Immersion in the country in 9 days

Arrival. Arrival in Ashgabat by flight. Transfer to the hotel. Hotel accommodation 4*

Ashgabat. After rest you will have a sightseeing tour of Ashgabat including a visit to such sights as the Independence Monument - a symbol of Turkmenistan with sculptures of historical figures and a 91-meter column. Arch of Neutrality with a golden statue of Turkmenbashi (24 carats). The residence of the President - the Oguzhan Palace Complex, the Wedding Palace, the Ferris Wheel, the Rukhyet Palace of Congresses and Arts (outer facade), etc.

Dinner with national cuisine.
Hotel accommodation 4*

Ashgabat - flight to Turkmenbashi - Yangikala – Balkanabat. In the morning, transfer to the airport. Departure by morning flight to Turkmenbashi. In the morning you will visit Yangikala canyons and Kemal Ata volcanic rock formations. Picnic surrounded by colorful mountains. In the afternoon departure to the east of the country. Stop for the night at the foot of the Great Balkan ridge at the hotel in the city of Balkanabat (former Nebit Dag - "Black Mountain"). The city is known for its oil and natural gas production.

Accommodation in Nebitchi 3*

Balkanabat – Nohur - Ashgabat. Acquaintance with Balkanabat, we will stop at the monument to the Pioneers. Moving from Balkanabat to Ashgabat will take us the whole day, with photo stops and lunch.

On the way, we will walk through the historic village of Nokhur with amazing ancient architecture and an extraordinary cemetery with the horns of argali sheep.

Bathing in a cave in the thermal underground lake Kov Ata with water temperature from +33 to 37.5 C. Arrival to the capital.

Hotel accommodation 4*

Ashgabat – Darvaza. This day we will have excursion to Nisa (UNESCO) - the capital of the powerful Parthian kingdom (2nd century BC - 3rd century AD). Inspection of the ruins of the Parthian city in the valley and the royal fortress on a hill.

After that we will have a trip to the village of Kipchak with a visit to the largest mosque in Central Asia, the main mosque of the country - Turkmenbashi Rukhy, and the mausoleum of President Niyazov.

In the 2nd half of the day, there will be an excursion to a burning gas crater, known as the “Shine of the Karakum”. The diameter of the gas crater is 60 meters, the depth is 20 meters. Nearby you may see the second crater - gray boiling mud, and the third crater with a bright turquoise lake. Dinner under the stars. Night in a yurt.

Accommodation in Yurts.

Darvaza – Ashgabat. Breakfast at the yurt camp. Return to Ashgabat. Upon arrival we will visit to the State Museum of Turkmenistan, including the Museum of the President and the Ethnographic Museum. Visit to the Russian Bazaar.

Evening tour of sparkling Ashgabat. Overnight in Ashgabat.

Hotel accommodation 4*

Ashgabat – Mary. After breakfast, you will be transferred to the city of Mary with a stop at a private horse farm, with an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the “Heavenly” horses, as well as at the ruins of the Seyit Jemaletdin mosque, which history goes back to 5 centuries. This unique mosque is considered to be one of the most popular places of pilgrimage among the locals. When visiting the mosque, you can get acquainted with the ruins of the architectural ensemble, a unique arch, on which two writhing dragons are depicted in mosaic, which was not typical for the architectural structures of Central Asia before. We continue our way to the city of Mary.

Upon arrival you will have a city tour with a visit to the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Hotel accommodation 4*

Ancient Merv. After breakfast at the hotel, we will have an excursion to Ancient Merv (one of the three historical parks included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in Turkmenistan). Being one of the largest cities in Central Asia, Merv was the center of culture and science of the Middle Ages, as evidenced by many libraries and observatories created on the territory of Merv. When visiting Merv, we will be able to see a system of settlements belonging to different eras. This is what distinguishes ancient Merv from other cities, where each new city was built on the ruins of the old one. On an area of more than 120 km2 you will visit the remains of settlements of the Achaemenid, Sassanid, Seljuk eras.

At the end of the tour, we will return back to the city of Mary. Our next stop will be the local history museum of Mary velayat. Created in the middle of the last century, the Museum presents a collection of archaeological finds discovered as a result of excavations in the Merv oasis by archaeologists for almost 100 years.

After the excursion, we will depart back to Ashgabat.

Hotel accommodation 4*

Departure. Airport transfer. Flight home.