When planning a visit to Turkmenistan and doing some research for your trip, you’ll frequently come across articles about “Darvaza.” However, the word “Darvaza” rarely appears in information published by the country’s government, which proclaims the country to be a “republic” even though it is governed by a president-for-life who is authorized to use almost all forces of the country. Why does this not spark great curiosity?
What is it? Why it’s burning 24/7?
Darvaza Crater, also known as the “Door to Hell” or ‘‘Gates of Hell“, is a huge crater that burns 24/7. It is reported to date back to the 1970s, when Soviet geologists, searching for oil, were drilling at the site, the ground suddenly caved in, creating a huge hole from which natural gas emerged. To avoid the spread of this poisonous gas, the team set it alight and it has been left to burn ever since. As of today, no one knows how to stop the gas from emerging or, technically, how to put out the fire. It’s obviously a waste of natural resources, especially in light of the mismatch with present-day society’s ecological footprint concerns. This may explain the government’s reluctance to advertise it extensively. Either way, however, such things always create feelings of curiosity among inquisitive tourists:)
Too long way to the middle of nowhere in the desert? Don’t worry, you’ll enjoy the scenery on the way!
The Darvaza gas crater is situated in the middle of the Karakum Desert, 250-350 km from both Ashgabat and Kunya-Urgench. Due to the varying road conditions, it is a minimum of a 3-4 hours drive from those cities. While you may be reluctant to plan a visit due to the distance, don’t worry, the landscape on the way is quite amazing and you won’t get bored. For example, you’ll see camels walking gracefully or eating grass.
You can also visit villages that are specialized in breeding livestock such as camels, goats and sheep. A sign of such villages is a small cote surrounded by deadwood. As you enter one of these villages, you’ll likely be greeted by cute camel calves and goat kids running up to you!
The best time to see the Darvaza Crater is after sunset
The Darvaza crater is at its most impressive after sunset. The recommended time to go is therefore around sunset, and also, if possible, to stay overnight. There is a camping service available around the crater, which provides basic meals and a tent to sleep in.
During the day-time, the crater looks like nothing more than a huge hole, but after the sunlight has gone, it turns into a burning hole with flames. The air around the crater felt sticky like gas, and the deep sounds from the earth constantly surrounded us.
The wider view of the burning hole looks like a movie set!
We had a good time talking under the beautiful stars with other tourists who were camping, and we slept in a small tent. In the morning, sunlight gave us a totally different view of the crater. Although less impressive since there were fewer visible flames, it was still a view like no other.
Explore some similar craters in the area on the way back
There are also other similar craters in the area. On the return journey, our guide took us to Mud Crater and Water Crater. While these are not burning, we could nevertheless see air bubbles rising up from the mud and water.
Getting there: It’s a drive of 3+ hours from the capital, Ashgabat. From Kunya-
How long to be spent there: The burning crater is most impressive after sunset. It’s recommended to plan on arriving just before sunset and to camp overnight.
Activity keywords: Crater, camping in desert