Turkmenistan is a travel destination in Central Asia. Its capital is Ashgabat. October and September are its two best months to visit, ranked on 1991–2020 climate averages.
Top places to visit in Turkmenistan
Darvaza Gas Crater (Door to Hell) (natural, Ahal Velayat) — Flaming natural gas crater 70 m wide burning since 1971 — arguably Central Asia's most surreal landmark; best experienced at night when the roaring orange flames illuminate the Karakum Desert sky.
Ancient Merv (Mary) (landmark, Mary Velayat) — UNESCO World Heritage city — one of the ancient world's largest cities; five millennia of history in layered ruins including the Seljuk mausoleums, Great Kyz Kala mud-brick palace, and the Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum.
Old Nisa (Nusay) (landmark, Ashgabat) — UNESCO World Heritage Parthian capital near Ashgabat — 3rd-century BCE fortified royal city with circular fortress walls, an ivory and stone treasure hoard, and administrative buildings of an ancient empire.
Ashgabat White Marble City (city, Ashgabat) — The world's most extraordinary post-Soviet capital — Guinness record holder for highest concentration of white marble buildings; gilded domes, rotating golden presidents, and empty gold-fountained boulevards.
Yangykala Canyon (natural, Balkan Velayat) — Grand Canyon of Central Asia — vivid pink, red, and ochre limestone plateau canyon 60 km long; dramatic sunrise and sunset colours with no tourists for hundreds of kilometres.
Konye-Urgench (landmark, Daşoguz Velayat) — UNESCO World Heritage Khorezmian capital — the jewel-tiled turquoise dome of the Kutlug-Timur minaret (11th century, 60 m tall) and the Shah-Senem citadel ruin of the medieval Silk Road.
Karakum Desert (natural, Ahal Velayat) — One of the world's largest sand deserts — camel-trekking expeditions across vast dune fields, nomadic yurt camps, saxaul tree oases, and the ethereal singing-sand dunes of the Repetek Biosphere.
Geok-Tepe Fortress (landmark, Ahal Velayat) — Site of the pivotal 1879–1881 siege — earthen fortress walls where Turkmen tribes made their last stand against the Russian advance; national museum of Turkmen independence and identity.
Serdar's Animal Park & Turkmenbashi Palace (landmark, Ashgabat) — Presidential palace complex on a hilltop above Ashgabat — glimpse the scale of Turkmenistan's personality-cult architecture through its grandiose marble ceremonial halls and formal gardens.
Avaza Caspian Resort (beach, Balkan Velayat) — Turkmenistan's ambitious beach resort city on the Caspian Sea — gleaming luxury hotels, a wave pool, marina, and the starkly beautiful desert-meets-sea landscape of the eastern Caspian shore.