Tour Overview
The 3-Day Turkmenistan Tour from Ashgabat to Khiva is designed for travelers continuing overland toward Uzbekistan. Begin in Ashgabat, travel north through the Karakum Desert, spend the night near the Darvaza Gas Crater and continue through Kunya-Urgench before exiting toward Khiva via the Shavat border.
Your first day is dedicated to Ashgabat, where the sightseeing programme is adapted to your arrival time and interests. Discover broad ceremonial avenues, modern marble architecture, major monuments and selected cultural sites with a private local guide before spending the night in the capital.
On the second day, continue sightseeing in Ashgabat before travelling north through the Karakum Desert. Stop at the Water and Mud Craters before reaching the Darvaza Gas Crater in time for the evening glow. Enjoy an outdoor dinner near the crater and spend the night in a traditional Turkmen yurt camp beneath the desert sky.
The final day takes you north to Kunya-Urgench, one of Turkmenistan’s most important UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Explore its medieval minarets, mausoleums and Silk Road monuments before continuing to your chosen border crossing: Shavat for Khiva and Urgench, or Hojaili for Nukus and the Aral Sea region. With private transport, local guiding, accommodation and e-Visa assistance arranged as one programme, this tour is particularly suitable for travellers flying into Ashgabat and continuing overland into Uzbekistan.
3-Day Tour Itinerary
Day 1 — Ashgabat International Airport → Ashgabat City Tour
✈️ Arrival at Ashgabat International Airport
Upon landing at Ashgabat International Airport, complete passport control, customs and the required arrival formalities. After entering the arrivals area, meet your Darvaza Tour guide and driver and begin your private programme in the capital.
🚗 Airport Pick-Up and Refreshment Stop
Transfer from the airport into Ashgabat. Depending on your flight arrival time, the first stop can be arranged for breakfast, coffee or a short refreshment break before sightseeing begins.
🏛️ Private Ashgabat City Tour
Spend the day exploring Ashgabat with a private guide. Rather than following a rigid sightseeing schedule, the programme is adapted to your arrival time, interests and the opening hours of the selected attractions.
Possible highlights include the capital’s monumental white-marble architecture, grand avenues, landscaped public spaces, cultural monuments and important landmarks connected with the history and identity of modern Turkmenistan.
The exact order of visits may be adjusted to create the most efficient route and avoid unnecessary driving across the city.
🍽️ Lunch and Dinner
Take breaks at selected local restaurants during the day. Your guide can recommend Turkmen dishes as well as other regional cuisine depending on your preferences.
🏨 Overnight
Stay overnight in Ashgabat.
Overnight: Ak Altyn Hotel or confirmed equivalent.
Included meal: Breakfast according to the confirmed hotel arrangement.
Day 2 — Ashgabat → Water Crater → Mud Crater → Darvaza Gas Crater
🍽️ Breakfast and Morning in Ashgabat
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. The morning remains available for additional sightseeing in Ashgabat, allowing you to visit important locations that were not covered on your arrival day.
🏛️ Continuation of Ashgabat Sightseeing
Continue exploring the capital with your guide. The route remains flexible and can focus on architecture, monuments, local culture, bazaars or other sites according to the available time.
🍽️ Lunch
Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before leaving Ashgabat.
🚙 Drive into the Karakum Desert
In the afternoon, depart north toward Darvaza. The drive covers approximately 270 km and normally takes around 3.5 hours, although the exact timing depends on road conditions and stops.
Some parts of the route are uneven, particularly as you travel deeper into the desert, so the journey should be treated as part of the overall Karakum experience rather than a standard highway transfer.
💧 Water Crater Stop
Make a short stop at the Water Crater, one of the unusual geological formations located along the Darvaza desert route.
🌋 Mud Crater Stop
Continue to the Mud Crater for another brief photo and sightseeing stop before travelling toward the main Darvaza Gas Crater.
🔥 Darvaza Gas Crater
Arrive at Darvaza toward sunset or early evening. As natural light disappears, the flames inside the crater become more dramatic against the dark Karakum landscape.
There will be time for photographs, walking around the permitted viewing area and experiencing the crater both before and after sunset.
🍢 Dinner at the Desert Camp
Enjoy a freshly prepared open-air barbecue dinner at the nearby camp.
After dinner, you may return to the viewing area and experience the crater beneath the night sky.
⛺ Overnight
Stay overnight in a traditional Turkmen yurt near Darvaza.
Overnight: Darvaza yurt camp.
Included meals: Breakfast and dinner.
Day 3 — Darvaza Gas Crater → Kunya-Urgench → Shavat Border / Hojaili Border
🌅 Optional Sunrise Visit
Guests who wish to wake early may return to the crater before sunrise. The softer morning light creates a completely different atmosphere from the previous evening and provides another opportunity for photography.
🍽️ Breakfast and Departure
Return to the camp for breakfast, pack your belongings and begin the drive north toward Kunya-Urgench.
