Ruslan.

We had a fantastic time in Turkmenistan! It’s such a fascinating and unique country, and the tour was a great way to experience it. Meylis was an excellent guide who took us to some fantastic local restaurants, and Mergen was a great driver. We also appreciated the flexibility in rearranging our itinerary by a day when I got food poisoning. Unfortunately, the hotel in Ashgabat was a major disappointment. The room reeked of cigarette smoke, the fixtures were falling apart, the mattress had a spring poking through it, and at one point the rattling aircon even spat out an old cigarette butt! We would happily have paid extra for better accommodation if we’d been given the option. Overall, we loved Turkmenistan and thoroughly enjoyed most of the tour, but the accommodation was well below an acceptable standard and detracted from an otherwise excellent experience.

Shierly

October 2026

Everything went very smoothly on our 3-day tour of Turkmenistan. The itinerary was packed due to the long driving distances, but everything was professionally planned and well organised. We managed to see and do everything included in the itinerary. Our guide was knowledgeable and professional, with a wealth of information about the country’s history, current affairs, culture, customs and livelihoods. The guide also provided valuable assistance before the trip and with the border formalities, making the crossing much smoother. Highly recommended! **Tip:** Arrive at the border crossing early to minimise waiting times and make the crossing as smooth as possible. We arrived at 7:30 am and were thru soon after 9.

Harri

October 2026

We had an amazing time with Sona, Ruslan’s wife, if I have the opportunity to come back I’ll definitely tour again with them

Simon

October 2026

We had an amazing experience exploring Turkmenistan thanks to Ruslan and Sona! From seamless logistics to attentive care, every aspect of the tour was handled with complete professionalism. The itinerary was well-paced and stress-free, while Sona’s deep knowledge brought every stop to life. Thank you both for making our journey so memorable.

CW

October 2026

The duo Ruslan and Sona are a highly professional paire. I had the chance to spend 4 days with Sona, a very knowledgeable, patiente, trustable and open to exchange person,, whom I highly recommend for any trip in Turkmenistan.

Florence

October 2026

Ruslan and his team were great! With this tour we saw the most famous landmarks of Turkmenistan and had a lot of fun with great guides. They also helped us with crossing the border (and in general with everything we needed), and everything went smooth. We loved the tour and we absolutely recommend it for anyone who wants to have a great adventure in Turkmenistan.

Andrea

October 2026

We had a good experience traveling through Turkmenistan with Ruslan. He was friendly, playful, and accommodating, and we appreciated his flexibility with the itinerary. On the first day, we traveled from the Farap border to Ashgabat in one day, with a short stop in Merv rather than staying overnight in Mary as originally planned. This worked out really well, as it gave us more time in Ashgabat to visit the State Museum, which ended up being one of our favorite experiences (special shout-out to the excellent museum guide!). We also enjoyed the Darvaza gas crater—the amount of time there felt just right, the food was good, and seeing all the stars over the desert was definitely memorable. We appreciated Ruslan showing us Ashgabat, and after many hours of seeing building exteriors, we especially enjoyed getting to see inside some of the buildings, including a bank, dental clinic (shaped like a tooth!), office building, and gas station. Ruslan was good-natured even though he seemed understandably tired at times given what appeared to be a very busy schedule. The one thing we personally would have enjoyed was more time spent discussing Turkmenistan’s history, geopolitics, and development over the centuries. The explanations at some of the sites tended to be fairly brief, and we sometimes found ourselves wanting to learn more about the broader context behind what we were seeing. This may simply reflect our own preference for very history-heavy tours, but additional detail would have made the experience even more rewarding for us. Regardless, we still learned and saw a great deal over a short period of time. One note of caution!!! Our first hotel in Ashgabat (Hotel Mizan) smelled exceedingly of cigarette smoke. The third-hand smoke in the room and furniture caused a severe allergic reaction and hives overnight. We appreciated that Ruslan arranged different accommodation for our second night at no additional charge. Overall, we had a memorable trip through a fascinating country and appreciated Ruslan’s kindness, flexibility, and sense of humor.

