Darvaza: the burning gas crater in the Karakum desert

At a glance

• Where: in the Karakum desert of central Turkmenistan, about 260 km north of Ashgabat.
• How long: one night, arriving before sunset.
• Best time: April–May and September–October. Summer days pass 45 °C; winter nights fall below zero.
• Getting there: about four hours by road from Ashgabat, then the last 8 km across the sand by 4x4.

Interesting facts

• The crater is about 70 m wide and 20–30 m deep. The first person to climb down into it, the explorer George Kourounis, measured it in 2013.
• Its origin is not documented. The usual story is that a Soviet gas rig collapsed into a cavern in 1971 and geologists set the gas alight to burn it off. Turkmen geologists have said the collapse came in the 1960s and the fire in the 1980s.
• Officially it is called the "Shining of Karakum", the name it was given in 2018.
• In January 2022 the then-president ordered officials to find a way to put the fire out. In June 2025 the state gas company said the burning had fallen nearly threefold after nearby wells were opened to draw off some of the gas.
• In 2026 the crater still burns, but less fiercely than in older photographs.

Visiting

Plan to arrive in the late afternoon. Walk to the rim as the light fades, when the glow starts to show against the sky, and come back after dinner, when it is at its most impressive. The heat on your face and the roar of the flames are part of the experience. If you stay in a camp, take one more look at dawn, when the desert is cool and quiet.

Camps of yurts and tents stand a few minutes' walk from the crater. Dinner is usually cooked over a fire: grilled meat, bread, salads and tea.

Important notes

• Keep back from the edge: parts of the rim are unstable and the railing, where there is one, is low. Never throw anything into the crater.
• Wind: stand upwind of the crater; the hot air and gas smell move with the breeze.
• Drones: they are banned in Turkmenistan.
• Facilities: camps are basic, with shared outdoor toilets and limited or no showers.
• No signal: expect little or no mobile coverage.

What to bring

• A warm jacket, even in spring and autumn: desert nights are cold.
• Closed shoes for the sand, and a headlamp for the walk back in the dark.
• Water, wet wipes and a power bank.
• A small tripod if you want night photos.

Read our full Darvaza travel guide. Darvaza is on all our Turkmenistan tours, including the 4-day crossing from Bukhara to Khiva.