

Dehistan: visit the oldest mosque in the country and camp next to the remains of the old town

Yangikala: walk through limestone canyons and watch the sun go down at a pilgrim's house

Let us know your field or region of interest and we can tailor-make a tour for you, your family, your business guests or your visiting family members, friends or relatives. These short breaks can also be used as extensions to any of the above mentioned sample tours and programs, or in combination with a Horse Riding Tour or Arts & Crafts Tour.

Rest and relaxation tours

You'd like to visit Ashgabat, and hang out at the swimming pool and relax at the bar? Or take it easy at the Caspian Sea and take in the sea breeze at Awaza? We can facilitate a tour package that provides a maximum amount of time for relaxation: it consists of visa support (Letter of Invitation), road (and air) transfers, hotel bookings and brief city excursion(s). Contact us for more information.

Turkmen folk show

Welcome to the Turkmen traditional house!

Our travel agency has the opportunity to offer you participation at a traditional folk show, in combination with a traditional Turkmen dinner, at a location in the very heart of Ashgabat. You can observe important Turkmen rituals and taste national Turkmen dishes, participate in traditional games and the performance of a bride or groom, dressed in traditional Turkmen costume, play the traditional gopuz (in other parts of the world known as Jew's harp). The most agile guests are invited to participate in yaglyga tovushmak, the jumping for the scarves hanging high overhead, and the strongest guests are invited to participate in goresh, a Turkmen form of wrestling.

Dutar (Turkmen guitar) players Bakshi entertain the guests and at the end of this toy, and everybody will be invited to dance a traditional energetic gush depdi.

If you spend an evening with us you will be treated as a guest of honor, and feel the meaning of the Turkmen saying A guest is higher than a father, a treatment already noted by the 18^th century Hungarian orientalist and traveler Vambery.

So if you are interested in this, add our dinner and show to your planned travel itinerary in Ashgabat. We will not only leave you entertained, but you'll walk away with a newfound understanding of Turkmenistan's rich culture, traditions and folk legends.