Debbie

October 2026

We really enjoyed Turkmenistan. It was not what we expected. It took almost 3 hours to cross the at Farap, Ruslan came to the Turkmenistan side and did the paperwork because your guide had to be there. We stopped for lunch and saw the ruins at Merv which were interesting then stayed at a nice hotel in Mary and drive to Ashgabat the next day in a great highway. Ashgabat is crazy with all the white marble buildings and wide roads and monuments. We staying in a nice hotel there. Ruslan did a great job of choosing restaurants where we could get excellent vegetarian food which we were worried about. He even invited us to his birthday party with his family and friends one night which was great. He was also very flexible when we decided to drop the 3 hour drive to the hot springs and have more time in Ashgabat. We then drove to the gas crater and the roads were bad as Ruslan warned us. The gas crater is interesting and we stayed in a yurt then drove on an even worse road to Dashoguz. Because the road was so bad we decided to drop konye urgench so we didn't have to get up at 5am. Ruslan dropped us at the border and even arranged a ride for us on the Uzbek side. We cleared this border in 1 hour. We would highly recommend Turkmenistan and Ruslan.

Scott

September 2026

Interesting experience with Ruslan, he was very knowledgeable.

R

September 2026

Great experience with Ruslan and Sonia. Knowledgeable locals that made you feel like you were connecting as human beings not just clients on a tour. Great personal touch, and nice to spend a few days with in Turkmenistan. Would recommend without reservation.

Scott

September 2026

Fantastic tour and an amazing team! We had an absolutely fantastic 4-day tour from the Farap Border to the Dashoguz Border and can highly recommend both the tour and the team. Ruslan was our guide at the beginning and did a great job. He was very knowledgeable, super organised and simply a really nice guy. Our driver Mergen was equally great – always friendly, relaxed and an excellent driver. Unfortunately, Ruslan had to leave us in Ashgabat because of a family emergency, and Meylis took over as our guide. He was fantastic and made the rest of our trip just as enjoyable. In Ashgabat, he showed us not only the famous sights, but also some really interesting Soviet and modern architecture that we would never have found ourselves. The whole tour was very well organised, from the border crossings to the hotels, sightseeing and the trip into the desert. Darvaza was definitely one of the highlights – especially the evening at the crater and sleeping in the yurt. Mergen even prepared an amazing barbecue for us in the middle of the desert! We were really happy with the entire experience. Ruslan, Meylis and Mergen were all incredibly friendly, helpful and professional, and they went out of their way to make the trip special. We would absolutely recommend this tour and these guys to anyone travelling through Turkmenistan. Thanks for an unforgettable experience!

Cyril

September 2026

We made a tour Uzbekistan,Turkmenistan and Tajikistan and the most highlighted place was Turkmenistan for sure with Ruslan as our tour guide all the time! The guy is more than fantastic no words to describe him, his service and his kindness! The trip all was so smooth and easily accessible to the country! No worries at all! Thank you very much Ruslan for this wonderful and unforgettable trip to Turkmenistan!!!

John

August 2026

Very nice guide. The tour was amazing! I recommend it!

MARCUS

August 2026

It was a great trip. Ruslan is a very good guide. He gives good information about Turkmenistan and things you see there. Also, it is worth mentioning the drivers who were very skilled. I would definitely recommend this trip.

Jakub

August 2026

We had a fantastic time with Ruslan and his wife as our guides! Ruslan met us at the border and helped us get through immigration with ease. The tour itself was phenomenal, and we learned so much. Many misconceptions about Turkmenistan were corrected. It's much easier to visit than you've been told, and more interesting than we expected. Don't hesitate to visit Turkmenistan, and, when you go, use Ruslan as your guide!

Matan

July 2026

We had an amazing time with Ruslan in Turkmenistan from start to finish! He saved us a lot of time at the border and was really helpful and entertaining throughout the entire trip. We too had the pleasure of meeting his wife Sona who was also an amazing and very professional guide. She went above and beyond by including us in a local event she was invited to which gave us a really authentic experience, and even stayed with us at the airport in the middle of the night to make sure we would make it onto our flight. Also, our drivers were fantastic, especially the one that handled the challenging Road from Dasoguz to Ashgabat. In summary, we really had the best time thanks to our guides and it was super interesting to experience Turkmenistan through the eyes of a local. We would highly recommend this Tour!

Carola

July 2026

Ruslan was an excellent guide to Turkmenistan and we managed to visit Darvaza, Ashgabat and Mary. The drivers were also very professional, and also had the opportunity to meet his lovely wife, who is also a guide. Would highly recommend him if you want to visit this country!

Simon

May 2026

The visa process was smooth and very fast with Ruslans support. The tour itself was wonderful and well organized. Ruslan is very attentive, knowledgeable while staying relaxed throughout. Highly recommended!

David

May 2026

I am very happy with Ruslan and Sona. Very professional, they did care about making the most out of my visit, and came to the Uzbek side of the border to ease me in. The driver in Ashgabat was an extremelly nice, professional and cultivated person with very good English, and the driver to Dashoguz was also very nice and professional. Hands down 5-stars.

