Darvaza: The Burning Gas Crater in the Karakum Desert

At night, the glow from the Darvaza gas crater is visible from several kilometres across the flat desert. At the rim, the heat is intense enough to feel uncomfortable within a metre or two of the edge. The sound is a deep, constant roar from 40,000 cubic metres of natural gas burning per day. The crater has been burning continuously since 1971.

The origin story is debated. The official version, repeated in all tourist literature, holds that Soviet drilling engineers accidentally punctured an underground cavern in 1971, the drilling rig collapsed into the hole, and the engineers deliberately ignited the escaping methane to prevent it from spreading – expecting the fire to burn out within weeks. It did not. Various geologists and energy researchers have challenged different parts of this account, but the hole is 69 metres wide, the flame is real, and after more than 50 years the burning continues. Turkmenistan’s government periodically announces plans to extinguish or cap it; as of 2026, it continues to burn.

It is genuinely one of the stranger things you can stand next to anywhere on Earth.

Getting There

Turkmenistan is one of the most restrictive countries for independent tourism. Most nationalities require a visa, and the interior requires additional permits. The visa-on-arrival at Ashgabat airport (available to nationals of approximately 90 countries) allows up to 5 days transit – enough for Ashgabat and a desert excursion. The e-visa system (evisa.gov.tm) processes applications in 3-20 business days; apply at least two weeks before travel.

From Ashgabat, the crater is 3.5-4 hours by road on the M37 highway, with the last section across desert tracks. Organised 2-day tours from Ashgabat cost around $100-150 per person including transport, guide, camping at the crater, and return. Ashgabat-based operators including Owadan Tourism and Turkmen Travel handle these. One-night camping is strongly recommended over a day trip: the fire is most dramatic after dark and the Karakum desert sky on a clear moonless night is genuinely extraordinary.

Two smaller craters are within walking distance of the main burning crater: one that collapsed and flooded (the water crater) and one that emits gas but does not flame (the mud crater). Both provide context for the geological situation.

The best visiting seasons are late April through May and September through October – 25-32 degrees Celsius daytime, cool nights. July and August can reach 45-50 degrees; winter is cold but clear.

Ashgabat

The capital is the mandatory arrival and departure point and deserves two days on its own terms. President Niyazov rebuilt the city in white marble during his rule from 1991 to 2006; his successor continued the process. The result is a capital that looks like nowhere else: vast white marble government buildings, golden statues, eight-lane roads through the centre with almost no traffic, white marble apartment buildings for state workers. Visiting Ashgabat is like seeing the interior logic of Soviet central planning applied at full scale to a Central Asian city with oil money. The Tolkuchka Bazaar (or its replacement markets) offers the other Ashgabat: an enormous weekly market with carpets, livestock, and goods from across Central Asia.

Merv

The ancient Silk Road city of Merv (Mary province, 360 km east of Ashgabat) is separately worth the visit: UNESCO listed, one of the largest cities in the medieval Islamic world, with ruins spanning from a 4th-century BCE Macedonian fortress to a 12th-century mausoleum. The Sultan Sanjar Mausoleum is the best-preserved large medieval building in Central Asia. The site sees very few visitors; you can expect to have it essentially to yourself.

Cash in USD or euros is essential – foreign cards don’t work. Photography of government buildings and military installations is prohibited. Your tour operator provides a guide.