ASHGABAT TOUR · GROUP TOURS
Khiva or Ashgabat. Your journey, with a local team.
A fixed group date, a day-by-day programme and a total quotation before payment. e-Visa included in the price; the migration fee (approximately $50 USD per person) is not included in the tour price and is paid separately. A border or airport meeting and options to continue across Central Asia.
NOVEMBER 2026
Guaranteed November tours
7 & 21 November · 5 or 8 days
Khiva via Shavat → Farap, or Ashgabat → Ashgabat.
Choose route and dateNEW YEAR 2027
New Year groups: enrollment open
29–30 December · 2–5 January · 5 or 8 days
Khiva via Shavat → Farap, or Ashgabat → Ashgabat.
Choose route and dateNEW YEAR 2027
A new year. A new journey. Turkmenistan.
Darvaza, Ashgabat lights and the Silk Road. Choose 5 or 8 days — join a group or travel privately.
29–30 December 2026 · 2–5 January 2027 · Group enrollment open
Turn your holiday dates into a Turkmenistan trip
Use the calendar to choose your travel window. Group departure dates and availability are listed separately below. Group applications close 14 days before departure; document preparation and e-Visa timing are confirmed for your trip.
View group dates and application deadlines
Upcoming group tour dates
Registration status is shown for each departure below. Applications close 14 days before the start date. We confirm availability after receiving your request.
30 December 2026 — 3 January 2027
Route: Shavat border → Darvaza → Ashgabat → Nohur → Kow-Ata → Mary → Merv → Farap border
5-day / 4-night New Year group tour; the exact number of available places is confirmed after your request.
Applications accepted until 16 December 2026
Request a place in the group30 December 2026 — 6 January 2027
Route: Shavat → Dashoguz → Kunya-Urgench → Darvaza → Ashgabat → Gokdepe → Kow-Ata → Gyzylarbat → Balkanabat → Yangykala → Gozli-Ata → Kemal-Ata → Turkmenbashi → Gyzylarbat → Nohur → Mary → Merv → Farap
8-day / 7-night New Year tour. Availability is confirmed after your request.
Applications accepted until 16 December 2026
Request a place in the group4–8 January 2027
Route: Shavat border → Darvaza → Ashgabat → Nohur → Kow-Ata → Mary → Merv → Farap border
5-day / 4-night January holiday group tour; the exact number of available places is confirmed after your request.
Applications accepted until 21 December 2026
Request a place in the group4–11 January 2027
Route: Shavat → Dashoguz → Kunya-Urgench → Darvaza → Ashgabat → Gokdepe → Kow-Ata → Gyzylarbat → Balkanabat → Yangykala → Gozli-Ata → Kemal-Ata → Turkmenbashi → Gyzylarbat → Nohur → Mary → Merv → Farap
8-day / 7-night New Year tour. Availability is confirmed after your request.
Applications accepted until 21 December 2026
Request a place in the group19–23 March 2027
Route: Shavat border → Darvaza → Ashgabat → Nohur → Kow-Ata → Mary → Merv → Farap border
Spring group tour during Nowruz; availability is confirmed after your request.
Applications accepted until 5 March 2027
Request a place in the group1–5 May 2027
Route: Shavat border → Darvaza → Ashgabat → Nohur → Kow-Ata → Mary → Merv → Farap border
May holiday group tour; availability is confirmed after your request.
Applications accepted until 17 April 2027
Request a place in the groupЧитать эту страницу на русском →
We organise tours across Turkmenistan, and every year we see the same pattern: enquiries arrive in waves, and those waves are set not by our weather but by the days off in the countries our guests travel from. So we have put the public holidays of eleven countries — Russia, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Türkiye, Japan, South Korea, China, India and Turkmenistan itself — into a single colour-coded calendar running from September 2026 to August 2027.
The idea is simple: look at your own days off, find a block of three or more, and see straight away whether a trip fits. Long windows are marked booking open — those are the dates we put groups together and run private departures on.
The thing that catches people out: Turkmenistan needs lead time
This is not a destination you can leave for next week.
For planning, we recommend contacting us around six weeks before departure. This is a planning recommendation, not an e-Visa processing guarantee. Group applications close 14 days before departure; document readiness and e-Visa timing are checked separately for your trip. The table below gives recommended planning dates for the holiday windows on this page; it does not confirm tour availability or visa approval. Full details on our visa support page.
