The Five Stans Adventure exploring Turkmenistan 🇹🇲 Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 Tajikistan 🇹🇯 Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 and Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬
Enjoy a leisurely morning to explore Ashgabat at your own pace. This afternoon, make tracks for the Darvaza Gas Crater – this 70 m wide hole in the Karakum Desert is permanently aflame and is also known as ‘The Gates of Hell’. Soviet oil prospectors started drilling here in 1971, when suddenly the ground collapsed to form the crater. Worried about the gas released into the air, they deliberately set the crater on fire to burn off the excess, expecting it to last a few weeks. As you’ll see, the crater has been burning ever since. From your nearby camp, you’ll watch the sunset with your group as you dig into a Turkmenistan-style dinner before retiring to your tent for a night under the desert stars.
~ Intrepid Travel ~ Five Stans Day 3
Goodbye to Ashgabat & The Drive
We left Ashgabat in 4X4’s, stopped for lunch and drove to Darvaza. There are 2 other craters ~ The Water Crater and The Mud Crater.
Water Crater
Mud Crater
Darvaza Gas Crater ~ The Door To Hell
Another bucket list item for me! The Darvaza Gas Crater (aka the Door to Hell or Gates of Hell) is officially the Shining of Karakum and is a burning natural gas field collapsed into a cavern near Darvaza, Turkmenistan in the Karakum Desert. The crater is about 69 metres across and about 30 metres deep. At a temperature of 752 degrees, hundreds of natural gas fires illuminate the floor and rim of the crater.
Tourist Yurt Camp
We had a great supper done on the BBQ! Later I slept in a Yurt ~ it was very hot and I didn’t sleep well.
Look at the stars!
Happy Travels!
The Five Stans
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Jackie is “Mom” to one amazing son, an IT professional and an obsessed traveller. She spends her time reading, golfing at Ladies League and implementing software projects. Jackie has travelled to 7 continents, 5 oceans and 103 countries and she is always planning the next destination and adventure!