Turkmenistan itinerary

[thijsbroekkamp]

Hello,

I was hoping you could help me out with this Turkmenistan itinerary, as this country is quite a puzzle to plan. So we are going to do a tour with an tour operator, as you know it is really expensive so we don’t want to make it too long. We want to enter from Bukhara, and as i’ve read on Caravanistan we can take shared taxi to the border and some walking, same on turkmen side. Then take the train (arrange on site or beforehand?) to Mary, visit Merv with taxi, and then train to Asghabat to start the tour with tour operator for Dervaza, desert communities and Yangkila canyon and exit through Khiva.

Do you think this is possible? And especially the time where we would be on our own. I guess that if the tour operator arranges the visa they specifiy the entry dates and will not let you stay on your own somewhere? I can’t find how long the tourist visa is valid either.

Thanks a lot if someone could clarify this for me.

[bwv812]

Did you read the Turkmenistan visa page here?

[thijsbroekkamp]

Yes I've read that, which says I can get a 10 day tourist visa at the border. I thought perhaps there was a different length of validity if you apply before at an embassy but I guess 10 days will do.

But the info I'm looking for is if I can state my own date of arrival and departure and thus move without a tour operator for a part within these days? Because a tour operator will state on its inivtation letter from when and untill when we are doing a tour with them.

[steven]

Hi Thijs, the site says the following:

The tour operator also lets you do your own thing in Ashgabat without a guide, within limits (there are plenty of cameras and secret police, they know what you are doing).

Since you did not understand what was not written. I will add: this means you cannot go without a guide outside of Ashgabat,

Just go for the transit visa like all other backpackers.

[thijsbroekkamp]

I did not understand that underlying message indeed Steven, haha!
Thanks for clearing this up for me guys.

Yeah transit visa is going to be difficult as we are coming from Uzbekistan and going back to Uzbekistan and we want to be sure to get it so that we can visit Turkmenistan.

By the way, the tour operator told me that they moved the national holiday from end of october to september, so perhaps useful to know for the visa page.

[steven]

Thanks for the update, they forgot to tell me!