Holidays by country
A separate page for each country, with the full list of dates, the history behind the holidays, and the paperwork deadline for each window.
The calendar: September 2026 – August 2027
Tap a country to filter the calendar. Tap again to clear the filter.
September 2026
- 25–27 SeptemberMid-Autumn FestivalChina●
- 27 SeptemberIndependence DayTurkmenistan
- 24–27 SeptemberChuseokSouth Korea●
- 19–23 SeptemberSilver WeekJapan●
October 2026
- 2 OctoberGandhi JayantiIndia
- 29 OctoberCumhuriyet BayramıTürkiye
- 3 OctoberTag der Deutschen EinheitGermany
- 1–7 OctoberNational Day Golden WeekChina●
- 6 OctoberDay of RemembranceTurkmenistan
- 3–5 OctoberNational Foundation DaySouth Korea●
- 9 OctoberHangeul DaySouth Korea●
- 12 OctoberSports DayJapan●
- 12 OctoberFiesta Nacional de EspañaSpain●
November 2026
- 6–10 NovemberDiwaliIndia●
- 1 NovemberLa ToussaintFrance●
- 11 NovemberArmistice 1918France
- 3 NovemberCulture DayJapan
- 23 NovemberLabour Thanksgiving DayJapan●
- 1 NovemberOgnissantiItaly
- 1 NovemberTodos los SantosSpain
- 4 NovemberUnity DayRussia
December 2026
- 25 DecemberChristmasIndia
- 25 DecemberNoëlFrance●
- 24 December – 1 JanuaryWeihnachten und NeujahrGermany●
- 12 DecemberInternational Day of NeutralityTurkmenistan
- 25 DecemberChristmas DaySouth Korea
- 29 December – 3 JanuaryOshogatsuJapan●
- 8 DecemberImmacolata ConcezioneItaly●
- 25–26 DecemberNatale e Santo StefanoItaly●
- 5–8 DecemberPuente de la ConstituciónSpain●
- 25 DecemberNavidadSpain
- 31 December – 10 JanuaryNew Year holidaysRussia●
January 2027
- 26 JanuaryRepublic DayIndia●
- 1 JanuaryYılbaşıTürkiye
- 1 JanuaryJour de l’AnFrance
- 6 JanuaryHeilige Drei KönigeGermany
- 1 JanuaryNew Year’s DayChina
- 1 JanuaryNew YearTurkmenistan
- 1 JanuaryNew Year’s DaySouth Korea
- 11 JanuaryComing of Age DayJapan●
- 1 JanuaryCapodannoItaly
- 6 JanuaryEpifaniaItaly
- 1 JanuaryAño NuevoSpain
- 6 JanuaryDía de ReyesSpain
- 7 JanuaryOrthodox ChristmasRussia
February 2027
- 6 FebruarySpring FestivalChina●
- 6–9 FebruarySeollalSouth Korea●
- 11 FebruaryNational Foundation DayJapan
- 23 FebruaryThe Emperor’s BirthdayJapan
- 21–23 FebruaryDefender of the Fatherland DayRussia●
March 2027
- 10 MarchEid al-FitrIndia
- 21–22 MarchHoliIndia●
- 9–11 MarchRamazan BayramıTürkiye●
- 29 MarchLundi de PâquesFrance●
- 26–29 MarchOsternGermany●
- 8 MarchInternational Women’s DayTurkmenistan
- 9–10 MarchOraza BayramyTurkmenistan
- 21–22 MarchNowruzTurkmenistan●
- 1 MarchIndependence Movement DaySouth Korea●
- 21–22 MarchVernal Equinox DayJapan●
- 28–29 MarchPasqua e PasquettaItaly●
- 22–28 MarchSemana SantaSpain●
- 6–8 MarchInternational Women’s DayRussia●
April 2027
- 23 AprilUlusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk BayramıTürkiye●
- 5 AprilQingming FestivalChina
- 25 AprilTurkmen Horse DayTurkmenistan●
- 29 April – 5 MayGolden WeekJapan●
- 25 AprilFesta della LiberazioneItaly
May 2027
- 17 MayEid al-AdhaIndia
- 1 MayEmek ve Dayanışma GünüTürkiye
- 15–19 MayKurban Bayramı ve Gençlik BayramıTürkiye●
- 1 MayFête du TravailFrance
- 6–9 MayAscensionFrance●
- 8 MayVictoire 1945France
- 15–17 MayLundi de PentecôteFrance●
- 1 MayTag der ArbeitGermany
- 6–9 MayChristi HimmelfahrtGermany●
- 15–17 MayPfingstenGermany●
- 27 MayFronleichnamGermany
- 1 MayLabour DayChina●
- 16–17 MayGurban BayramyTurkmenistan
- 18 MayConstitution and State Flag DayTurkmenistan
- 30 MayTurkmen Carpet DayTurkmenistan
- 5 MayChildren’s DaySouth Korea
- 13 MayBuddha’s BirthdaySouth Korea
- 1 MayFesta del LavoroItaly
- 1 MayDía del TrabajadorSpain
