All activities / Overlanding / Expedition Driving / Darvaza
Overlanding / Expedition Driving in Darvaza
A remote stretch of the Karakum desert in central Turkmenistan around the Darvaza gas crater, a wide pit of natural gas that has burned continuously since Soviet drilling in 1971 and is known as the Door to Hell. It is reached only by 4x4 across open sand and is the country's most famous natural sight, usually visited on an overnight desert camp.
Why here
The Darvaza gas crater is the reason most travelers come to Turkmenistan, and the way to reach it is a 4x4 expedition into the Karakum, the desert that covers most of the country. The crater is a wide pit of natural gas that has burned without pause since Soviet geologists set it alight in 1971, roaring loudest and glowing brightest after dark. The classic trip drives out from Ashgabat, crosses open sand to the rim, and camps for the night so you see the fire against a black desert sky and a full field of stars. Along the way you pass the smaller water and mud craters near Darvaza and cross a landscape of dunes, saxaul scrub and near-total silence. It is expedition travel, remote and self-contained, run by a local crew who carry fuel, water and camping kit, and outside the crater itself you are unlikely to see anyone else.
Best months
Spring and autumn are the comfortable seasons; from June to August the Karakum is brutally hot by day, and midwinter nights at the crater drop below freezing. The crater burns year-round and is best seen at night, so trips overnight at the rim. Access is by expedition-equipped 4x4 only, over soft sand with no made road for the final stretch, and there is no mobile coverage or fuel once you leave the highway. Nights are cold even in the shoulder seasons, so bring warm layers on top of desert sun protection.
Getting there & around
Travel advisory · Level 1 advisory
US State Dept Level 1 Exercise Normal Precautions (as of 2026-07), but Turkmenistan is a tightly controlled state where independent tourism is not permitted; a Letter of Invitation, a state-registered guide and a fixed itinerary are mandatory and travel is only possible through a licensed local operator. Trips start in Ashgabat, roughly a three to four hour drive from the crater. Your operator arranges the Letter of Invitation weeks ahead, the on-arrival registration, permits, the 4x4 and the overnight camp. Bring cash in US dollars, sun protection and warm layers for the night.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (1)
Owadan Tourism
OutfitterOwadan Tourism is one of the oldest and largest travel agencies in Turkmenistan, established in Ashgabat in 1996 and based at 207 Oguzkhan Street. It is a licensed operator that handles the Letter of Invitation, visa support and mandatory on-arrival registration, then runs guided 4x4 journeys across the country, from the Darvaza gas crater and the Karakum to the UNESCO sites of Merv and Kunya-Urgench. Programmes run from short classic circuits to multi-week overland trips.