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Turkmenistan country information

Turkmenistan map
Turkmenistan
Area: 488,100 sq km
Population: 5,110,023
Population density: 9.9 per sq km
Capital: Ashgabat
Passport & Visa
Passport Required?
British Yes
Australian Yes
Canadian Yes
USA Yes
Other EU Yes
Visa Required?
British Yes
Australian Yes
Canadian Yes
USA Yes
Other EU Yes

Passports

Passport valid for six months required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

Visas

Visa required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

Visa Note

(a) Special permission must be sought by those wishing to visit border zones. (b) Visa regulations within the CIS are liable to change at short notice. Prospective travellers are advised to contact the nearest Turkmenistan embassy well in advance of intended date of departure. (c) Travellers must not overstay their visas. Travellers should also register with the State Service of Turkmenistan for the Registration of Foreign Nationals if staying for more than three days. (d) Tourists should normally book through a recognised tour operator, who will obtain visas on their behalf; (e) Visitors intending to stay for more than three months must produce a certificate stating that they are HIV-negative. (f) Nationals without an embassy/consulate of Turkmenistan can obtain a visa on arrival, but prior permission to enter the country must be obtained before travelling. (g) Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.

Types of Visa and Cost

Dependent upon nationality and duration of stay; contact the embassy for details of prices. An example: for a British national travelling to Turkmenistan for a 10-day touristic holiday, the fee would be US$46, processed in 10 working days; or US$500 for a 12 month visa. (Note: Payment must be in US Dollars if applying at the embassy in the UK.) A visa issued at Ashgabat Airport on arrival costs US$71 and is valid for 10 days only.

Validity

Subject to the nature of the visit and the discretion of the authorities in Turkmenistan.

Applications to:

Consulate (or consular section at embassy).

Working Days Required

Three to 10.

Note tour.tk: Transit visas for 3-7 days are available at all Turkmen consulates upon presentation of valid onward visas. Similar to tourist visa, transit visa issuance is subject to an approval process of anywhere between 4-14 working days, depending on the embassy you apply at. You don't have to give up your passport during the approval period.

As a cyclist, please make sure they know you are cycling, this will normally give you two extra days (7 instead of 5) on your transit vise. Make the request at the embassy when you apply for your visa. The transit period starts the day the visa is stamped at the border.

Important notes: when entering Turkmenistan, you have to pay US$ 10 entry fee and, sometimes, a US$ 2 banking fee per person. Ask for a receipt for both!

Even if you have a seven-day transit visa, you should try and register your stay in Turkmenistan beyond five days! (but you are probably somewhere in between Mary and Turkmenabad, so that might be a problem) If you fail to do so, you may be fined or banned from the country for a period of time (normally a year). It also delays your exit from Turkmenistan by a couple of hours... But this is not the case for everybody. It is probably a means to get money off you. Try not to cross the border on Sunday; the officers have a day off and the other staff are not taking any major decisions...

More info at http://www.turkmenistanembassy.org/turkmen/info/visainfo.html
Getting there

Getting There by Air

The national airline is Turkmenistan Airlines (T5).

Approximate Flight Times

From London to Ashbagat is 6 hours 30 minutes.

Main Airports

Ashgabat Airport (ASB) is approximately 13km (8 miles) northwest of the city centre. To/from the airport: The airport is served by buses and taxis.
Departure Tax
US$25. Nationals of CIS countries pay US$15 and nationals of Turkmenistan pay US$5.

Getting There by Water

http://www.caspianferry.ru/en/routs.htm

There are ferries to Turkmenbashi (formerly Krasnovodsk) from Baku (Azerbaijan) and an irregular service to Astrakhan (Russian Federation).

It is theoretically possible to travel from Moscow to Turkmenbashi via the Volga River and the Caspian Sea without setting foot on dry land.

Getting There by Rail

The Trans-Caspian Railway connects Turkmenistan with the rest of the Central Asian republics and thence to Moscow and the rest of the CIS. The terminus is in Turkmenbashi on the Caspian Sea, from where it runs through Ashgabat before it crosses into Uzbekistan near the city of Chardzhou (Turkmenabad).

