Turkmenistan small group trips

April to June and September to October. Days are warm and dry and desert nights cool. June is already very hot in the Karakum by day, so the crater visit is timed for dusk. July and August pass 40 C and winter is cold, so we do not run departures then.

Answer for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan: the Silk Road cities to the Darvaza crater

Moderately. City days involve 5 to 9 km on foot on uneven lanes, often in sun, and you carry your own bags across the border on foot. The camp is on sand. Most afternoons are free to rest, and the minaret climb in Khiva and the dawn walk at the crater are optional.

Answer for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan: the Silk Road cities to the Darvaza crater

A room of your own in the hotels costs CAD 1,085 more on the small-group trip, shown before you book. At the Darvaza camp, single tents depend on the camp and are confirmed when we name it. You join every meal and activity like everyone else.

Answer for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan: the Silk Road cities to the Darvaza crater

The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, fewer than the 16 most Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan group tours take, so the border goes faster and everyone fits around one table at lunch and one fire at the crater.

Answer for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan: the Silk Road cities to the Darvaza crater

Choose a start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. Prices are per person sharing a room, taxes included, from CAD 5,435 on the small-group trip. We then ask for your passport scan to start the Turkmen letter.

Answer for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan: the Silk Road cities to the Darvaza crater

Yes. A licensed Turkmen agency applies on your behalf for a letter of invitation, which takes several weeks, so we start about two months before departure using a scan of your passport. With the letter, the visa is issued at the Dashoguz (Shavat) border and the fees are paid there in US dollars. The authorities can refuse a letter without a reason; if that happens we tell you straight away.

Answer for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan: the Silk Road cities to the Darvaza crater

It depends on your passport: some nationalities enter visa-free and others need a visa or e-visa, and the rules change often, so we confirm your visa status when you book and tell you what to apply for. Hotels register you with the authorities each night; keep the slips they give you.

Answer for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan: the Silk Road cities to the Darvaza crater