Ashgabat - Darvaza - Mary - Farab

Arrival at Ashgabat International Airport. You will be met by our representatives and transferred to the hotel (early check-in). Free time. Afternoon drive to Darvaza burning Gas Crater (5h), which is one of the top international tourist destinations. The area is rich in natural gas. Burning for more than 50 years, Darvaza Gas Crater shines like a pearl in the middle of the Karakum desert. Besides Darvaza Gas Crater, you will also see water and mud craters. One of the most vivid and addictive features of this trip is the fresh air of the desert and experiencing the nomadic life in person. At night, while the light of the Gas Crater hits the sky, you will camp in the Turkmen national yurt or private tents and barbecue for dinner. This unique landscape in the world will fascinate you, and you will want to come again.

Picnic-style breakfast. Drive to Ashgabat (5h). Check in at the hotel. You will have an Ashgabat city tour. In 2013, the Guinness Book of Records named Ashgabat a “white marbled city” – here you can see the biggest number of structures in the world made out of white marble. You will see the Wedding Palace, the modern “Yildyz” Hotel, the Ferris Wheel, the Constitution Monument, the Arch of Neutrality, the Monument and Park of Independence, Ertogrul Gazi Mosque, Ashgabat Olympic Stadium, the Earthquake and Victims of WWII Monuments. Overnight in Ashgabat

Breakfast at the hotel. Flight to Mary. Drive to Merv to explore ancient Merv – “Queen of the world”, was one of the most important capitals of Islam, along with Baghdad, Cairo, and Damascus. Sightseeing of ancient Merv includes Greater Kyz Gala & Lesser Kyz Gala (VI-VII), Complex of Askhabs (VIII-XIV), Erk Gala (VI BC), Gyaur Gala (IV BC), Hoja Yusup Hamadani complex, Sultan Sanjar mausoleum, Muhamed Ibn Zeid mausoleum. After sightseeing, drive to the Turkmen-Uzbek border “Farap” (4h).