Overland region

The Darvaza crater and the Karakum by 4x4: local guides and trips

The Darvaza gas crater burning in the Karakum Desert
Photo: Tormod Sandtorv, CC BY-SA 2.0

The Darvaza gas crater, the Door to Hell, is a collapsed natural-gas cavern burning for decades in the Karakum Desert, about 260 km north of Ashgabat. It is reached by a rough road from the Ashgabat–Dashoguz highway, which also passes Derweze and Yerbent, and two other craters, one of mud and one of water, are nearby. For anyone travelling with their own vehicle it means desert tracks and nights in yurts beside the crater. In 2025 the authorities said the fire had been reduced, so check its state before planning around it. Here are the local guides who work in the area and the trips that cross it.

4 local guides and 12 trips at the Darvaza crater on GuideMeet.

On the map

  1. Ýerbent Ýerbent — Village. Village in the Karakum and the second-largest settlement on the road between Ashgabat and Dashoguz; single-storey houses stand beside yurts. 39.3132, 58.5960 · Google Maps
  2. Water crater Water crater — Crater. Crater holding a pool of turquoise water, south of the village of Derweze. 40.0450, 58.4286 · Google Maps
  3. Derweze Derweze — Village. Village in the Karakum, about 260 km north of Ashgabat and served by the Ashgabat–Dashoguz highway; its name comes from the Persian for gateway. 40.0987, 58.3481 · Google Maps
  4. Mud crater Mud crater — Crater. Crater with a muddy floor, between Derweze and the gas crater, marked on maps as the Mud crater. 40.1682, 58.4110 · Google Maps
  5. White dune with sulphur — Dunes. White sand dune with exposed sulphur next to the mud crater, marked on maps as an attraction. 40.1727, 58.4090 · Google Maps
  6. Old Derweze Old Derweze — Archaeological site. Site of the original Derweze, a town about 8 km north of today's village that was disbanded in 2004 and later destroyed. 40.1765, 58.4084 · Google Maps
  7. Darvaza gas crater Darvaza gas crater — Crater. Collapsed natural-gas cavern 60–70 m across and about 30 m deep, burning for decades. In 2025 authorities said the fire had shrunk: check before going. 40.2525, 58.4396 · Google Maps
  8. Yurt camps by the crater — Camp. Yurts have been set up near the crater, at the end of a crude road without signs; the site is about a four-hour drive from Ashgabat. 40.2501, 58.4433 · Google Maps

Local guides at the Darvaza crater

Overland trips at the Darvaza crater

When to go

At Yerbent, in the middle of the Karakum, July highs average 39 °C and January lows average −4 °C; rain is scarce, about 119 mm a year. With hot summers and cold winters, spring and autumn are the easier seasons for desert driving.

Before you go

Photo credits

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, under the licences shown.

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