Nicknamed both the “Gates of Hell” and the “Shining of Karakum,” this flaming crater is one of Turkmenistan’s most mysterious natural phenomena. The inferno is powered by methane gas that seeps through vents across the crater’s floor and walls, creating an otherworldly display of fire. Standing near the edge, visitors can feel the intense heat rising from the crater, and the sight becomes even more mesmerizing at night when the flames illuminate the desert sky.
Located deep in the Karakum Desert, the Darvaza Crater is the top attraction for tourists visiting this Central Asian nation. Flanked by rolling dunes and rocky terrain, the crater draws adventurous travelers who seek a rare glimpse of this burning sinkhole.
In the early days of tourism, Darvaza was devoid of any visitor amenities, and travelers had to be entirely self-sufficient for overnight stays. Today, however, three permanent camps have been established, offering accommodation in yurts or tents, along with meals and motorized transport to the crater’s rim for those who prefer not to hike.
Measuring roughly 230 feet (70 meters) across and 100 feet (30 meters) deep, the crater’s walls drop steeply into a rocky field below, where debris lies scattered around the base. To enhance visitor safety, a fence was installed in 2018 to prevent people from getting too close to the flames. “It may be just a collapsed gas cave, but there’s something eerie and unsettling about it,” says author Ged Gillmore, who chronicled his visit in Stans By Me: A Whirlwind Tour Through Central Asia.
However, this blazing wonder may not last forever. The Turkmenistan government has discussed plans to seal the crater, and frequent visitors report that the flames are already less intense than they were in previous years. “I’d estimate it’s burning at only 40% of the level I saw when I first visited in 2009,” says Dylan Lupine, founder of UK-based Lupine Travel, which was one of the first companies to bring tourists to Darvaza.
The origin of the gas crater remains shrouded in mystery. Soviet-era documents about its creation are either incomplete or confidential, leading to much speculation about when it first appeared. “There’s a lot of conflicting stories about how it formed,” says George Kourounis, a Canadian explorer and TV presenter who’s the only person known to have descended into the crater.
The most widely accepted theory is that the crater was formed in 1971 and ignited shortly after. However, Kourounis heard a different version during his trip to Turkmenistan. “Two old government geologists told me the crater likely formed in the 1960s and bubbled with gas and mud for years before being set ablaze in the 1980s,” he explains.
Despite the uncertainty around its origins, the Darvaza Crater continues to captivate tourists with its fiery display, offering an unforgettable adventure in one of the world’s most remote locations.