Jacobo

February 2026

Ruslan was great. He and our guide helped us with everything and allowed us to change and add attractions on the way as we wished. The tour itself was just as we imagined and even better.

Leon

October 2025

Ruslan and his wife were great! They made it super easy to get the LOI/visa and they were super flexible with the program It was so interesting to see Ashgabat and Darwaza and to hear about Turkmenistan from a local! Only point of improvement (not for Ruslan but for the tour) would be the beds at the hotel in Ashgabat - even just a change of mattress would go a long way!

Lorenzo

September 2025

Great tour! Everything was fantastic. The roads between Ashgabat and Darwaza and Dashoguz should be called the new Highway to Hell, was quite insane. Other than that, the tour itself was amazingly planned by Ruslan. He helped us upgrade our hotels to stay at Archabil Hotel which was a fantastic choice. Ashgabat is such an amazing city, but the real hero was the camping in the desert. Once in a lifetime experience and no regrets doing it. Thanks Ruslan!

Rethan

September 2025

I had an amazing experience with Ruslan and Sona from start to finish. The booking process was smooth and straightforward, and he Was professional, friendly, and always available to answer any questions. The tour itself was very well-organized — everything ran on time, and the itinerary was thoughtfully planned. he mades the experience even more enjoyable with interesting facts and personal touches. Transportation was comfortable, the accommodations were great , and we felt safe and well taken care of throughout the journey. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a stress-free, enjoyable, and memorable trip. I’ll definitely book with them again in the future!

ismail

September 2025

I went with my mother and daughter. Ruslan and his wife were first-rate guides and were very considerate to my daughter. I have no complaints whatsoever and we were all very happy with the tour. We felt it was excellently organised.

Axel

August 2025

We had a great 3 day tour with Sona as a guide, Ruslan's wife. Everything was great, we had a wonderful time in Turkmenistan and saw a lot in the short time we had available. I greatly recommend going with their agency.

Ines

August 2025

Amazing! We loved the tour and Ruslan was a brilliant guide! He really made it for us!

Matilda

July 2025

Everything was fantastic! Ruslan is very helpful and funny. Amazing Turkmenistan!

Mariusz

July 2025

Thank for Sona, she’s friendly and professional guide. Everything is good

YIHSUAN

July 2025

Ruslan was an excellent guide from the moment I met him at the border to when he dropped me at the Ashgabat airport. While Turkmenistan can be difficult to visit, he makes it accessible and fun. I would hire him again in a heartbeat!

Robert

June 2025

We thought Sona (Ruslan's wife) was brilliant and loved our tour! Thank you!

Ben

June 2025

The trip was awesome! Our guide was Sona, who is Ruslan's wife. Everything was well organised and went smoothly. Accommodation was decent and comfortable and we were taken to nice places to eat, with some good choices. The desert camp at Darvaza was uncomfortable because it was 45 degrees C and there was a sandstorm while we were there, but these things happen. We enjoyed Sona's guidance and she was friendly and helpful. I'd have no concerns recommending Sona as a guide for Turkmenistan.

Belinda

June 2025

Thank you for your nice tour!

Shunsuke

May 2025

A perfectly organized trip to Turkemenistan, taking into account our expectations. We didn't have to worry about anything at all. Sona was an excellent guide, who told wonderfully about the monuments, attractions, and above all about the customs of the Turkmen. We highly recommend!

Krzysztof

May 2025

Great trip

Alexander

May 2025

Ruslan did an amazing job. Truly knowledgeable - wonderful organized - and always in good humor. Truly an amazing experience. We had three people on our trip and we had the best time.

Alexander

April 2025

Great experience around the Turkmenistan. Ruslan fill in all the paperwork to come in end go out from the county. He help us with the change in Turkmenistan and meet all our request. It was a very great experience. Thanks Ruslan.

Annalisa

April 2025

I had a great trip. Everything went extremely well. Ruslan delivers exactly as promised. He chooses great restaurants. Highly recommend him!

Karin

April 2025

Well, we expected that Turkmenistan would be a country full of hidden gems, but it was Ruslan and his team (Aman, Meylis, Mergen, Rejep) that transformed this trip into a unique experience. Helpful, polite, well mannered, smiling, well aware of the history and geography of the region, funny, supportive and above all genuine are only part of the quality of Ruslan and his team. Had it not been for them, we wouldn’t have realised how well hearted locals are. I felt like I left a family members there. Great program, fast and ease transfers, fair prices. I am grateful!

