Trip to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan

If you travel on a touristvisa you do need an organised tour and a guide. Everything has to be planned ahead. You can be on your own in Ashgabat but otherwise with a guide. The other option is a 5 days transit visa. on that you are free to travel independently. it requires a visa for the next country after Turkmenistan (and not a return to UZ). You cannot extend that visa. Organised tours in turkmenistan are not cheap but you can travel fairly cheap on the transitvisa.

There are no trains between Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Otherwise, trains in Uzbekistan are pretty good, especially those between Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara (Shark, Nasaf, Registan and Afrosiab - they have their own names).
Other trains are ok when you travel in a 4-berth compartment (coupe) or SV (2-berth compartment). Try to deal with tickets beforehand to avoid stucking somewhere. Arostr, Stantours and Advantour are good with train tickets, some other travel agencies also work well in this area.

Hi Anaya,
Thanks for your comments - very useful.
I think we would be on a tourist visa. Is having a guide more of a bureaucratic hoop to jump through, or would we actually have to be accompanied by him/her throughout the trip? i.e, how much independent travel is it possible to do in Turkmenistan?

Also, when you say organised tours aren't cheap, do you have any indication of price? I heard that it's a lot cheaper changing money on the black market - do you know whether this is still the case?

Do you have any idea of how much per day in USD (exchanged into local currency) we'd expect to be paying with a guide, and if it were possible without a guide, how much independent travel might cost?

Thanks very much!

Thanks Aleksey15619. Would you recommend bus as the best mode of transport between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan then? We'd be keen to travel around Uzbekistan by train, but are just a little concerned about the feasibility of continuing the trip over to Turkmenistan.

We're really keen to get over there, but it's just a case of whether this is feasible logistically/financially etc.

thanks very much!

I wouldnt miss the Sunday markets in Margilon (best between 7am-9am) and Andijon (best between 11am-2pm). We stayed at Sonya's Guesthouse in Fergana for 3 nights and did day trips to various places. The Yodgorlik Silk Factory in Margilon is very good. Free tour,.
Darwaza gas craters were very good. Stay in the chaikhana (they didnt charge us for a spot on the floor) across from the craters. $15 USD per person for a return journey on the back of a motorbike to the craters. I thought the ruins at Konye-Urgench were much better than Merv. Sunday market in Ashgabat isnt wonderful as its now in the commercial site. 4 of the Ashgabat homestays/cheap hotels listed in the LP have been bulldozed. Bezirgen Hotel is the only cheap option. Enjoy!

On a tourist visa you will be accompanied by the guide outside Ashgabat. No possibility to go on your own. The itinary is planned ahead and is not really easy to change along the route. The guide has the responsibility and if you disappear from him going to another place he will be held responsible by the goverment. But then, the guides I have met has been really friendly and easy going. The price depends on the agency, where you are going and how many people. Going to a place like Darvaza is more expensive as you need a driver and 4wd plus the guide unless the guide has his own 4wd. Otherwise it is the guide in his own car. i think I paid around 1500 $ 3 years ago for 8 days including Darwaza. That was through Stantours. Other agencies might be cheaper and being more people lower the price. If you go on a transit visa you can follow the advices in #5.
What is best, Konye-Urgench or Merv/Mary is a difficulty to say. I like Merv and Mary the more, but then I am quite interested in archaeology and specially pre-islamic history. So Merv/Mary would be my choice. But you do need a very good guide for that area, it is huge and having someone who can explain from which timeperiod the different bricks are from in a wall or or where you can see the different styles from different timeperiods.

get the "Odyssey " guide book on Uzbekistan It is the best.