Riding my Motorcycle through Turkmenistan
Update 66 (July 2024)
Uzbekistan to Turkmenistan
Why was I visiting Turkmenistan? Upon reaching Uzbekistan I was at a crossroads of sorts. To continue further west to Europe these were my known choices:
- Transport the motorbike by truck from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to Poland with a Polish company. I get a plane.
- Ride through Turkmenistan to Iran and then Türkiye.
- Ship the motorbike by ferry across the Caspian Sea. I fly from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan.
- Ride from Kazakhstan to Russia to Georgia.
I chose option 2, mainly due to the appeal of Iran (Persia).
So I became very busy understanding how the bike and I get into and out of Turkmenistan and Iran. Both are complicated and I had to make sure I had both fully organised before committing and setting out to Turkmenistan.
Organising a Turkmenistan Tour Company and Completing Preparations
I had previously visited the Turkmenistan Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to understand the entry rules for foreigners. Turkmenistan is one of the least visited countries in the world. The Government was still not issuing Transit Visas, so my only option was a Tourist Visa. To get a tourist visa you must travel with an official tour company and full time guide. It was basically what I went through when travelling across China.
If you go online there are plenty of websites recommending Turkmenistan tours. Most of these are travel agents or affiliate links from what I can see. In the end I took a recommendation from some friends on my China tour that happily used this travel company, just before me.
I used a Tour Guide called Guvanch Annagulyyev at this link Turkmenistan Travel Tour.
I basically told Guvanch where I wanted to enter and leave Turkmenistan, and he put together an itinerary that ended up being a 4 night, 5 day tour. He did have the gas crater in also, but I dropped that to save 2 days, plus I figured I have seen plenty of Australian bushfires at night and it probably wouldn’t be that different.
Guvanch organised a Letter of Invitation (LOI) which is an official document that is required to apply for a visa. With the LOI, I could gain access to the Turkmenistan border and apply for my visa at the border.
Guvanch also made enquiries about taking my motorcycle into Turkmenistan. I do not have a Carnet De Passage. I had made it this far without one and it looked like I would get into Turkmenistan without one also. But there would be fees of around $300US.
Entering Turkmenistan on my Motorcycle
I left Uzbekistan at the Tamozhnya border office out of Bukhara. Just remember that you need to collect your Uzbekistan stamped registration forms from each hotel stay. I was asked to show these at the border, although they did not scrutinise them.
In Turkmenistan there is an initial checkpoint where you must show your passport and LOI, or visa. At the time there was also still a need for a Covid 19 test, which was pretty relaxed. I then rode about 700 metres to the border offices.
Guvanch met me in the offices and jumped into action helping me through the process. I handed over my LOI and the officer began processing my visa. I had to go to the “bank” (cashier) and pay $109US for my visa and covid test.
Processing the motorcycle into Turkmenistan was a little more complicated. There was a map form that Guvanch completed showing where I would travel with the motorbike and that I must stick to. They also completed fairly typical Temporary Import paperwork for the bike.
There were lots of different fees. The largest one was “compensation” for the petrol price. Petrol prices are extremely low but as a foreigner I had to pay a fee to compensate for this. Unfortunately the government only had one fee rate for all passenger vehicles, so I had to pay $0.20US per kilometre for my trip which was about $140 (about 4 times to high for a motorcycle). There were other fees ranging from $1-20, but eventually I paid about $200 to get the motorcycle in.
There is actually very little about actual motorcycle riding in Turkmenistan. My riding time was spent following my tour guides car across vast desert areas. And it was too hot anyway with the temperate up around 40 degrees Celsius. On the days I was visiting sites, it was a welcome change to sit in an air conditioned car and be driven around.
We had lunch in Farap and travelled onto Merv. Merv was once a significant stop on the Silk Road. This is the Great and Lesser Kyz-Kalas, an earthen fortress or palatial home from the 7th-9th centuries.
The ruins of a fort in Merv. Merv was a city on the Silk Road that was occupied from 3,000BC to the 18th century. It was occupied by many different ancient peoples. It became one of the world’s largest cities and an important centre for science, culture and religion. But also suffered significant invasions and mass slaughter, chiefly by Genghis Khan’s army, commanded by his son.
Mausoleo of two Askhabs (companions) of the Prophet Muhammad, Merv, Turkmenistan.
Mausoleum of Sultan Ahmad Sanjar, Merv, Turkmenistan.
Türkiye funded the renovation of the mausoleum as a gift to the Turkmen people.
The next morning we left my motorcycle at our hotel in the city of Mary and visited Gonur Depe. We stopped for a while to watch these ladies making bread.
Kneading the dough.
Into the oven.
Gonur Depeis is a bronze age site dated from 2400 to 1600 BCE and discovered by Greek-Russian archaeologist Viktor Sarianidi. Photos are copyright of Mary History Museum, Turkmenistan.
Photos are copyright of Mary History Museum, Turkmenistan.
Photos are copyright of Mary History Museum, Turkmenistan.
Goňur Depe archaeological site, near Mary, Turkmenistan
There has been some recent work to restore the foundations in some areas.
The remains of a kiln perhaps. There are many artifacts from the site in the Mary History Museum.
Typical Turkmenistan terrain. It is a very dry and hot place at the moment. It reminded me of central Australia as I rode through.
Fruit and veg pavilion at the Mary bazaar.
A lady selling used carpets at the Mary bazaar. There is still a big industry for carpets through the region but it seems to all be acrylic these days.
I thought these baby cradles were pretty unique. And maybe done with some Ashgabat styling as you will see.
Gurbanguly Hajji Mosque, Mary, Turkmenistan
On the way to Ashgabat now. This is the ancient city of Abiverd from the 7-8th centuries.
Pottery shards from the ancient city of Abiverd. I gathered these from a patch about one metre square.
Along the way to Ashgabat we also stopped at Seyit Jemaladdin mosque. It was built in the 15th century but was destroyed in the devastating 1948 Ashgabat earthquake.
Remains from the Seyit Jemaladdin mosque.
Arriving at Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. There are certain rules the locals must follow in Ashgabat. One is that cars must be kept clean. This didn’t apply to me as a foreigner but it still seemed like a good reason for a well overdue clean. Another rule is that only locally registered cars can enter the city and they can only be white, silver or gold. The reasoning will soon become apparent.
The city has many amazing sculptures and monuments. Too many to visit, at times I just had to take snaps as we drove by.
At times I just wasn’t allowed to take photos because they were near government buildings. This is a snap of the Ten Horses Monument.
The facade of a Soviet era building an old Ashgabat.
Another amazing monument.
This is Halk Hakydasy Memorial in Ashgabat. It honours people killed in the Geok Tepe battle in 1881, in World War 2 and in the Ashgabat earthquake.
Halk Hakydasy Memorial.
The view from Halk Hakydasy Memorial.
The Nisa ancient settlement from around 250BC is just near Ashgabat.
The Nisa ancient settlement.
Looking out towards Ashgabat from Nisa. Another city rule is that all roofs are to be green.
Statues at Ashgabat Monument of Independence.
Ashgabat Monument of Independence.
Statue at Ashgabat Monument of Independence.
Looking across to the entry of the Ashgabat International Airport terminal. But I was just passing. I will ride out to Iran tomorrow.