Turkmenistan in 8 days: from the Caspian Sea to the Door to Hell
Ashgabat → Ancient Merv → Darvaza gas crater → Yangykala Canyon
Price on requestView tour
Fortress of fire · Turkmenistan
Yangykala Canyon
Striped canyon walls in pink, red and white near the Caspian.
Yangykala, "fire fortress", is a canyon system in western Turkmenistan where the edge of an ancient seabed has eroded into cliffs striped in pink, red and cream. At sunset the colours glow.
It is remote and reached by 4×4, usually with a night of camping, from the Caspian port of Turkmenbashi.
- Time needed
- 1–2 days
- Best time
- April–May and September–October
- Getting there
- About 3–4 hours by 4×4 from Turkmenbashi; fly to Turkmenbashi from Ashgabat.
Don’t miss
Highlights
- 01
Canyon viewpoints
Views along the cliffs, best at sunset.
- 02
Desert camping
A quiet night far from any town.
- 03
Gozli Ata
A Sufi pilgrimage site in the desert nearby.
Tours
Tours that include Yangykala Canyon
Turkmenistan in 11 days: Merv, the Caspian, Darvaza and Kunya-Urgench
Ashgabat → Ancient Merv → Yangykala Canyon → Darvaza gas crater → Kunya-Urgench
Price on requestView tour
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