How to travel Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan is a rather difficult country to travel to, for various reasons: 1) only a few airlines fly to Turkmenistan. 2) There is no guarantee that you will get a visa. 3) Turkmenistan is one of the most closed countries in the world and it is more or less cut off from the outside world. 4) Individual travel was prohibited until recently, but even today it is rather difficult to travel in this way. This means that most travelers travel with an official tour. 5) Turkmenistan seems to be a little in the no man’s land of the world. Even the neighboring countries don’t attract many tourists.
This article answers all your questions about how to travel to Turkmenistan. The article was written in April 2019 and it is possible that these rules will change over time.
Why is Turkmenistan such a closed country?
Turkmenistan is a country rich in oil and gas and ruled by a dictator. While the people are oppressed, the president would rather have no curious strangers in the country. The president is also not dependent on tourist dollars, so there is no reason for him to promote tourism.
The visa process is therefore not so easy and it is uncertain whether authorities will approve your application or not. Unofficially, the rumor says that Turkmenistan approves about 80% of all visas. 20% of all visas are – mostly randomly – rejected. Consequently, officially only 15’000 tourists per year make it into the country, whereby the unofficial number is apparently even lower, namely at approximately 6’000 tourists.
Is it safe to travel to such a country?
Yes, very strict dictatorships often lead to almost zero crime within the country. The locals are too afraid of the penalties, which in many cases mean execution. As a result, there is no need to worry in Turkmenistan. On the contrary, the locals are nice and happy to see tourists. Also the traffic is no danger, because the country is not densely populated and you don’t see as many other cars on the streets as anywhere else.
Why should I travel to a dictatorship anyway?
Because it’s worth it! The journey to Turkmenistan is one into a completely surreal world. Forget Dubai or Singapore, Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat is probably the most pompous city in the world. At night the city turns into neon light, so that Ashgabat is called by many as a mixture of Pyongyang and Las Vegas.
Besides, one of the coolest tourist attractions in the world is in Turkmenistan: the door to hell. In this crater natural gas has been burning continuously since 1971, that is 48 years. Otherwise, the desert country still offers some ancient cities from the time of the Silk Road.
Perhaps one or the other person wonders whether the journey to such a country is morally justifiable. After all, one does not want to support such a government. Everyone has to answer this question for himself. I always see it that the boycott of countries affects especially those who do not deserve it: the population. On our trip we spent our money both at our tour operator and in restaurants, bars, small shops and malls. In a country where unemployment is around 50%, even small amounts of money can make a difference for one person or another.
How many tour operators are there for Turkmenistan?
Most travelers visit Turkmenistan with an official tour. Some time ago this was a must, today you can travel the country on your own. I will come back to that later when I explain the visa process. But I can already tell you that to travel to Turkmenistan individually is not easy.
So, how many tour operators offer trips to Turkmenistan? Several. Even if you google “travel Turkmenistan”, you will find many providers. The prices and the program vary depending on the provider. My recommendation is therefore to first decide whether you want a group tour or a private tour. The group tour makes more sense if you have more time, as it is cheaper. The private tour, however, make sense if you can only travel on certain dates or if you do not have too long a time.
I wrote to the following tour providers about a private tour: Young Pioneer Tours, Travel Notoria and Advantour. The price range I got from them for a 3 nights and 2 days tour was between 485 USD and 650 USD.
How can I get to Turkmenistan?
The first and easiest option would be to fly to Ashgabat. However, only 19 airports from 9 countries fly to the capital of Turkmenistan. Frankfurt, Istanbul or Moscow are good options if you come from Europe. Dubai, New Delhi and Beijing are the best options from Asia. When I check out flight options, I usually use the website flightconnections.com. You can see a detailed map there with all the flight options for Ashgabat.
Option 2: You can also travel overland to Turkmenistan, for example from Uzbekistan.
Option 3, in my opinion the worst one: There is also the possibility to arrive by ship. Ferries run between Baku and Ashgabat, however, they are not very reliable and sometimes you might have to wait for days until the ferry leaves.
How do I get the visa?
The tour operator will take care of the Letter of Invitation (LOI) that is required for the visa. It is important that the flights are not booked before you have the LOI! With visas for other countries, flight bookings are often mandatory in advance, for Turkmenistan it is advisable to wait and see whether the LOI is approved or not.
As I have already written, the success rate is 80%. That is however only a rumor, which holds itself stubbornly. In advance, the Ministry of Tourism will carry out a background check on you so that “unwanted” tourists are sorted out. Unwanted tourists can be e.g. journalists, Turkmenistan-critical people (who writes e.g. in a blog something against the president) and all, which could become for Turkmenistan the annoyance. These could also be politically engaged people.
