Turkmenistan vacations

Turkmenistan is one of Central Asia's most striking spots, a Silk Road land where humanity's oldest settlements mix with awe-inspiring natural phenomena.
Ashgabat Geok Tepe Kowata underground lake Kopet Dag Mountains Karakala Dehistan Turkmenbashi Gozli-Ata Kara Kum desert Darwaza flaming gas crater Konye Urgench Merv Gonur Tepe
Price
£2699To£2799 excluding flights
Duration
13 Days
Type
Small group
Group size
Up to 12 people
Reviews
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Description of Turkmenistan vacations

Price information

£2699To£2799 excluding flights
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Travel guides

Turkmenistan
Unusual holidays guide
In French, they use the word ‘insolite’ to describe an unusual vacation. Which sounds a bit like insolent. Rebelling against the norm.

Reviews

1 Reviews of Turkmenistan vacations

5 out of 5 stars
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Reviewed on 18 Sep 2023 by

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your vacation?


The gas crater was superb. Really had the "wow" factor. The yurt camp at Darwasa was lovely.

2. What tips would you give other travelers booking this vacation?


To tell people at home that they might not hear from you because a lot of internet is blocked and sometimes Impossible to make international calls! Also a lot of time is spent driving because the places of interest are so wide apart.

3. Did you feel that your vacation benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?


Maybe the villages benefited by us coming because I assume they were paid something. We drove long distances so I don't think that helped the planet any but we did make sure we took all our rubbish with us. Restaurants benefited from our custom.

4. Finally, how would you rate your vacation overall?


It was really good. So many highlights. The desert drivers were great especially ours he was a proper action man! Ashgabat was amazing. The underground lake was strange but good. The desert drivers worked really hard, driving all day then putting up tents and cooking lovely food for us. Only disappointing thing was the hotel in Mary. Flashy on the outside but the worst breakfast I have had anywhere!
Little things like a kettle and cups in the room but no water coffee or tea.
Fantastic breakfast at the yurt camp and when we camped.

Responsible Travel

As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) vacation so that you can travel knowing it will help support the places and people that you visit, and the planet. Read how below.

Planet

This tour travels through some very remote regions, many of which have barely been touched by the presence of humans, and we strongly believe in maintaining their pristine nature. The nature of this trip means that many nights are spent camping. We strive to ensure that we leave these areas as we find them and our team have been trained in strict no litter policies, meaning that we take all refuse to either be recycled or properly disposed of in nearby towns. We use gas for cooking, but on occasions may use firewood – but only where this does not deplete natural resources and deprive local communities from using this themselves. Washing of dishes is carried out well away from any water sources so as not to contaminate them.

Much of this trip is spent traveling through the desert. We stick to whatever tracks exist so as to avoid damaging any desert fauna. We also spend time in Kugitang Nature Reserve, where again we stick to the trails when walking – the entrance fees that we pay here help to maintain this vital habitat for Turkmenistan’s wildlife, some of which is endangered, and the fact that we our visit helps to provide employment for local communities means that it is more likely that the wildlife is seen as something to be preserved rather than a short term resource to be exploited.

We work to educate our drivers and other service providers so as to avoid contributing to the litter problem. We ensure that all litter at the yurts is disposed of properly – this means working with the owners to educate them about recycling, and taking waste back to proper disposal sites where possible.

Similarly, in conjunction with our local team we work with hotels and guesthouses to implement best practices when it comes to environmental matters – in some places this is far behind what we might be used to in other parts of the world. This includes basic things like not replacing towels each day, as well as saving electricity and turning lights off – small things but Central Asia is not as used to tourism as countries in western Europe.

People

On all of tours we strive to include a strong focus on local communities and we are firm believers that tourism should have a positive impact on the places visited. On this tour we try to allow our travelers to gain a real insight into the traditional customs of the country; a good example of this is when we stay overnight in the village of Nohur, in homestay accommodation. Not only is this a great experience for travelers but it means that small scale community based tourism projects, often ignored by mainstream tourism, are able to benefit from our visit.
Another example is when we visit the pilgrimage site of Gozli Ata. We join local people and travelers are explained the complex customs here which intertwine Islam with older beliefs. We ensure that our travelers are appropriately briefed in order so as not to offend local sensibilities. This also applies to the mosques and that we visit on this trip; it is important that we respect the traditions of the places that we visit.

Some of the sites that we visit are popular attractions, others less so – an example of these is the Parthian fortress of Ygdykala. Relatively few tourists visit here and so the entrance fees that we pay are more critical than in other places in contributing to the preservation of their heritage. These sites are quite fragile, being made mostly of mud brick, and we ensure that our travelers do not unwittingly contribute to their degradation by briefing them on appropriate behaviour.

Parts of Central Asia are very traditional with certain codes of behaviour, and the people here are not always that accustomed to outsiders. We ensure that our travelers are appropriately briefed in order so as not to offend local sensibilities. This also applies to the numerous mosques and mausoleums that we visit on this trip; religion is important here and it is important that we respect these traditions.

We use locally owned suppliers and our partners here are deeply involved with the preservation of the culture and heritage of the country. Where possible we encourage our travelers to spend their money with local businesses; for example when stopping in small villages we encourage our travelers to make purchases from local shops and businesses – a small thing but it helps to spread the economic benefits of tourism. Where possible we buy supplies for our camping expedition from such villages.

We also sometimes offer donations to settlements and family groups – not financial but rather material goods which they may need and appreciate, and which can be hard to come by in the desert regions, such as tea and sugar.

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