Caravanistan

Thank you squawkerys! What did you think of the place? I really enjoyed it since it's so bizarre and nothing like it anywhere. I got there around 6pm so got to see the changing appearance of the crater as well as the surrounding desert as the sun went down. All the better for meeting a group of Fre...

Hi all, I recently took the brand spanking new Berkarar ship from Turkmenbashi to Baku. After reading some of the nightmarish reviews of the Akademik, I was prepared for the worst. However, the new boat is lovely, looking almost untouched. I've attached some pics of the cabin and deck etc, along wit...

Just a follow-up to Sergi's note. After crossing the train tracks near Darvaza (just after the teahouses, heading south), there's a good chance of a 4x4 lurking near the turnoff (look on your left hand side)....or, if not, ask someone at a teahouse. They wanted USD30 for the return trip, agreeing wh...

Thanks Flor! Yes, I'm at the same hotel after returning from the Aral Sea. They mention closed due to construction, but will double/triple check. Glad you had no problems entering anyway,,,doubling back to Urgench is no real hassle.

Cheers, Rich

Hi there, Did you have any problems getting though via Dashogus. I applied for and received a transit visa via Khonye Urgench (well, email confirmation to collect a visa) and now understand the border is still closed. Wondering they'll refuse me at Dashogus since it's not what's stated on the confir...

Just a follow up to a previous post. My request for a Turkmen transit visa (5-day, requested in Dushanbe, pickup at Konye Urgench, heading to Turkmenbashi for the ferry to Baku) was approved! Since this raises my chances of getting into Turkmenistan to approx. 50/50, I'm off to have a celebratory pl...

Sorry to only see and reply to this over a month late! Hope you managed to get to the animal market on Sunday in Kashgar (as opposed to the Sunday market which is also good but open every day, albeit most lively on Sunday) - I thought it was awesome and would recommend not to miss it. Dusty dealing ...

Well this visa lottery is good Stans fun! I applied in Dushanbe today hoping to go via Urgench to Turkmenbashi. Btw the consul was very helpful and spoke English. He didn't mention any specific problems but guess I'll need to report back in a week or so if I've been lucky or not. Good luck to other ...

Hi all, I'm planning a 5-week trip to the Stans in mid April, currently flying into Turkmenistan, crossing into Uzbek, which leaves me 2-3 weeks in Tajik- and Krygyz- before (probably) flying out of Bishkek. Has anyone got any experience of travelling through the Fan mountains, Pamirs or mountain la...

Hi all, I'm planning a 5-week trip to the Stans in mid April, currently flying into Turkmenistan, crossing into Uzbek, which leaves me 2-3 weeks in Tajik- and Krygyz- before (probably) flying out of Bishkek. Has anyone got any experience of travelling through the Fan mountains, Pamirs or mountain la...