Darvaza Gas Crater or the “Door to Hell” is one of Central Asia’s most man-made extraordinary phenomenon hidden behind a sand dune in the Khartoum desert. The site is around 260km from Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, and well worth the journey.
History of the Darvaza Gas Crater
The whole of Khartoum desert, the world’s 13th largest, is rich in natural gas and oil, so research and digging are no rare occurrences in the vast and arid area. In 1971, Soviet engineers were drilling on the location of the crater, searching for a black gold, but instead of an oil basin, they stumbled on a natural gas pocket.
The ground beneath the drilling equipment collapsed and a large sinkhole was formed. The poisonous methane gas being emitted was destroying local wildlife and presented the danger of flammability and possible explosion, a decision was made by scientists to burn off the gas to stop the leakage. A quick fix they thought. That was 47 years ago!
The “Door to Hell” experience
About 18km before reaching the huge fiery hole, our 4×4 stopped off on the west side of the road to see a smaller crater surrounded by a metal barrier, there is no fire but there is a strong smell of gas. A little further along was another crater filled with water and bubbles away slightly. The best was yet to come!
The drive to the main Darvaza gas crater was a bumpy one and super dusty as they are currently working on a road and electrics for the upcoming rally which the President Berdimuhamedow will be participating in.
The tents and camping were set up before the sun went down, we couldn’t wait to run down to the crater to explore and see what all the fuss is about. You really feel the heat of the burning gas crater go in waves from the dancing fire making photos a little difficult at times. The hole is the size of a football pitch and is around 30m deep, you can see the enormity of it if you sit on the huge sand dune, perfect viewing platform.
As the sky became completely pitch black, you could see why the crater is aptly named by local people as “The Door to Hell.” (Darvaza means Gate in the Turkmen language), the flaming, red and orange crater is like nothing I’d seen before, it’s crazy!
Waking up before sunrise, you have to see this spectacular attraction in this soft light, it was back up the hill to watch the sun rise from across the desert. After breakfast, we packed up our camp, watched the Giant Gerbil hop in and out of holes in the sand and headed back to Ashgabat where the marble city is a stark contrast to the rugged surroundings by Darvaza Gas Crater. This really was an unforgettable experience!
What to know about Darvaza Gas Crater
Visa to Turkmenistan
To obtain a tourist visa, you must be booking a tour no matter which country you are from. You will need to supply an LOI (letter if invitation) issued by a travel agency licensed in Turkmenistan. If you are on a transit visa which allows you to visit up to 5 days, you are not required to obtain the visa and LOI. There has been a high rejection rate of Turkmenistan visas in the past but 2018 seem to be more positive.
Getting to Turkmenistan
Our flight left from Dubai to Ashgabat via Turkmenistan Airlines, however other airlines fly to this destination including Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa and Emirates.
Getting to Darvaza Gas Crater
Our trip was with Trekkup Dubai who organised the trip with a local travel agency including the 4×4’s to take us from Ashgabat and back. There are other options of getting to the ‘Door to Hell’ by using local tour companies or by getting a transit visa and using local buses, trains, cars, motorbikes and hitch-hiking.
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17 comments
Given that very few people write about Turkmenistan (I even had to look up the spelling), I am thrilled to have found and read this post! I would love to visit someday, meanwhile will enjoy your posts! The visa sounds very complicated but it looks like it was worth it!
It is definitely worth the effort, it sounds more complicated than it is but because of this Turkmenistan hasn’t been a big tourist hot spot espcially as it has been difficult to get approval in the past. The Darvaza gas crater was totally worth it!
I’d love to visit Turkmenistan someday, mostly to see this! I’ve been intrigued by it ever since I first heard about it. Thanks for sharing these tips!
You’re welcome. It’s certainly an intriguiing country!
This is a really interesting read. I never knew about this place. Its nice that you’ve share this to all of us.
Great information. We thoght about travling to Turkmenistan this September but i was a bit affried to deal with the visa. Your post made me re-think about that. I’m follwoing for more:)
I’d definitely give it a go, Turkmenistan is a country I’m glad I visited.
Wow, this is incredible! I never knew such place existed, so thanks for the article! If I understood correctly, you don’t have to use a tour to get there, right? Or would you recommend to anyway?
You need to be part of a tour to get a LOI for the visa but you don’t if you get a transit visa. We were on a tour but we met others that got a local guide whilst there to take them.
Good God! A fire that has been burning for nearly 50 years! I would look to visit Turkmenistan and the countries in Central Asia <3
Glad to see another person writing about Turkmenistan! It’s a quirky country but this crater is one of the most interesting places on our planet. I loved your article, Keep up the good work
Totally wow! The “Door to Hell” experience sounds unlike any other. Just visualizing the scene of a pitch dark night with the glowing opening in the earth is fascinating. What an adventure! Thanks for introducing a new place to us and we hope to get this experience too!
This is amazing! It gave me all the Lord of the Ring vibes! What an adventure it must have been to get there!
This is such a fascinating article. I could have never imagined a place like this. Definetly put on my bucket list.
The Darvaza gas crater is a brilliant place to go.
Thia is incredible experience. I had no idea of this place. I was though thinking to go to the Turkmenistan since it’s one of the destination point for us (Turkish people). I’m curious that you went to Turkmenistan only to see this creater?
Never heard of this place before but thanks for sharing, very informative post!