Turkmenistan: Getting there & around

Flights to Ashghabat most commonly transit through Frankfurt, Moscow, Kiev, Istanbul, and Baku in Azerbaijan. There's one flight a week from London and another from Yerevan. If you're more into travelling than arriving, there's a hybrid journey by air from Turkey to Baku (Azerbaijan), by cargo vessel across the Caspian Sea to Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan, and from there to Ashghabat, Bukhara and beyond by train. Plenty of travellers also cross between Turkmenistan and Iran, using Turkmenistan's five day transit visa to get between Bukhara and Mashhad in northeastern Iran.

Train travel is slow but reasonably comfortable. Trains often travel by night, so you can save money on a hotel but end up missing the excellent views of the passing countryside. Tickets are cheap but tend to sell out early, so buy your ticket as early as possible. Buses travel early in the morning while afternoon services are rare or non-existent. All day long there is no shortage of marshukas (private minivans) or share taxis which travel quickly and cheaply between cities. Off the main routes, some villages may only be served by one bus per day. For destinations well off the beaten track, private transport is essential and there are a number of tour operations that can organise expeditions into the desert.