Approximate journey times: From Turkmenbashi to Tashkent is 24 hours, to Dushanbe is 36 hours and to Moscow is three days. There is a rail link to the Iranian network, enabling train travel from Turkmenistan to Turkey (Istanbul).

Getting There by Road

Turkmenistan is connected by road to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and to Mashad and Tehran in Iran. The crossing into Iran is only open to nationals of the CIS and Iran.

Bus:
Services are available to the capitals of the neighbouring republics, and north across the Kara-Kum desert to Kunya-Urgench with connections to Urgench and Khiva in Uzbekistan. A service also runs between Ashgabat and Mashhad (eastern Iran).
Cycling & Maps

Central Asia
by Nelles Maps
scale 1:1 750 000

Central Asia
by Reise Know-How
scale 1:1 700 000

rip & waterproof

Cost of living
Cost of Living in Turkmenistan: all prices in Turkmenistan New Manats (TMT)
drinks and snacks

food: local markets; restaurants; and stores

water (mineral)
juice
soft drink (can)
soft drink (bottle)

1.5 litre
1 litre
300ml
1.5 litre
10-15,000
35,000
5,000
10-15,000

çörek flat bread
small dough buns

round
each
8000
1000
local market food

gutap-potato filled pie
pizza-takeaway
one serving
one serving
each
med
tba
tba
1,500
tba
beer-draught
beer-draught
1.5 litre
500ml
27,000
9,000
tea
tea (cafe / bar)
Nescafe instant
coffee-ground
25 bags
per pot
125g
500g
20,000
10,000
40,000
40,000
rice (white)
pasta
eggs
tinned tomatoes

kg
500g
per piece
250g

45-50,000
15,000
2,000
18,000
milk
yoghurt / curd
cheese
Magnum icecream
1 litre
200g
kg
each

12,000
10,000
40,000
tba

potatoes
onions
tomatoes
cucumbers
kg
kg
kg
kg
14,000
20,000
45,000
35,000
chips
salted peanuts
dried apricots
65g pack
kg
kg
20,000
30,000
10-16,000
apples
oranges
bananas
kg
kg
kg
30,000
45-60,000
40-50,000
cornflakes
chocolate

biscuits-plain
biscuits-chocolate
375g pack
100g block

per kg bulk
per kg bulk
tba
tba

40,000
80,000
pineapple (can)
oil (corn)
500g can
500ml
tba
22,000
peanut paste
jam
500g jar
400g jar
tba
50,000
 
accommodation personal
budget city hotel $US 30+++ double with bath

deodorant - roll-on
soap
shampoo
toothbrush
toothpaste
disposable razor
toilet paper

50ml
150g bar
200ml
each
100ml
5 pack
each
80,000
25,000
100,000
30,000+
12,000+
2,000
8,000
wild camping

yes, literally anywhere you can find a free spot. Most cafes will let you put your tent up in their yard as well

internet $US 5-6 per hour

* tba = price to be announced
* January 2009: at time of writing 1.00 USD = 28,000 TMT
all prices have been taken from internet resources such as wikitravel, hostel world, leading supermarket chains, travel blogs, forums and of course our own travel experiences and purchases of everyday products in food markets, bazaars and local shopping facilities. They are only an indication and designed to give you a general impression of the cost of living in Turkmenistan. Items are geared towards the budget conscious traveller with the occasional craving for a bit of luxoury.

A couple of extra tips:
*
Bargaining at markets and bazaars is widely accepted thoughout Turkmenistan.
*
Most restaurants do not have a menu as such. Ordering is done via conversation and unless you speak Russian, this can be a tall order. At food markets check prices before eating or purchasing to avoid any nasty little surprises.
*
Tipping doesn't really exist and in many cases you'll probably being paying a foreigner price anyway, so consider it included in the price; unless of course you had an exceptionally brilliant time and then by all means tip ahead.
*
Change your money on the streets and not at the banks, where the official exchange rate will be as little as a fifth of what the going value is.

*

Never give your passport to anyone, except at an official post or hotel. If someone, either official or posing as such, asks you on the street, in a city or town: show them a copy and say your passport is at your hotel and they can come back with you to look at it if they like. This will get rid of any unauthorised officers out to make a few extra dollars..
Accommodation
Accommodation is expensive in Turkmenistan and regulated by the government, which means you pay 10 fold of what it costs for a resident. Expect to pay around $US 30 per night in Mary for something that is really only worth the local fee of $US 3. Of course there are better hotels but they come with exhorborant pricetags.