🚙 Drive to Kunya-Urgench
Travel approximately 260 km through northern Turkmenistan. The drive generally takes around 4 to 4.5 hours depending on road conditions and intermediate stops.
🏛️ Kunya-Urgench UNESCO World Heritage Tour
On arrival, begin a guided visit of the historical monuments of Kunya-Urgench, once an important centre of the Khorezm region and one of the major Silk Road cities of Central Asia.
Key monuments include:
- Kutlug-Timur Minaret — one of the most prominent surviving medieval minarets in Central Asia.
- Turabek-Khanum Mausoleum — known for its remarkable dome interior and geometric decorative composition.
- Sultan Tekesh Mausoleum — a distinctive medieval monument crowned with a conical roof.
- Il-Arslan Mausoleum — another important example of Khorezm architectural heritage.
- Caravanserai Gate — a surviving reminder of the trade routes and caravan traffic that once passed through the city.
🍽️ Lunch in Kunya-Urgench
Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before beginning the final transfer to the Uzbekistan border.
🛂 Option A — Shavat Border for Khiva / Urgench
Travel south toward Dashoguz and continue to the Shavat border crossing. This option is generally the most practical for travellers continuing to Khiva or Urgench.
Approximate distance: 130 km.
Approximate driving time: 2 hours.
🛂 Option B — Hojaili Border for Nukus / Muynak
Travel toward the Hojaili crossing for onward travel to Nukus or the Aral Sea region.
Approximate driving time and route will depend on the border access arrangement confirmed for your travel date.
🚪 Border Assistance and End of Tour
Upon arrival at your selected border terminal, our team will assist you with Turkmenistan departure procedures within the permitted border area.
After completing exit formalities, cross into Uzbekistan and continue independently or with any onward transfer arranged separately.
End of Tour Services.
3-Day Tour Price
Price per person based on the total number of travelers in the group.
1 Traveler
US$ 1,154
per person
2 Travelers
US$ 1,154
per person
3 Travelers
US$ 1,154
per person
4 Travelers
US$ 1,154
per person
Groups of more than 4 travelers are also welcome. The larger the group, the lower the price per person may become.
Price includes:
- Visa support and registration: assistance with the e-visa application and foreigner registration in Turkmenistan.
- E-visa fee: the electronic visa fee is included in the tour price.
- Hotel accommodation: one night in a comfortable 4-star hotel in Ashgabat with breakfast, based on twin-room sharing according to guests’ gender unless another room arrangement is agreed.
- Darvaza accommodation: one night in a traditional yurt near the Darvaza Gas Crater, including dinner, breakfast, bed linen and access to shower facilities.
- Ground transport: comfortable air-conditioned vehicles with experienced drivers throughout the land itinerary.
- Transfers: pick-up on the Turkmenistan side of the Shavat border, intercity road transfers, sightseeing transfers and the confirmed final transfer to Haudan border or Ashgabat International Airport.
- Meals: breakfasts, plus dinner and breakfast at the Darvaza yurt camp.
- Guiding: a licensed English-speaking guide throughout the programme.
- Sightseeing: guided city tours and entrance fees for museums and sites included in the agreed programme.
- Medical insurance: coverage up to USD 64,000 per guest, subject to the policy terms.
- Driver and guide costs: fuel, meals, accommodation and other route-related expenses for the driver and guide.
- Taxes and organisation: applicable taxes, road fees and organisational costs for the included services.
- Flexible programme: the order and timing of visits may be adjusted according to border processing, road conditions, local access, flight timing and the time available.
- Mobile internet: access to the guide’s portable Wi-Fi router where mobile network coverage is available, supporting up to 10 connected devices at a time.
- Happ VPN: the guide will provide an access key after arrival in Turkmenistan.
Price doesn't include:
- Meals not expressly listed as included. Allow approximately USD 3–8 per person per meal as an indicative budget; actual restaurant prices vary.
- Personal expenses, including souvenirs, snacks, alcohol, laundry, minibar purchases, additional hotel services and other personal purchases.
- Tips for guides and drivers, which are optional and appreciated.
- Onward transport and services after crossing into Iran, unless separately agreed.
- International flights departing from Ashgabat, unless specifically stated in the quotation.
Accommodation
Darvaza — 1 night
Traditional Turkmen Yurt Camp
One night near the Darvaza Gas Crater. The stay includes bedding, dinner, breakfast and access to camp washing/shower facilities. Accommodation in the desert is simpler than a city hotel and is designed as part of the Karakum experience.
Ashgabat — 1 night
Ak Altyn Hotel 4*
Accommodation in Ashgabat is planned at Ak Altyn Hotel, a centrally located hotel with convenient access to the main sightseeing areas, restaurants and major city attractions.
The hotel is officially classified as a 4-star property, although it is an older-established hotel with a more traditional interior style compared with newer luxury hotels in Ashgabat. We use Ak Altyn because of its practical location, reliable service and easy access to the main places included in the city sightseeing programme.
Breakfast is included. Twin, double or single room arrangements can be provided according to the confirmed booking.
