Turkmenistan has astounding natural sights and deep, deep historical roots. The desert is full of fascinating creatures and it has fostered a living folk culture steeped in Sufi traditions.
The downside? Because of the many restrictions for tourists, it’s difficult to actually see or do many of these things. On the plus side, Turkmenistan’s strange government has created a whole new category of “weird tourism”, and that is on display everywhere.
We ranked ideas based on how easy they are to complete – first is easiest, last is most difficult.
Natural sights
- Lean into the gas crater of Darwaza in the desert twilight
- Swim in the underground cave of Kow-Ata
- Explore the ancient Tethys Sea: drive through the colourful Yangisuw canyon and camp at even more spectacular Yangikala canyon
- Track dinosaur steps in Kugitang national park and relax at the sulfur springs
- Get splattered by the large Getpatlavuk mud volcano
Weird & dark sights
- Try to use the internet
- Be astounded by the sacrilege of the Kipchak mosque and visit Turkmenbashi’s final resting place
- Go to a fancy restaurant and get spied upon
- Take the Walk of Health and wonder how healthy that can be
- Hunt for remainders of Turkmenbashi’s rule: Rukhnama books, golden statues and vodka bottles
- Have a conversation with a local
- Attend one of many strange celebrations dedicated to flags, horses, melons, …
- Descend into the Garashor depression and ponder the madness of the desert Lake Turkmen
Historical sights
- Visit the remains of the Parthian stronghold of Nisa
- Take a day to visit the left-overs of once-proud, ruined Konye-Urgench
- Get the full tour of the ruins of Merv, once the largest city on earth
- Seek the foundations of Zoroastrism at Gonur Depe
- Visit the Bronze Age archaeological site of Margush
- See real Silk Road ruins at Dekistan
- Admire the craft of the Persian fortress of Nadir Shah
- Delve into the Ekedeshik cave settlement
- Learn more about the ruins of Izmukshir and Ismamut Ata
- Trace more of the withered Silk Road on the way from Ashgabat to Mary at the ruins of Namazga Depe, Ulug Depe and Altyn Depe
- Dig further into Parthian history at the atmospheric sites of Anau and Abiverd
- Do a historical tour of the northern desert, with visits to the Mausoleum of Ashyk Aydin Pir, the fortress of Diyarbekir, Shasenem shrine and Gyaur Kala
- Visit the mausoleums in Sarakhs, and get out to the Silk road ruins around the town at Gurukly Depe and Mele Hairam
City life & museums
- Be blown away at the sight of Ashgabat, the White City, stroll the deadly streets and visit the weird landmarks
- Amble through the market in Turkmenbashi and discover its ethnic diversity
- Take a ride in the world’s biggest indoor ferris wheel or enjoy Ashgabat’s amusement park
- Taste the many varieties of dairy Turkmenistan has to offer at the Russian bazaar
- Visit the Carpet museum
- Find out where the life is, in Old Ashgabat
- Go wild at Ashgabat’s Sunday horse races
- Visit the Geok Depe mosque in Ashgabat on a Friday
Village life & folk culture
- Put on a fuzzy telpek hat for the ultimate photo-op
- Learn about Sufism and see how it has permeated every part of Turkmenistan’s society
- Admire women’s traditional dresses and dance at a wedding party
- Accept the invitation for a massive shared meal at the Sufi shrine in Merv
- While away the hours in the mountain villages of Nokhur and Murche and peel away their many layers
- Check out carpet weavers at work, and discover the other Turkmen crafts: jewelry, silk weaving and embroidery
- Don’t settle for kebab and ask for yarma (wheat groat stew), chekdirme (lamb rib stew), semeni (wheat sprout pudding), pumpkin filled flatbread (gutab),…
- Buy a carpet
- Meet the village people in Erbent, Dokurbok or the isolated Damla oasis
- Feel the spirits at the pilgrimage sites of Gozli Ata, Kemal Ata, Parau Bibi, Ersari Ata and Meane Baba
- Help set up a desert yurt
- Milk a camel
- Learn to play the dutar
Outdoor activities, fauna & flora
- In the Karakum desert, take a closer look to find it teeming with life
- Walk in spring in the tulip fields of the Kopet Dag mountains at Badkyz national park
- Ride an Ahal Teke horse
- Sample one of Turkmenistan’s many types of pomegranate on a hike through the Sumbar valley
- Watch Caspian seals frolic in the polluted waters of the Caspian
- Watch wildlife in the harsh Kaplankyr reserve by 4WD or camel
- Spot a Persian leopard in the Hasardag nature reserve
- Try to spot a Bukharan deer in the Tugay forests of the Amu Darya reserve
- Stay overnight at Repetek nature reserve and discuss life as it is with the rangers
Relaxation
- Stay at the beach resort of Avaza
- Stay at a Soviet-era sanatorium