Theodoros

November 2024

Ruslan & Sona were very kind and helped us getting into Turkmenistan and had a great tour there. Sona helped us getting postcards and authentic souvenirs at the local market. The gas crater was impressive and Sona also showed us extra craters nearby to enrich the tour. It's a fun all-girl tour.

Clare

November 2024

Good and kind, help up a lot!

KAIYU

October 2024

Ruslan is a great guide, he was extremely helpful with the border crossings. Knew all the right restaurants & had good knowledge on everything we were looking at. Extremely accommodating & spoke great English.

Schawn

October 2024

This was a very well organized and custom tour. We got to see everything we wanted in Ashgabat and also stayed one night by the crater. Ruslan is easy to work with and our driver and guide were wonderful as well.

Renee

October 2024

We had a fabulous time in Turkmenistan and Russi was a big part of that. Prompt communication and fantastic organisation from start to finish. He was kind, generous and good humoured with all our questions and requests. We learnt a lot about how people live in Turkmenistan and that was important to our group. If you’re looking for old school super informative guide on history then maybe not what you’re looking for. We loved our trip with Russi and can only recommend him and Turkmenistan.

Michelle

September 2024

Sona, Ruslan's wife, served as our guide during the trip. She demonstrated professionalism, kindness, and helpfulness throughout our time together. Sona was punctual and provided clear explanations for everything. She generously shared her personal mobile hotspot, ensuring we had internet access. Additionally, she covered all our personal expenses in local currency, which we reimbursed in USD at the end of the trip. Sona also prepared delicious meals for us during our stay at the yurt camp. Thank you, Sona, for your exceptional support.

Yos

September 2024

Overall a very good experience with Ruslan, from the beginning to the end. He manages all the formalities to enter Turkménistan quickly and easily, accepted payment in advance through bank transfer and we get the LOI very easily too. As for the trip, everything went fine and well managed. We visited Merv, Ashgabat, Darvaza and Konye Ourgench. Turkménistan is a very beautiful country, with beautiful landscapes and a mix of culture and impressing sites. Ruslan was helpful and interesting in each of the sites we visited. He brought us interesting informations and organized each part of the trip precisely. We had a good hotel in Ashgabat and a nice Yurt in Darvaza. A special thanks to each of our drivers, they masters of driving, since the shape of the roads is sometimes very bad in Turkménistan !

Etienne

September 2024

Everything runs according to the plan. Ruslan is always happy to adapt things to our desires, obviously conditioned by the Turkmen strict rules. I think Ruslan is the perfect guide for those that are not used to be permanently guided and like to be free to go independent. He always managed to maintain a relaxed atmosphere.

Jorge

August 2024

I had the chance to explore Turkmenistan with Ruslan and his team, and it was an unforgettable experience. I spent the first two days with Sona, Ruslan's wife, and had an amazing time. She shared a lot about her country and culture and was very open to letting me decide what to see and do during our free time. Sona is an experienced guide who knows a lot about the region. The last two days with Ruslan were also wonderful. He’s a kind and funny guy, and communicating with him before and during my trip was always easy. He was very accommodating, organizing the tour according to my preferences, and I felt very safe traveling with him. Since this type of tour involves a lot of time spent in the car traveling between cities, if I could change anything, I would have requested at least a half-day free in Ashgabat to explore more of the city on my own. But, besides that, everything was perfect, and I highly recommend him as a tour guide for everyone, especially solo female travelers like me.

Mariana

August 2024

We had a fantastic trip to Turkmenistan. The 3 days round trip tour was quick but did not feel too rushed (driving times are quicker than shown on Google). The guides were friendly, punctual and incredibly knowledgeable. Thank you for providing us with a great experience!

Kenny

August 2024

Thanks for a great trip! Very well planned up to the details (thank you for the Ferris wheel ride and taking care of special dietary needs). I strongly recommend!

Urte

July 2024

My journey to Turkmenistan went as planned and make the full itinerary. My guides Bagul and Ruslan helped with all bureaucracy at the border and followed the itinerary as planned. They were great as guides, provided good explanations to every place visited and helped to live local authentic experiences. Be ready for a bumpy ride throughout Turkmenistan, roads are poorly mainteneid outside Ashgabat, but drivers made their best to have a smooth and safe trip.

Pablo

June 2024

Ruslan was a great guide on our short trip through Turkmenistan. We enjoyed his company and find him a very caring and discreet person. If you have a suggestion he will make sure to incorporate it during your trip. One suggestion we have after our tour, and for subsequent tourists is to book hotels within walking distance to city centers, so that tourists could explore the cities independently at night. Our hotels in Mary and Ashgabat were too far to get to anything entertaining in the evening, so we had to ask Ruslan and the driver to take us around, which we disliked to do, because they should have had their deserved rest time.