Does this mean that journalists have no chance at all to travel to Turkmenistan? No. As a journalist you simply have to remove all traces of yourself online. Not an easy undertaking, but doable.
The whole LOI process takes two to three weeks and in case of a confirmation you will receive the document from the tour operator by e-mail. With this LOI you can then pick up a visa on arrival, which will be valid for 10 days, at Ashgabat airport. For this you have to show the same passport you used for the LOI and the printed LOI at the visa counter. If you want to be on the safe side, you can also pick up the visa with the LOI at any Turkmen embassy.
It is also possible to apply for a transit visa, which entitles you to a five-day trip through Turkmenistan. It costs 73 dollar and you can pay it at the border. There is no need for a tour and you can travel the country on your own. The missing infrastructure as well as the lacking English knowledge of the Turkmen people do not make it easy though. Rumor has it that the rejection rate for transit visas is 50%, which is much higher than for normal visas. Besides, the processing time for this visa is much longer than for the regular one.
But getting this visa also means that you cannot enter Turkmenistan via the same country and then return there. Or in other words: Kazakhstan – Turkmenistan – Uzbekistan works, Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Uzbekistan does not. At least officially not. In Turkmenistan there seem to be exceptions again and again, sometimes it is just a matter of luck.
Which rules do I have to follow as a tourist?
In Turkmenistan it is not possible to take pictures without restrictions. For example, photos of the presidential palace, military installations and other things are taboo. In case of doubt the tour guide will intervene or you can ask him if you are unsure.
Disrespect towards the president or his predecessor is a no go. You have to avoid that at all costs. This applies on the one hand to pictures of the two gentlemen. You may photograph the pictures, but without any disrespectful pose in front of it. On the other hand, this also applies to statements made about them. You can talk to the locals or the tour guide about the president, but they won’t say anything negative. Besides, you shouldn’t provoke them with statements. After all, a critical remark on your part towards the president can also mean problems for them.
Officially, smoking is banned in public all over Turkmenistan. But this applies only strictly to the capital Ashgabat. Restaurants, hotels etc. usually have a smoking area, but on the street you are fined if you commit a crime. The penalty is indeed ridiculous, as one pays only about 3-4 dollars. But the bureaucracy behind it is the problem, because according to our tour guide you will spend the whole day at the police station.
In contrast to North Korea, I don’t know any stories about Turkmenistan about arrested tourists who were deported for life to a labor camp or similar.
How much does such a trip cost?
As with many places that are better known as special interest destinations, a trip to Turkmenistan is not so cheap. However, it is mainly the air fares that are the reason for this. In our case the costs are as follows:
| return flights: Basel – Ashgabat | 815 USD |
| 3 nights and two days tour (including: Letter of Invitation, A/C car with all transfers and one driver, one domestic flight from Dasugoz to Ashgabat, twin room at AkAltyn hotel for one night, camping in a yurt by the gas crater with sleeping bags and tents, 2x breakfast | 485 USD |
| English speaking tour guide for two days (optional, the tour can be done with just a driver) | 55 USD per day |
| Visa on arrival | 85 USD |
| Migration tax at border | 14 USD |
| Travel tax at hotel for one night | 2 USD |
| Fixed costs per person for the trip: | 1,456 USD |
Additionally I spent 41 dollars on food, drinks and entrance tickets during the tour. In a good restaurant you can eat for about 5 dollars. If you want to have a generous meal (i.e. 2-3 main courses and 2-3 starters plus drinks, coffee and dessert for two people) you will get a total of 10-12 dollars per person. A beer in a supermarket costs about 20 cents to 1.50 dollars, in a bar between 4-6 dollars. Entrance tickets also cost only a few cents. If we had used the money more sparingly, 20 dollars would have been enough for the whole trip. So Turkmenistan is, at least within the country, one of the cheapest countries in the world.
The total cost of the trip combining the fixed costs and the money I spent there was 1’497 USD.
It is also important to mention that you should not change money at the airport. On the black market you get almost five times more Manat than at the airport. While at the airport you get 35 Manat for 10 dollars, at the black market you get 150 Manat for the same amount in dollars.
Can it be cheaper? Yes. On the one hand, the costs depend heavily on the air fares, which in our case made up more than half of the total costs. On the other hand, it is cheaper to choose a group tour instead of a private tour.
Do you want to travel Turkmenistan? Do it! It’s worth the trip! Are you curious about what the trip to Turkmenistan was like? Then click on this link.
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