Turkmenistan

Reasons to go:

1. Gates of Hell

Darvaza gas crater (40.252427, 58.439628), also known as Gates of Hell, might soon be destroyed, so hurry up! From Ashgabat, it is 270km drive straight north on the P-1 road until (40.194273, 58.413128) and then 7km of off-road driving. Spending a night there is a must, as the crater looks completely different during the day, at night and at dawn.

Once you are in the area, there are two more craters to see: the Mud crater (40.167908, 58.410695) which used to spew mud but has now dried out and is slightly on fire; and the Water crater (40.045275, 58.428867) in which you can see gas bubbling up through the water.

2. Ashgabat

  • To see Ashgabat without being on a tour, follow Esther’s blog. Don’t miss the Arçabil şaýoly - the street lined with ministries, embassies, UN offices and monuments. And Ruhnama Monument (37.888238, 58.379083) - is this the world’s one and only monument to a book?
  • See Ashgabat at night. During the day the city is white - white marble buildings and all the cars are white too (it is illegal to drive a dark car through the city). But at night…you have to see it to believe it.
  • My impression of Ashgabat changed profoundly after visiting Berkarar Shopping Mall (37.893995, 58.369733; without a guide). Seeing locals playing VR games, kids riding the London double-decker bus and expats buying fancy pastries (12 USD each), was a big change from being shown around the completely empty parts of the city.
  • Things to see around Ashgabat include Turkmenbashy Ruhy Mosque (38.017872, 58.252794), Gokdepe Fortress (38.169691, 57.966739), Old Nissa (37.951435, 58.211426). Old Nissa is impressive if you get to see pictures of what it is believed to have looked like. Unfortunately The Guy who knew everything about Old Nissa died in 2019 and nobody has followed in his footsteps yet. If you are looking for a PhD topic - this is a cool one.

3. Köneürgench

  • Turabek Khanum Mausoleum - the most impressive dome on the inside. From there it’s a walk south to explore the area.
  • Another cluster of stuff (four mausoleums to be precise) is located near the museum (42.325517, 59.14841), which is actually a rather nice museum.
  • Read Oriental Architecture website to learn about the architectural gems of Köneürgench.

If you happen to be in Dashoguz:

  • Oguz (41.834053, 59.965272) - local’s favourite restaurant. Great hot chocolate too.
  • Sha Tugy (41.836933, 59.963991) - in the evenings this is the biggest party in town.
  • Dashoguz Central Farmers Market (41.847619, 59.966642) - a busy place that will give you an idea how locals live. If it is spring, try hunting for sumalak.

Notes:

  • There are two options for visiting Turkmenistan. The first is to pay a tour agency for a tour and for arranging a visa support for you (to get a Tourist Visa on arrival). This is what I did. The visa support will be emailed to you, print it out to show it at the border. My only regret is not checking carefully the locations of the hotels included in the tour - make sure that you stay close to restaurants/shops so you can go out without needing a car.
  • The second option is to apply for a Transit Visa. This is probably much more fun, but I don’t know how it works.
  • Bring USD cash, as it won’t be possible to use your bank cards in Turkmenistan.
  • Don’t expect to find wifi in hotels, restaurants or indeed anywhere. Internet traffic is heavily monitored, many websites/apps are blocked, VPNs are likely not to work. I asked my guide to make a hotspot with his internet-connected mobile phone, which allowed me to check my emails and reply to some. I did not attempt to visit any websites or to buy my own sim card.
  • Food in Turkmenistan is not great and very expensive, but many places will have at least something vegetarian (maybe a lentil soup or dumplings/pies with pumpkin, spinach or potatoes). Imported stuff is super expensive. To give you a vague idea - a dinner for one without alcohol can easily be 60 USD or more, and I paid 17 USD for 1 litre of imported vegan milk.
  • My standard EU charger worked everywhere in Turkmenistan.

My experience at Shavat (41.773659, 60.059283) border on the way in:

  • Upon leaving Uzbekistan, I was not allowed to walk to the Turkmen side of the border (2km), as it is now mandatory to take the bus. It costs 5 TMT in cash - about 2 USD, but they won’t take USD cash. I managed to negotiate paying in UZS. Prior to that I visited seven different banks in Nukus, and from that experience I believe there is no way to buy TMT in Uzbekistan.
  • I am not sure if it is possible to cross this border without speaking Russian. Nobody spoke any English and all paperwork was in Turkmen only. Reluctantly I switched to speaking Russian, and suddenly both locals and border guards were keen to help me.
  • I was told I cannot enter the country without a guide. Saying that the guide is waiting for me just outside the border crossing didn’t convince anyone. I gave them the name and the phone number of my guide, they called him and summoned him in. From that point onwards my guide handled everything and got me through the border reasonably quickly.
  • The payment for the border crossing was 140 USD per person (cash only), that included a visa, a COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test (that they insist is a PCR test) and banking fees.

My experience at Shavat border on the way out:

  • I am not sure if it is possible to cross this border without speaking Russian. Nobody spoke any English and all paperwork was in Turkmen only. Reluctantly I switched to speaking Russian, and suddenly both locals and border guards were keen to help me.
  • Filling in the customs form in Turkmen is the first hurdle. I asked for help in Russian.
  • The tour agency gave me three original copies of my “registration with the government”, but nobody at the border was interested in these. They flipped through my passport, which contained only the Tourist Visa I received on entering the country and nothing else, and announced that I won’t be able to leave the country because I broke the law by not registering with the government. I asked them to call my guide. They did call him and then did many other phone calls. After a long time, they apologised for their mistake, let me through and asked me to come back soon for another holiday.
  • Don’t forget to keep 5 TMT for the mandatory bus to the Uzbekistan border.