Not many tourists visit Turkmenistan. Although it was part of the ancient Silk Route, it is no longer a conduit for travelers to China. Its biggest tourist attraction is the Plateau of Dinosaurs which has over 2,500 footprints of dinosaurs from the Jurassic period. Some of the adventurous among the 15,000 tourists who visit Turkmenistan every year visit this ancient site. But now another tourist attraction is getting attention.
Turkmenistan is planning to promote its “Gate to Hell,” a burning gas crater in the Darvaze gas fields about 260 km from the capital Ashgabat. The crater was formed when a gas drilling rig collapsed in 1971 and the Soviet scientists thought it best to set the escaping methane gas on fire – thinking that it would burn out in a couple of weeks. More than 40 years later the gas is still burning and tour buses bring tourists to see what Hell looks like!
If you want a glimpse of Hell be sure to go there soon as the government of Turkmenistan is planning to plug the leak and start exporting gas to neighboring countries.