Tatjana

May 2024

We had such a great time visiting Turkmenistan. This tour visits three major archeological sites, the Darvaza crater, and Ashgabat. It fits very well with a visit to Uzbekistan as you can be picked up and dropped off at different border crossings near Khiva and Bukhara. Sona and Ruslan are excellent hosts, they know so much about their country. I'd highly recommend this tour if you're interested in history, you'll see the ruins at Konye-Urgench, Nisa, and Merv , all World Heritage Sites. The hosts are easy to reach and all visa processing was smooth and simple. Thank you Sona and Ruslan!

Kevin

May 2024

Travelled the country in early October in a 4 days itinerary From Mary to Ashgabat, later up to Darawaza and Konye Urgench. Ruslan was very supportive in having all the burocratic requirements done in order to secure the smoothliest entry to the country. Additionally he was very quick and helpful to adapt itinerary to cope with postponed entry to the country due to security reasons just one month before planned arrival. Although overall we all considered the 4 days spent in Turkmenistan a great experience, not everything went as planned, maybe due to the late replanning due to authorities' decision: the visit to Seyit Jemaleddin Mosque was never carried out, when we arrived to Turkmenbashi mosque we discovered it was closed, the yurta in Darwaza had no beds and poor covering to face the cold desert night, we arrived too late in Konye Urgench when all monuments were already closed and finally we were placed in separated compartments with unknown people in the train back to Ashgabat. On the contrary, there were also plenty of positive things about the trip experience. Car transfer were very comfortable (with an amazing car driver for the first part) Relationship with him and his assitant, Rose, was like the one with old time friends and we had total freedom on deciding when and where stopping for lunch. All in all we are sure they made their best to make our adventure in Turkmenistan as valuable as possible.

Luca

March 2024

He was very polite and decent very good tour we had. Thank you ruslan.

Sibaram

November 2023

A very nice and interesting tour with a helpful guide with great hospitality who learned us a lot about the country.

Tor

October 2023

Ruslan is a great guide! He was very knowledgeable about all the places we visited, very flexible regarding the tour planning and very responsive and reliable during the preparation of the tour. I really enjoyed the 4-day-tour through Turkmenistan and highly recommend him as a guide!

Felix

October 2023

I definitely recommend taking Ruslan as your guide. Ruslan is a very experienced and professional, and also very easygoing and friendly. Everything went as smooth as possible. Before the tour, Ruslan was very flexible and adjusted the tour fully to my needs. He was always punctual, we met at the agreed time on the border and everything was 100% organized according to our pre-agreed plan. The most important thing is, that Ruslan is very pleasant person and I enjoyed the tour with him so much. We had a lot of conversation during the tour, and every single hour of it was so interesting. I will definitely travel with Ruslan again, he was the best guide I have ever met. I was a single female and I also recommend Ruslan to single female travellers, I felt so safe as travelling with my own brother!

Lucie

August 2023

Ruslan was a great guide and highly recommend him. He met me at the Turkmenistan side and sorted all the paperwork. The drivers he used were very good. He provided good accommodation and was always punctual. An excellent tour, do not hesitate to book! Thank you Ruslan.

katie

July 2023

Everything as promised. I had a wonderful time in Turkmenistan.

Saskia

July 2023

He helped coordinate my tour. He is responsive, professional and reliable. I was traveling alone as a female, so he prepared a female guide, which was very helpful. I highly recommend his tour.

Emiri

June 2023

Really thank you Ruslan. I enjoyed so much in Turkmenistan for 3days. Ruslan has a professionalism and he teach me everything about his country. Communication is so smooth and he took me many local shops or restaurants. I recommend him so much !

Yusuke

May 2023

Ruslan is informative and always ready to help as well as guide you. You can totally trust him and he makes sure you are safe and you get all you need. I really recommend him!

Ruslan did a great job of organizing my trip. There was a lot of back and forth to accommodate my specific schedule. He was proactive, and gave me several options. Ruslan kept me informed while I waited for my visa. Once I arrived, Ruslan was always available. Good suggestions for restaurants, and able to make sensible minor changes to the schedule when needed. Our driver kept us on schedule, in a clean, safely operated minivan. We covered a lot of ground in a week, and I thoroughly enjoyed it all I wouldn`t hesitate to recommend Ruslan and his associates if you`re considering a trip to Turkmenistan. The Indy-guide referral service makes booking very easy as well.

Ruslan was very friendly and personable. I had a great tour.