Central Asia is becoming increasingly more popular as a tourist destination, especially for tourists from the West. Monuments of Bukhara, Samarkand, Khiva, trips to the Tian Shan and Pamir mountains… They all attract adventure-seekers and tourists in search of exoticism. The Central Asian states are also en route for globetrotters traveling from Europe to China and India.

Unfortunately, Turkmenistan is not a frequented tourist location, the main obstacle being the difficulties with obtaining a Turkmen visa. The visa can only be obtained by those who have an official invitation or those who have booked an expensive official trip that can hardly be afforded by an ordinary ‘backpack tourist’. Another possibility is using a transit visa, which is issued for only 3 days, though. The easiest way to get a transit visa is to apply for it in Mashhad in Iran and then travel to Uzbekistan via Turkmenistan.

Meanwhile, tourism could become one of the main branches of the Turkmen economy besides gas, oil and cotton. Sites like Kunya-Urgench, Merv, Nokhur, Gonur-Deppe, Kopet Dag mountains or the Caspian Sea coastline could become popular tourist destinations. This would, however, oblige the Turkmen authorities to abandon the policy of isolation and to transform the visa issuing policy. Even though several months ago President Berdymukhammedov announced that the visa regime for tourists visiting the Caspian Sea would be facilitated, nothing has changed so far.

Should anyone, despite the difficulties, plan to visit Turkmenistan during their vacation (at least for a few days, using the possibility of a facilitated transit visa regime), I recommend the website, devoted to tourism in Turkmenistan. One can find not just the general information on Turkmenistan but also lots of practical advice, concerning visas, travels & safety, as well as descriptions of the most interesting locations in the country.