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Turkmenistan is still an unfamiliar country to most travelers, so real feedback from people who have actually gone matters more than it does for well-trodden destinations. We do not host a review form on this website, because reviews collected on a company’s own site are impossible for a reader to verify. Instead, all of our feedback lives on three independent marketplaces — YouTravel.me, Indy Guide and Klub Gidov — where only travelers who actually booked and completed a trip can leave a review, and where we cannot delete what they write.
Below are excerpts from those reviews, translated from Russian where needed, with links to every profile so you can read the full history yourself — including the critical ones, which we have deliberately left in.
Our ratings across three independent platforms
| Platform | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| YouTravel.me | 4.7 out of 5 | 27 |
| Indy Guide | 4.6 out of 5 | 31 |
| Klub Gidov | 5.0 out of 5 | 15 |
| Combined | 4.7 out of 5 | 73 reviews |
Indy Guide additionally verifies its hosts through a passport and ID check, a confirmed phone number and email, and a live video interview with their team. Our profile there has passed all of those checks.
What travelers say on YouTravel.me
“The trip was fantastic, an incredibly beautiful country! Ashgabat is a pristine white city, drenched in greenery — I have 35 countries behind me, but I had never seen anything like it. Darvaza is simply unimaginable — the road there is rough, but it’s worth it. A must-see! Don’t believe the myths you read online.”
“Turkmenistan is one of the most ‘closed’ countries. Honestly, I came here without many illusions. But the country got to me — the contrasts, the sense of being untouched by tourism, the authenticity. There are no crowds here (yet), and there are thousands of years of history: Merv, Nisa, Abiverd, museums with unique exhibits, magnificent mosques. Ashgabat is ideally clean and white, with a lot of greenery and genuinely good cafés and restaurants.”
“My parents took a private tour to Ashgabat and came back thrilled. Thank you for the organization and for taking our wishes into account. Especially huge thanks to our guide Yakub — the tour was one of a kind. We will definitely book with you again!”
“Crossing the border and getting the visa took about an hour, no problems at all. Turkmenistan is absolutely worth visiting — the tour combines natural, historical and religious sites. The guide answers every question and explains everything about the places you visit. Thank you to the organizers, and especially to our guide and driver, who made the trip safe, informative and unforgettable. Our guide, Shah, really knows his subject!”
“I really appreciated that there are no crowds of tourists (though that probably won’t last). Rich historical heritage, welcoming people, very tasty national dishes. The guides’ care and their readiness to solve any problem instantly were very much appreciated.”
“A very packed and varied tour — canyon, sea, Ashgabat, and of course Darvaza.”
Read all 27 reviews on YouTravel.me →
What travelers say on Indy Guide
“We completed the 5 Stans tour through Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in June and it was truly the trip of a lifetime! We help with your Turkmenistan electronic visa (e-Visa) application, including completing the form, preparing documents and guidance throughout the process. One of the things we really appreciated was the shared WhatsApp group that included all the relevant guides and tour operators. Anytime we had a question or needed help, someone was always quick to respond and assist.”
“Overall the trip was good. Guides were good, kind and considerate. Batyr and Bye were knowledgeable and communicated well. Transportation was good. There were a few parts of the trip that could be improved. Travel to Mary in Turkmenistan was long and little to see there. Late night border crossing was difficult. Overall we highly recommend this guide and had a good experience.”
“Overall, we had a great 12-day trip across the three ‘stan’ countries. In Uzbekistan, Baykhan personally picked us up at the airport. Although he is quite young, he was very attentive and knowledgeable, which we really appreciated. We were also very happy with all three of the local guides in Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara. Having travelled to over 30 countries worldwide, I can confidently say that the Central Asian countries are definitely worth visiting.”
Read all 31 reviews on Indy Guide →
What travelers say on Klub Gidov
“We had a wonderful journey through Turkmenistan — a real expedition across the whole country in our own vehicles. We saw the unusual and beautiful nature of Turkmenistan: mud volcanoes, the Moon Mountains, the Gates of Hell, lakes, the Karakum desert, dinosaur footprints, the ancient cities of Merv and Nisa. Ashgabat won our hearts. But the main thing we took away from the trip was the incredibly hospitable and kind people. The tour organizers are true professionals — educated, charismatic people. Many thanks to our guides Baykhan and Batyr!”