The only other possibilities are to camp wild or bunk up at one of the cafes along the way. Both are more than plausible, though channelled farm land sometimes makes it hard to find a flat spot for the tent. And after cycling the atrocious road conditions you'll be wanting a good nights sleep. Spending the night in a truckstop or restaurant may require a small fee.

There are a number of stretches along the very few highways where you cannot find or buy water, so plan ahead and stock up before you go. And remember you'll be venturing through a lot of hot, dry desert. Depending on the time of year, the canals could be flowing and your only source of water. Filtering is okay, though the fine red silt will block your system before you have one litre. Still it is your only option.
Food & drink

While there has been an expansion of modern supermarkets in the capital, the majority of the population still depends on the bazaar to do their shopping. And you will too.

They are a vibrant affair abound with colourful turkmen women smiling full sets of gold teeth. Tables spread with vegetables, fruits and nuts; boxes and tubs brimming bulk dry goods with basically anything from sweets and biscuits to pasta and instant coffee. The bakery section is to die for after a few cycling days in the desert!

Outside of the bigger cities, you won't find anything much besides the small local shop, so it is best to stock up when you can.

Turkmenistan cuisine is similar to that of other Central Asia countries and while they use plenty of rice and vegetables the flavouring of the meal heavily relies on the meat component. There are very few traditional dishes that will be suitable for vegetarians, so be prepared to self cater. In fact the concept of not eating meat is not really understood at all.

Meals quite often start with chorba: a soup from meat and vegetables. Plov is the national dish and while the carrrot, raisin, pea, quince and spice elements sound great, the mutton bit does not. This doesn't leave much over for the non-meat eating person.

 
VEGETARIAN TALK - Russian Phonetic
Ya vegetarianets/vegetarianka =
I'm a vegetarian m/f
Yah nye yem... = I don't eat...
Yah nye pyooh... = I don't drink...

meeyasa = meat
govyadinu = beef
svininu = pork
rihbu = fish
kooreet-sa = chicken
yightsaw = eggs
sihr = cheese
mahlahko = milk

ovoshchi = vegetables
(svezhie) frukty = (fresh) fruit

yah-khan-choo... = I want...
pazhaal-os ta = please
spaaseeba = thank you
nyeh-za-shto = you're welcome.

A snack you may find at the bazaar is gutap, a little fried pie filled with spinach, potato or pumpkin. They can contain meat so make sure you ask first. Otherwise, you'll have to make do with a round of çörek or turkmen bread. It is apparently sacred stuff and bad luck to mistreat it in anyway including turning it upside down. These thick, disc-shaped loaves are certainly filling, but they do not keep well, so eat them while they are fresh.

Gatyk like kefir, a thick drinking yogurt, is often served with breakfast and you can find gok chai, green tea everywhere. Consuming it is a very popular past-time indeed. In fact, most restaurants and cafes will put a pot on the table without you even asking. Generally it is free when you order food and at home often consumed with dried fruit. Which brings us onto the other bonus about travelling in Central Asia: mountains of dried apricots, sultanas, pistachios and almonds. All great cycling food.
Bike shops
Climate
climate chart Ashgabat Turkmenistan climate chart Turkmenabad Turkmenistan
Road distances

Central Asia road distance chart

       
Detailed distance chart from our trip through Turkmenistan 2007 (km/alti)      
         
Sarakhs Bereket (turn off to Mary)
100
village
Bereket Khaouz Khan
58
158
town
Khaouz Khan Mary
76
234
city
Mary Bajramaly
30
264
town
Bajramaly Zahmet
63*
327
café
  * via Merv & along Garagum Canal      
Zahmet Ravnina
25
352
café
Ravnina Üç Ajy
18
370
village
Üç Ajy Repetek
63
433
café
Repetek Turkmenabat
75
508
city
Turkmenabat Amurdarja bridge
7
515
Amurdarja bridge Uzbek border
32
547
   
Road distances from other sources  
Mary Ashgabat
360
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