- 1–3 MaySpring and Labour DayRussia●
- 2 MayOrthodox EasterRussia
- 8–10 MayVictory DayRussia●
June 2027
- 9 JuneDragon Boat FestivalChina
- 6 JuneMemorial DaySouth Korea
- 2 JuneFesta della RepubblicaItaly
- 12–14 JuneRussia DayRussia●
July 2027
- 15 JulyDemokrasi ve Millî Birlik GünüTürkiye
- 14 JulyFête nationaleFrance●
- 17–19 JulyMarine DayJapan●
August 2027
- 15 AugustIndependence DayIndia
- 30 AugustZafer BayramıTürkiye●
- 15 AugustAssomptionFrance●
- 15 AugustMariä HimmelfahrtGermany
- 8 AugustTurkmen Melon DayTurkmenistan
- 14–16 AugustLiberation DaySouth Korea●
- 11 AugustMountain DayJapan
- 13–16 AugustObonJapan●
- 15 AugustFerragostoItaly●
- 15 AugustAsunción de la VirgenSpain●
When to start the paperwork
| Window | Dates | Recommended planning date |
|---|---|---|
| Silver Week | 19–23 September 2026 | 8 August 2026 |
| Chuseok | 24–27 September 2026 | 13 August 2026 |
| Mid-Autumn Festival | 25–27 September 2026 | 14 August 2026 |
| National Day Golden Week | 1–7 October 2026 | 20 August 2026 |
| National Foundation Day | 3–5 October 2026 | 22 August 2026 |
| Hangeul Day | 9 October 2026 | 28 August 2026 |
| Fiesta Nacional de España | 12 October 2026 | 31 August 2026 |
| Sports Day | 12 October 2026 | 31 August 2026 |
| La Toussaint | 1 November 2026 | 20 September 2026 |
| Diwali | 6–10 November 2026 | 25 September 2026 |
| Labour Thanksgiving Day | 23 November 2026 | 12 October 2026 |
| Puente de la Constitución | 5–8 December 2026 | 24 October 2026 |
| Immacolata Concezione | 8 December 2026 | 27 October 2026 |
| Weihnachten und Neujahr | 24 December 2026 – 1 January 2027 | 12 November 2026 |
| Noël | 25 December 2026 | 13 November 2026 |
| Natale e Santo Stefano | 25–26 December 2026 | 13 November 2026 |
| Oshogatsu | 29 December 2026 – 3 January 2027 | 17 November 2026 |
| New Year holidays | 31 December 2026 – 10 January 2027 | 19 November 2026 |
| Coming of Age Day | 11 January 2027 | 30 November 2026 |
| Republic Day | 26 January 2027 | 15 December 2026 |
| Spring Festival | 6 February 2027 | 26 December 2026 |
| Seollal | 6–9 February 2027 | 26 December 2026 |
| Defender of the Fatherland Day | 21–23 February 2027 | 10 January 2027 |
| Independence Movement Day | 1 March 2027 | 18 January 2027 |
| International Women’s Day | 6–8 March 2027 | 23 January 2027 |
| Ramazan Bayramı | 9–11 March 2027 | 26 January 2027 |
| Holi | 21–22 March 2027 | 7 February 2027 |
| Vernal Equinox Day | 21–22 March 2027 | 7 February 2027 |
| Nowruz | 21–22 March 2027 | 7 February 2027 |
| Semana Santa | 22–28 March 2027 | 8 February 2027 |
| Ostern | 26–29 March 2027 | 12 February 2027 |
| Pasqua e Pasquetta | 28–29 March 2027 | 14 February 2027 |
| Lundi de Pâques | 29 March 2027 | 15 February 2027 |
| Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramı | 23 April 2027 | 12 March 2027 |
| Turkmen Horse Day | 25 April 2027 | 14 March 2027 |
| Golden Week | 29 April – 5 May 2027 | 18 March 2027 |
| Labour Day | 1 May 2027 | 20 March 2027 |
| Spring and Labour Day | 1–3 May 2027 | 20 March 2027 |
| Christi Himmelfahrt | 6–9 May 2027 | 25 March 2027 |
| Ascension | 6–9 May 2027 | 25 March 2027 |
| Victory Day | 8–10 May 2027 | 27 March 2027 |
| Pfingsten | 15–17 May 2027 | 3 April 2027 |
| Lundi de Pentecôte | 15–17 May 2027 | 3 April 2027 |
| Kurban Bayramı ve Gençlik Bayramı | 15–19 May 2027 | 3 April 2027 |
| Russia Day | 12–14 June 2027 | 1 May 2027 |
| Fête nationale | 14 July 2027 | 2 June 2027 |
| Marine Day | 17–19 July 2027 | 5 June 2027 |
| Obon | 13–16 August 2027 | 2 July 2027 |
