Turkmenistan is the North Korea of Central Asia — except with better architecture, friendlier people, and a flaming hole in the desert that has been burning since 1971. The Darvaza Gas Crater, known as the “Door to Hell,” is a 70-metre-wide pit of fire in the Karakum Desert that was accidentally created by Soviet geologists and has burned continuously for over fifty years. But Turkmenistan is far more than its most famous Instagram spot. Ashgabat, the capital, is the most surreal city in Central Asia: an entire metropolis rebuilt in white marble, gold domes, and enormous monuments dedicated to the cult of personality of its former and current presidents. The ancient Silk Road city of Merv — once one of the largest cities in the world — lies in ruins on the eastern plains. And the Karakum Desert itself, covering eighty percent of the country, hides Dino footprints, canyon oases, and Turkmen nomadic culture that has survived every empire that tried to cross this land.

RJ Travel operates group tours and private tours in Turkmenistan, from Ashgabat’s marble avenues and the ancient ruins of Merv and Nisa to the Darvaza Gas Crater, the canyon of Yangykala, the underground lake of Köw-Ata, and the Tolkuchka horse market. Our itineraries navigate the country’s strict permit system and offer a rare window into one of the world’s most isolated nations.

Whether you’re drawn by the hellish glow of Darvaza at midnight, the eerie beauty of Ashgabat’s empty marble boulevards, or the chance to visit the ruins of a city that was once larger than Damascus, our Turkmenistan tours are for travellers who collect countries most people have never heard of — and come back with stories no one will believe.