Grand Turkmenistan — The Expedition
Grand Turkmenistan — The Expedition
This is the grand tour for the adventurous — a thirteen-day expedition that pairs the country’s famous sites with the wild, rarely-travelled east. After Ashgabat, the Darvaza crater, Kunya-Urgench and Merv, the road turns toward the far frontier: the mysterious many-roomed Ekedeshik cave and the Koýtendag mountains, where hundreds of dinosaur footprints march up a tilted slab of Jurassic rock.
Expect long, spectacular drives, nights in simple regional hotels and a genuine sense of discovery in a region few outsiders ever reach. It rewards travellers who prize wild landscapes and the thrill of the remote as much as the great monuments.
A premium private expedition for up to eight guests, with 4x4 transport, domestic flights where they help, and one desert camp beside the Gates of Hell.
At a glance
Moments you will carry home
Dinosaur Plateau
Hundreds of 150-million-year-old footprints on a limestone slope in remote Koýtendag.
Ekedeshik cave
A man-made warren of three dozen carved chambers behind a single cliff-face door.
The classic core
Kunya-Urgench, Merv and the Darvaza crater still anchor the journey.
The wild east
Canyons, karst caves and the Amu Darya on the way to the least-visited corner of the country.
The route unfolds
Scroll the itinerary — the map traces your journey as it goes.
Ashgabat
Arrival
Airport welcome and transfer to your hotel; an evening drive past the illuminated marble monuments.
Ashgabat & Nisa
Capital & Parthians
The capital’s monuments and museum in the morning, then the UNESCO ruins of Old Nisa on the mountain’s edge.
Darvaza Crater
The Gates of Hell
A stop at the Kow-Ata lake, then north into the Karakum to camp beside the burning crater under the stars.
Kunya-Urgench
Medieval Khorezm
Cross the sands to Dashoguz and the UNESCO monuments of Kunya-Urgench — its soaring minaret and mausoleums.
Fly to Mary · Merv
Queen of the world
A flight south to Mary and out to the vast oasis ruins of Merv — walls, fortresses and the Sultan Sanjar mausoleum.
Gonur-Depe
Bronze-Age Margiana
Into the desert to the 4,000-year-old Margiana capital of Gonur-Depe — palace, temples and royal necropolis.
Tagtabazar · Ekedeshik
The many-roomed cave
Drive south up the Murghab to Tagtabazar and the mysterious Ekedeshik cave — dozens of chambers carved on two levels behind a single doorway.
Across the south-east
Long desert road
A long, dramatic drive east across the southern desert and the Amu Darya toward the Koýtendag range near the Uzbek border.
Koýtendag · Dinosaur Plateau
Footprints from the Jurassic
Climb to the tilted limestone slab stamped with hundreds of 150-million-year-old dinosaur tracks — one of the largest trackways on earth.
Koýtendag Nature Reserve
Canyons & caves
Explore the wild Koýtendag reserve — the Umbardere gorge, karst caves and the country’s highest peak on the horizon.
Return to Ashgabat
Back to the capital
Transfer to the regional airport and fly back to Ashgabat, with a restful evening after the expedition.
Ashgabat
At leisure
A relaxed day in the marble capital — museums, carpets, the cable car or the bazaar.
Ashgabat
Departure
Transfer to the airport for your onward flight.
What's included
- ✓Private English-speaking guide throughout
- ✓All accommodation per the itinerary (hotels + desert camp where shown)
- ✓Private air-conditioned vehicle with driver
- ✓All domestic flights and transfers in the programme
- ✓Daily breakfast and selected meals
- ✓Entrance fees to the sites and museums listed
- ✓Letter of invitation (LOI) and visa support
- ✓Bottled water and all travel documents
Not included
- —International flights to and from Turkmenistan
- —Visa fee paid on arrival
- —Lunches and dinners not specified
- —Travel insurance
- —Tips for guides and drivers
- —Personal expenses and drinks
Destinations you'll explore
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