Transit visa, detour possible ?

[Michèle]

Hi,

We will cross Turkmenistan from Uzbekistan to Iran from Turkmenabat to Badjiran.
I would like to know if it would be a prob to go visit the gate to hell (go and back from Asghabat) as it is not properly on our way?
We will use public transport and shared taxis, etc.
Thanks !

[Van_Gogh]

It will be a problem when you're being checked by police, as you have to take the direct way between your entry and exit point indicated on the transit document you receive upon entering.

[bwv812]

People do it all the time without any problems, and I haven't heard of police checks and visa inspections being common.

[GMJA]

W travelled with an own car. We didn't get a GPS tracker. We made a huge detour (250km to Derweze from Ashgabad). The checpoints are every where but they didn't care, zero problems. Also at the exit border they didn't have any data of our actual route. We kept on saying we drove directly, just stayed one day in Ashgabad.

At the checkpoints there were cameras, but looks like it didn't provide any serious data to the police. Also police at the checkpoints and in the city was totally harmless. Everytime they sae EU number plates, they let us go without any control. Once we were asked where we were going to. We told "Derweze" and the guy just let us go. Didn't give a shit about our transit route.