| Liberation Day | 14–16 August 2027 | 3 July 2027 |
| Asunción de la Virgen | 15 August 2027 | 4 July 2027 |
| Assomption | 15 August 2027 | 4 July 2027 |
| Ferragosto | 15 August 2027 | 4 July 2027 |
| Zafer Bayramı | 30 August 2027 | 19 July 2027 |
When Turkmenistan is actually comfortable
Holidays are half the decision; weather is the other half. Honestly, without the gloss:
| Period | What to expect |
|---|---|
| March – May | The best time. The desert is in flower, daytime is 20–30 °C, and nights in the yurt at Darvaza are cool. Nowruz, Horse Day and Carpet Day all fall here. |
| June – August | Genuinely hot: 40 °C and above, and the Karakum can hit 45 °C. It is doable, but the programme shifts to early morning and evening. Ferragosto and Obon land on this peak — we say so in advance. |
| September – November | The second-best window. The heat breaks, melons fill the bazaars, and the sky is clear for photographing Darvaza. Silver Week and Chuseok 2026 fall here. |
| December – February | Around freezing to 10 °C by day, below zero in the desert at night. The Darvaza crater is at its most striking in winter, but you need warm clothing. The Russian New Year break and Korean Seollal are winter dates. |
Want to travel in one of these windows?
Tell us which country you are travelling from and which dates you have free — we will build a route around your days off and price it.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate are these dates?
Fixed holidays are checked against official calendars. The movable ones were each worked out separately: Catholic and Orthodox Easter from the canonical formulas, the Japanese Happy Monday holidays and equinoxes from the observance rules, Korean Seollal and Chuseok from the lunar calendar, and Oraza and Gurban Bayramy from the Umm al-Qura calendar. Two groups may still shift: transferred days off in Russia are confirmed by government decree, and the dates of the Islamic holidays in Turkmenistan are announced by presidential decree and can move by a day.
Why these countries?
Ten of them are the places our guests most often travel from, or from which the journey is straightforward. The eleventh is Turkmenistan itself: some of our own holidays are a reason to plan a trip in their own right, and it would be dishonest to leave them out.
What does “booking open” mean?
That we are taking enquiries for that window and are ready to form a group or run a private departure. It does not mean a date and price are already fixed — we build the route and quote around your party and what you want to see. Write to us and you will get a concrete programme back.
What if my days off do not match any window?
For a private tour, we agree the starting date with you. Group tours run on separately confirmed departure dates. This calendar is for people working the other way round — starting from their days off and looking for somewhere to spend them.
ASHGABAT TOUR · LOCAL TURKMENISTAN OPERATOR
Planning a holiday trip? See Turkmenistan in 4–5 days
We are a licensed local tour operator in Turkmenistan. See the Darvaza gas crater, white-marble Ashgabat and Ancient Merv with Turkmenistan e-Visa included in the tour price, a guide and a meeting at the border or airport. Medical insurance included.
Prices shown are for group travel. A solo or private trip may cost more. We confirm the departure, group arrangements, room type and final price before booking. e-Visa is included; the migration fee of approximately US$50 per person is not included in the tour price and is paid separately.
