Day 1 Flight from Finland to the heart of Central Asia
We meet at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Flight Helsinki-Istanbul 12.55 – 16.45. Connecting flight to Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, at 20.40.
Day 2 Ashgabat – the capital of white marble
We arrive at Ashgabat International Airport. We arrive at 02.20, where the group will be met by a driver and his bus. We will stay at the Sportivnaya 4* hotel, built in 2017, located in the Olympia village of Ashgabat, in the centre of the city.
In the afternoon there is a city tour of the spectacular Turkmen capital where gildings and white marble are not spared. The modern city, built on natural gas and petroleum resources, gives a sense of luxurious affluence and is bewilderingly unrealistic in its perfection. Ashgabat is Turkmenistan’s capital and its largest city, although it is relatively young. In 2013, Ashgabat was named the ‘City of White Marble’ in the Guinness Book of World Records. In the book, you can see a large number of buildings made of white marble.
Ashgabat tour includes, among others, the Presidential Palace, Ruhyeet Palace, the Constitution Monument decorated with marble, Ertogrul Gazy Mosque, Independence Park and Monument, the Neutrality Monument, topped by a 75-metre high monument with a golden rotating statue of Turkmenistan’s first president (Turkmenbashy). We will visit the “Alem Ferris” Ferris wheel and the “Bagt Koshgi” wedding palace, which contains 36 shops including wedding dress shops, photo studio and beauty salon. We will also visit the Ashgabat 2017 sports and housing facilities and the monument to the victims of the earthquake and World War II.
In your free time you can visit the beautiful Akhalteke Horse Monument. It is dedicated to the Turkmen AkhaiTeke racehorse, which is considered a national treasure. At the same time, you can visit Ylham Park (Inspiration Park), Altyn Asyr Market Square and Gulistan Market (the so-called Russian Bazaar). We will stay at the Sport Hotel. (A,L)
Day 3 Ashgabat – Mary
Breakfast at the hotel, followed by departure to Mary. On the way you can see the Seyitjemalled Mosque. It was built in 1456 during the reign of Abu-Ibn-KAsim Baber Bahadurkhan in Khorasan (1446-1457). In the 19th century, the building was severely damaged by land subsidence and in the 1948 earthquake the mosque was completely destroyed. Now only the lower parts of the portal and some parts of the walls have survived. Today it is famous as a place of pilgrimage for locals.
We will also visit the town of Abiwerd, once an important trading post in North Khorasan. It was the main link in the great Silk Road between Nisa and Merv. We visit Mary Bazaar, where you can admire a variety of local products, and the Russian Orthodox Church, one of the oldest in Turkmenistan. We stay overnight at the Mary Hotel. (A,L)
Day 4 Mary – Merv – flight to Ashgabat
Breakfast at the hotel. Drive to the ancient city of Merv, ” Queen of the World”. “. Merv was one of the most important capitals of Islam alongside Baghdad, Cairo and Damascus. Merv consists of Kyz Gala and Lesser Kyz Gala. Kyz Gala is one of the most famous attractions in Turkmenistan and Central Asia. We will also visit places such as the Askhabs complex, Erk Gala, Gyaur Gala, Hoja Yusup Hamadami complex, the mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, the ruler of Khorasan province, and Muhammad Ibn Zeid Mausoleum. After these, we will drive to the city of Mary and there we will visit the Mary History Museum, located in the city center. The museum presents the history and culture of Mary from ancient times to the present day. From Mary we fly back to Ashgabat. We stay overnight at the Sport Hotel. (A,L)
Day 5 Ashgabat – GeokTepe – Nokhur mountain village
Breakfast at hotel. Morning drive to Kipchak town to see the Turkmenbashy Ruhy Mosque, also the largest in Central Asia. Drive to Geok-Tepe fortress, where the Russian army attacked in 1880. The siege of Geok-Tepe lasted 23 days, after which a storm overran the city. We visit the Saparmyrat Hajji Mosque, built between 1994 and 1995 in memory of the defenders of the Gökdepe Fortress during the presidency of President Saparmyrat Nyýazow. It is also known for its mint turquoise blue dome and white marble structure.
Later, we drive to a horse farm to see a source of Turkmen pride – Akhalteke horses. 5000 years ago, the Turkmen started breeding the breed. This oriental and perhaps the world’s oldest thoroughbred breed is considered by many to be the most beautiful in the world. The Ahalteke horse has undergone very little cross-breeding and there is a ‘closed pedigree’ of the breed, with around 3 500 individuals whose origins are verified by DNA testing. Only pure-blooded individuals are accepted into the studbook. Such illustrious emperors as Alexander the Great, Darius, wanted to own Akhalteke horses. According to superstition, any sick person who touched this horse would be cured quickly. The farm has over 35 beautiful horses.
Then we drive to the mountain village of Nokhuri (150km) . What makes this village special is that the houses are built on blocks of stone cemented with mud. Apart from the main road, the streets are so narrow that it’s good if you can at least fit a car through. The people of this mountain village of Nokhur are quite different from other Turkmen tribes. They live in a few villages in the mountainous border area, stretching from Turkmenistan to Iran. Nokhur is the largest village with about a couple of thousand people. The nature here is also different from the surrounding areas. A visit to the “Gyz Bibi” pilgrimage site and its unique cemetery, where almost every grave has mountain goat horns. Dinner and overnight stay with a local family. (A,L,I)
Day 6 Nokhur – Yangykala – Turkmenbashi
Breakfast at accommodation, then drive to Yangykala (5h). It is one of the most beautiful natural sites in Turkmenistan. The word “yangy kala” is translated from Turkmen as “Fire fortress”. Indeed, the white, yellow, ochre, purple and red rocky cliffs, finely produced by wind and rain, are very similar to the rock castles of fantasy. We will explore the canyons some more, then drive to the town of Turkmenbashi on the Caspian Sea coast (2h). We stay overnight at the Carlak Hotel. (A,L)
Day 7 Flight Turkmenbashi – Ashgabat, drive Ashgabat – Darwaza
Breakfast at hotel, followed by flight to Ashgabat. From there we drive to the burning gas crater of Darwaza (5h), also known as the “Door to Hell”. The Darwaza area is rich in natural gas. In 1971, while drilling, Soviet geologists hit a cave filled with natural gas. The ground beneath the drilling collapsed, leaving a large hole 70 metres in diameter. To avoid releasing the toxic gas, it was decided that the best option was to burn it off. Geologists hoped the fire would have consumed all the fuel within a few days, but the gas is still burning there. We cross the Karakum desert and stop at a small desert village called Erbent. In the evening we have a BBQ dinner at the gas crater and spend the night at the camp, in tents (includes: sleeping mat, sleeping bags, pillows and light). Each camper will stay in his/her own 1hh tent. (A,I)
Day 8 Darwaza – Ashgabat
In the morning we will enjoy a picnic-style breakfast at the gas crater. After enjoying breakfast we will start driving towards the capital of the country. In the evening we arrive in the capital, dinner. Accommodation in the already familiar Sport Hotel. (A,L)
Day 9 Free days
Today is a free day and you can do whatever you want. We will stay at the Sport Hotel. (A)
Day 10 Return home
At 01.30 a.m. transfer to the airport. Flight Ashgabad – Istanbul 04.10-06.45. Onward connection to Helsinki at 09.05-11.40.
Hotel
Ashgabat – Sport hotel
Mary – Mary hotel
Turkmenbashi – Charlak hotel
Nokhur village – Homestay