“This is probably the best tour of Turkmenistan in the whole Wild East! For a very reasonable price we were taken across all five provinces, where we saw the country’s most iconic places and came away deeply impressed. It had everything — UNESCO historical monuments, stunning natural locations, the striking architecture of the capital, delicious food, vivid people and plenty of stories that happened to us along the way. I will be recommending this exact route with this guide.”
“Our tour was packed — in four days I managed to visit the main sights of Turkmenistan. I was told that most tourists only come to the capital and to Darvaza, but thanks to a well-organized itinerary I got to know not only the sights but also the culture and the everyday life of this mysterious country, both in the capital and in the villages. I recommend this tour to everyone.”
“Batyr and his team (special mention to our guide Ivan) did an enormous amount of work to organize and run a comfortable and interesting tour in a country that is not an easy one. They accompanied us all the way to and from the border, helped us throughout the tour and the transfers, and adjusted plans to our requests while keeping the whole group’s interests in mind. That warm welcome made the atmosphere very friendly.”
“A beautifully organized tour. The main impression was the Darvaza crater — fantastically beautiful! I particularly want to mention the excellent food.”
Read all 15 reviews on Klub Gidov →
What travelers criticise
Not every review is five stars, and we would rather you knew what the complaints are before you book than after. The recurring ones are honest limits of the destination and of long overland routes:
- Long driving days. Turkmenistan is large and thinly populated. On 5- and 8-day routes there are days with several hours in the car and little to see in between — the stretch to Mary comes up most often. If that is not for you, a shorter 3–4 day route is the better choice, and we will say so.
- Road conditions. The road to Darvaza and parts of the Yangykala approach are rough. There is no way around this; we use vehicles suited to it.
- Border crossings. Crossings scheduled late in the day are tiring. We now avoid late-night crossings on new itineraries wherever the schedule allows.
- Hotel standards outside Ashgabat. Regional hotels are 3-star at best. Desert nights are in yurts or tents by design, not as a downgrade.
Where a reviewer raised something we could actually fix — vehicle size for groups with a lot of luggage, prepaid hotel bookings that were queried again at check-in, clearer information about who the lead contact for a trip will be — we have changed how we brief our local partners.
Planning your own trip to Turkmenistan?
Tell us your dates and what you’d like to see, and we’ll put together a route and a price for your group.
Travelling around a public holiday? See our 2026–2027 holiday calendar →
Frequently asked questions
Are these reviews genuine?
Yes. Every review shown here was posted by a traveler on YouTravel.me, Indy Guide or Klub Gidov — independent third-party marketplaces, not on our own website. On all three platforms a review can only be left by someone who booked and completed a trip, and we cannot edit or delete what they write. You can open each profile and read the complete review history, including the critical reviews, which we have not hidden.
Why aren’t all 73 reviews shown here?
We have chosen a representative selection rather than reprinting every review. The full set, including the more critical ones about road conditions and hotel standards on some routes, is visible on the three profiles linked above — we’d rather you read the honest picture there than a filtered one here.
Why do reviews mention different names?
Batyr leads the company and is the point of contact for most bookings, but tours are run by a team of local guides — Baykhan, Yakub, Shah, Ivan and others — and on multi-country routes by partner guides in each country. Reviews name whoever accompanied that particular group.
How can I leave a review after my trip?
If you booked through one of the marketplaces, you’ll receive a link to review your specific tour there after you return. If you booked with us directly, we’ll send you a link to whichever platform you prefer. You’re also welcome to email us feedback at any time — good or bad, it helps us improve the trips we run.
Do you read the feedback about guides and logistics?
Yes — travelers can also leave private notes about their guide and the trip logistics, visible only to us. We use that feedback to adjust pacing, transport and communication on future departures.
