Things to Do in Turkmenistan

From the fiery Darvaza Gas Crater to the white marble monuments of Ashgabat - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.

Travel guide - last updated September 2026

Turkmenistan is one of the most tightly controlled and least-visited countries in the world, with a capital city built almost entirely from white marble and a burning gas crater in the desert that has become the country's most-photographed image, despite the country's overall low tourist numbers. Independent travel is essentially not possible - nearly all visits go through a licensed tour operator with a fixed itinerary. Here are 4 places worth building a trip around.

Top attractions

The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.

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Darvaza Gas Crater

A burning natural gas crater in the Karakum Desert, nicknamed the 'Door to Hell,' that has been alight for decades - most visited overnight, when the flames are most dramatic against the dark desert sky.

📍 Darvaza, Karakum Desert

🚉 The burning crater is 260km north of Ashgabat in the Karakum: there is no public transport, and visitors reach it by 4x4 with a licensed guide, camping overnight to see it after dark.

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Ashgabat

Turkmenistan's capital, holding the Guinness World Record for the highest concentration of white marble buildings in the world, alongside gold-topped monuments and a notably empty, orderly street plan.

📍 Ashgabat

🚉 The white-marble capital has no metro: taxis are cheap and plentiful, and the main sights - the Independence Monument, the Arch of Neutrality, the Kipchak mosque - are spread out enough to need one.

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Merv

A UNESCO World Heritage ancient Silk Road city, once one of the largest cities in the world, now a vast archaeological site of ruined mosques, fortresses and mausoleums.

📍 Merv, near Mary

🚉 Nearest station: Mary, on the Trans-Caspian railway with trains from Ashgabat taking about seven hours, then a 30km taxi ride to the ruins of the ancient Silk Road city.

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Karakum Desert

Covering roughly 70% of Turkmenistan, this desert holds the Darvaza craters and stretches of largely untouched dune landscape, crossed by the country's main highway.

📍 Karakum Desert

🚉 The desert covers most of the country and is crossed by the Ashgabat-Dashoguz road; travel off it requires a 4x4, a guide and, in practice, the permits your tour operator arranges.

Mark Turkmenistan, get the stamp

🇹🇲TURKMENISTANVISITED

🇹🇲TURKMENISTANLIVED

🇹🇲TURKMENISTANWISHLIST

In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.

Open MyPassportStory

Planning questions

How many days do you need in Turkmenistan?

A week suits Ashgabat, Darvaza and Merv well, structured as a fixed itinerary through a licensed local tour operator, as is standard for the country.

What's the best time to visit Turkmenistan?

April-June and September-October have the most comfortable temperatures for desert travel. Summer heat in the Karakum Desert is extreme.

Is Turkmenistan good for a first-time visit?

It requires more preparation than most destinations - a Letter of Invitation and a government-approved guide are typically required, arranged through a licensed tour operator well in advance.

Do I need a visa to visit Turkmenistan?

Nearly all nationalities need a visa, generally requiring a Letter of Invitation from a licensed Turkmen tour operator as part of the application. Check the official visa information for your nationality: mfa.gov.tm.

What are some things to do in Turkmenistan on a tight budget?

Turkmenistan's mandatory guided-tour structure keeps costs relatively fixed regardless of budget preference, though a group tour is generally more affordable than arranging a private, custom itinerary.

Can I rent a car in Turkmenistan, and what licence do I need?

Independent self-drive is effectively impossible for visitors. Almost all tourists need a letter of invitation and must travel on a guided tour with a state-licensed operator, and the vehicle and driver come with it; transit visas, which allow independent movement, are limited and rarely granted. Where driving is permitted, an International Driving Permit is required alongside a home licence. Internal travel between regions can also require permits, particularly near the borders and in the desert. Official information, including the visa rules, is published by the State Migration Service at migration.gov.tm.