I arrived at the border entrance of Turkmenistan, a country with less than 30 tourists a day, and was prepared for the worst. Situated in the middle of Central Asia between Uzbekistan
and Iran, lies Central Asia’s own hermit Kingdom, Turkmenistan.
Home to the infamous Darvaza Gas Crater, or known to most as
the Door to Hell, the country receives less than 10,000 tourists annually. I had earlier in the day arrived at the Konje-Urgench border crossing from the Uzbek city of Nukus via a prearranged taxi for $6.
Baggage Claim – Nukus Airport
The gates were still closed, but opened at precisely 9 AM.
To get through the Turkmen border was a relatively straight
forward, if not rather long process.
Upon presenting my pre-arranged Letter of Invitation, I was
asked to sit down as they thoroughly vetted my visa, which included calling my
awaiting driver. After parting an additional $73, I finally received one of the
world’s rarest tourist visa and was directed to head to the customs area.
The Golden Visa
The Turkmen border guards thoroughly checked my luggage for
any trace of contraband, and a rather cheeky young guard asked to keep a mini
bottle of Smirnoff he found.
After parting my new friend with America’s finest vodka, I
was quickly allowed to enter into Turkmenistan. However, instead of being
greeted by my guide outside, I had to trek another 15 minutes in the blistering
heat to my awaiting guide outside the secure border area.
We then toured the ancient ruins of Kunya Urgench, a UNESCO
heritage site, before heading southwards towards Darvaza.
It quickly became apparent that the roads were in pretty bad
shape. This by far was the worst national road I’ve ever been on: filled with
potholes, cracked asphalt, and plenty of dips and bumps.
The drive looked like Mario Kart in real life, with my
excellent driver swerving to avoid any major obstacles.
Even onboard my Nissan Pathfinder, the drive was rather rough,
and if you’re traveling within Turkmenistan a vehicle with four wheel drive is
a must.
I was rather surprised that the government of Turkmenistan,
flushed with natural gas wealth, would let such a critical transport link
between two major cities go to neglect.
Bridge to Nowhere
At the end of the Bridge
After a few bumpy hours, we stopped at a local teahouse, allowing
my driver to take a well-deserved break.
The teahouse was known for its meat pies, filled with a beef
soup like substance, and luckily for my paranoid stomach, the pies were served
piping hot.
The price for this sumptuous treat? 10 Manat, or around 60
cents.
The teahouse also had a rather large selection of Vodka
costing around $2-$3, which explains why a group of Turkmen men were sharing a
bottle in the early afternoon.
We then stocked up on some water for the long journey ahead
and headed towards Darvaza.
From here the road was in significantly better shape, and
although it was filled with potholes, at least the car didn’t have to swerve like
it we were in the set of Fast and Furious.
After crossing a police checkpoint, we finally made it to
area surrounding Darvaza village. If you’re taking a tour, most likely your
tour will take you to three craters: mud, water, and the infamous fire crater.
Rather Lackluster
Water Cater
We first stopped at the mud crater, which true to its name
is mostly covered in bubbling mud, but did have a few small fires.
The air reeked of gas, reminding visitors you were stepping
into a submerged drilling rig.
While not a must see on its own, the mud crater served as a
great preamble for the main attraction.
A few miles down the road, we turned left onto a rather obscure
sand path, and headed in on a five mile drive through sand dunes towards the fire
crater.
At long last, the fire crater appeared over the horizon, and
as we drove closer, a gentle murmur became a loud roar, as if the underworld
was calling out your name.
Upon arriving at the crater’s edge, I instantly hit with
smell of burning gas and waves of heat from the swirling winds.
Even in the late afternoon sun, the crater looked incredible
and the crater looks far more imposing in real life.
As you are in the the middle of nowhere, there are no safety
precautions, with a rather flimsy car railing merely lining half of the crater.
Not for the faint of
heart
Due to the windy conditions, the heat would come and go, and
depending on your luck you could look over the edge with a cool breeze to your
back, or be toasted by the searing heat from the underworld
May the Odds be in
Your Favor
After a quick break, we returned to the crater at sunset,
and the crater went from amazing to the supernatural.
Sunset
As the full moon rose over the twilight sky, you could be
forgiven if you thought you were on another planet.
However, the best was still to come as the true greatness of
the crater can only be fully appreciated during the night.
Dante’s Inferno
When I finally headed back to my yurt, my guide was fast
asleep. Apparently, I had been staring into the flames for the last three
hours, seemingly lost in time. Stunning, Magnificent, Frightening, and
Imposing. The Darvaza Gas Crater was all that and more.
How to get here:
Darvaza gas crater is approximately four hour drive from the
capital, Ashbagat. There are a handful of international airlines that flying to
Ashbagat, mainly Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. However, since Turkmenistan is
part of Central Asia, redeeming miles is a relatively poor value.
Fly instead on the rather bizarre Turkmenistan Airlines if
you want a reasonable departure time.
The sole accommodations available at Darvaza are basic tents
or yurts. All in, including airfare from Russia and lodging, I paid over $1000
for my four day trip, which is the most I’ve spent dollar wise in quite a while
for independent travel.
Getting a visa to visit Turkmenistan is notoriously
difficult to obtain. While not the cheapest option in town, StanTours was
monumental in helping me receive a visa with just a one month to spare, and
helped organize the logistics. Not to mention they have superb English speaking
support staff. To save on costs, I opted for just a driver who spoke basic
English. After all, there’s no real need for guide when you all the info you
need is available online.
Budget travelers can try their luck with a transit visa, but
without any organized transport, visiting Darvaza on their own will be a
challenge to say the least.
