Turkmenistan Travel Guide

Turkmenistan OVERVIEW

Turkmenistan's administration is such a wet blanket, and free spirit travelers will definitely end up between a rock and a hard place toying with the idea to visit. On the one hand, no one will have you throw your weight around, so you are required to hire a guide. On the other, all this flabbergasting heritage, warm-hearted people and lunar landscapes mean that your voyage along the ancient Silk Route is to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, attended or not. So, are you going to stomp your feet like a disgruntled child or swallow your pride and let yourself be guided into the mystical?

Start off any place. In Ashgabat, the opulent palaces and self-laudatory gold statues commissioned by the infamous former president, Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov, will give you a hint why certain constraints have to be faces in the country and how far the absurd of power can go. Quite to the contrary, ancient cities like Konye-Urgench, Old Nisa and Merv are authentic epitomes of excellence, as demonstrated by various empires flourishing on the edge of the Kara-Kum Desert. The towering minarets, impressive mausoleums, ruined fortresses and relics dating back to the 14th century have all been affected by the tooth of time and war but are nevertheless worth having a look at. And so are numerous other places such as the modern town of Anau, with its staggering mosque, or Turkmenbashi, another brainchild of the rather unlamented president, yet one with an interesting, a few good beaches and some spectacular views from the surrounding mountainside.

When you're done with the cities, get into a saddle and explore the countryside on back of Akhal Teke horse, Turkmen great pride and joy. Brave the black sands of Karakum, make your way through the gorges of the Firuza River, cross the Eastern fertile plains, treat your body in the hot springs of Bakharden and track down dinosaur footprints near the village of Khodga-Pil. Above all, don't refuse any opportunity to socialize with the people. A bit distrustful towards strangers, they'll give you a royal treatment in the end if you show them respect, let alone the human aspect is at least 50% of a complete Turkmenistan adventure.