Shavat border crossing (Khiva – Dashoguz)

The oasis of Khorezm, around Khiva and Urgench, continues across the border into northern Turkmenistan. The crossing near Shavat, north-west of Khiva, leads to the Turkmen city of Dashoguz. From there, travellers head to Kunya-Urgench, with its UNESCO-listed minarets and mausoleums, and south across the Karakum desert to the burning gas crater near the village of Darvaza and on to Ashgabat.

For an overview of all crossings, see border crossings in Central Asia.

Turkmenistan is one of the most difficult countries in the world to visit independently. Most visitors need one of the following:

• Tourist visa: requires a letter of invitation (LOI), arranged through a licensed Turkmen travel agency, usually with a booked tour and a guide. Apply several weeks in advance.
• Transit visa: issued by Turkmen embassies for a short stay, if you are travelling through to a third country. It is not guaranteed and can take time.

You will usually pay additional entry fees at the border in US dollars; bring clean, new banknotes. Rules change, so check with a Turkmen agency well before your trip. See Central Asia visas.

The Shavat crossing is about 1 hour by car from Khiva, and less from Urgench. A taxi or private car with driver is the easiest way; our team in Khiva can take you to the border. See our transfer service. Your Turkmen guide or driver usually meets you on the other side, as arranged by your agency.

1. Uzbek exit: passport control and customs, with luggage X-ray. Keep your Uzbek registration slips, as they may be checked.
2. Neutral zone: sometimes you take a short shuttle or walk.
3. Turkmen entry: passport and visa check, payment of entry fees, a migration card and a customs declaration. Officials check luggage carefully; avoid carrying medicines without prescriptions and drones.

Allow 1–3 hours in total. The Turkmen side is often slow.

• Dashoguz: a modern city with simple hotels, about 15–20 minutes from the border.
• Kunya-Urgench: about 1.5–2 hours from Dashoguz, the site of Gurganj, capital of the Khorezmshahs, destroyed by the Mongols, with the tall Kutlug-Timur minaret, the mausoleum of Turabek Khanum and other monuments.
• The gas crater: a burning crater in the Karakum desert, about 4 hours south of Dashoguz; most visitors camp nearby overnight.
• Ashgabat: the capital, a city of white marble, about 4 hours further south.

• Khodjeyli – Kunya-Urgench: from Nukus directly to Kunya-Urgench; convenient if you are coming from Karakalpakstan. See how to get to Nukus.
• Alat – Farap: near Bukhara, towards Turkmenabat and Merv. See Alat – Farap border.

A popular route through Turkmenistan: enter at Shavat from Khiva, visit Kunya-Urgench and the gas crater, then Ashgabat and Merv, and exit at Farap to Bukhara.

• Confirm the crossing date with your Turkmen agency; your visa may be valid only for specific dates and border points.
• Bring US dollars in small, clean notes for fees.
• Do not photograph the border.
• Keep printed copies of your LOI and bookings.
• Mobile roaming may not work in Turkmenistan; internet access is limited, and many websites and apps are blocked.
• Leave time in your schedule: if the crossing is slow, the drive to Kunya-Urgench or the gas crater may finish after dark.