Horseback Tours

Geok Tepe horse riding tour

Have a nice trip!

General Description A quiet paradise in Turkmenistan offers an extraordinary opportunity to join a great adventure. Beautiful landscapes, drifts of forget-me-nots, exotic culture, exceptional hospitality-they are all here in the hidden valleys of the Kopet Dag mountains and the Karakum desert with its unique vastness. Only short drive from Ashgabat, we start our trip, which takes us through the villages in the desert and up into remote mountain areas where shepherds tend their flocks on high summer pastures. Most of the horses we use are purebred Akhal Teke and Yomud Horses - valued for their endurance and adaptation to the harsh climate in the region. The horses are striking in their beauty, and are easy to handle even for an unprofessional rider.

Summary

Riding : 4-6 hrs a day Horses : Akhal Teke and Yomud Horses Pace : Moderate, mountains and desert Riding ability : A reasonable level of fitness and previous riding experience are required Weight limit : max 90 kg Accommodation : 4* hotel in Ashgabat, 2* camping (very basic facilities, but quite reasonable). Group size : max 8 Travel : International carriers flying into Ashgabat include Lufthansa and Turkish airlines who fly 3 times a week , usually reaching Ashgabat late at night, with Lufthansa stopping over in Baku, (Azerbaijan). Turkmenistan airlines fly to London, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Beijing and Istanbul at slightly more competitive rates. Further there are daily connections to Moscow and one or two flights to other central Asian capitals and Kiev.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Ashgabat arrival, city tour

Early morning arrival. Overnight at a hotel. Morning free for you, whereas we take care of your documents. In the afternoon we explore the city, visiting its most interesting monuments and museums. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 2 - Ashgabat-Geok Tepe stud farm

In the morning we set off to a hors farm in Geok Tepe, which is 45 km away from Ashgabat. We stay in the base camp exploring local area and getting ourselves familiar with horses, area and first desert safety precautions, which we MUST follow.

Day 3 - Riding day (13km)

Considering the hot climate both in your own as well as in the interest of the horses we leave the camp in the early morning to reach our next destination before noon. This will give us a good 4/5 hours riding time and time to rest. We ride north to the Karakum desert and overnight close to a shepherd’s well. We set up a fly camp for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 - Riding (11km)

Today we take a ride further east through the desert terrain having opportunities for both trotting and galloping. We reach our next camp in the afternoon. Dinner at the camp.

Day 5

Ride back and transfer to the next camp in the mountains. We ride back to our base camp and after relaxing and having a lunch we set off for our next base in the Kopet Dag mountains. After arriving at the camp we again familiarize with new horses, area and first mountains safety precautions. We have a dinner in the camp with very basic facilities.

Day 6 - Riding (15km)

Today we take off on a ride onto the Aksu Plateau stretching along the northern foothills of the Dushak mountain, the highest peak in the area. Along the 20 km trek we have opportunities for both trot and gallop reaching our next camp through one of the picturesque canyons typical for the area.

Day 7 - Riding (20km)

We continue to ride along the foothills of Kopet Dag mountains and heading towards our base camp. We set up a fly camp not far from it.

Day 8 - Riding (15km)

We ride back to our base camp. Rest and overnight in the camp.

Day 9

Drive to Ashgabat visiting en route the Goek Tepe mosque and underground lake Kov Ata in Bakharden. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 10

Departure or cultural extension.

Price in USD p/p on H/Twin

01 pax - 1800

02 pax - 1300

03 pax - 1100

04 pax - 1000

05 pax - 970

06 pax - 950

S/Supplement – 75

FB/Supplement – 40

Services included:

Too long? Try Short break-aways from Ashgabat or e-mail us to customize the tour