HIGHWAY TO HELL ULTRACYCLE – 300km (200 miles) to the Gates of Hell, Turkmenistan

Time to be a hero. You’ve seen too many people do too many cool things online. And you know what, THEY’RE NO BETTER, STRONGER, COOLER THAN YOU. And with the Highway to Hell Ultracycle, you’re about to prove that to yourself. I promise.

300km (200 miles). Cycling through the desert. In Turkmenistan, one of the least visited countries in the world, with a group of other legends, finishing up at the ICONIC Gates of Hell, the burning crater of Darwaza. Now life experiences just don’t get much cooler than this!

If you wanna book before it sells out, and can’t be bothered to read all the fine print – you can book IT HERE…

What is this ‘HIGHWAY TO HELL ULTRACYCLE’ all about?!

Life is short, and it’s passing us quicker than we think. Before you know it, you’ve missed your chance. Your body aches and you regret all the things you didn’t do. Worse still, you have to hear about all the f*cking epic sh*t other people did in their lives. How did they get the chances to be such legends?

STOP THE PRESS.

You’re going to be the person who tells the stories. And it stars with cycling from the mysterious city of Ashgabat to the iconic Gates of Hell. Drinking bootleg Russian vodka with me with our feet dangling over the crater ridge, with 300km of cycling behind us after the last two brutal (hellish?!) days.

BUT WHY?!

My 2 passions in life are fitness and REAL adventure. They bring about true self-development. So it’s time to bring them together and share them with the world. 

I have been organising epic group trips to wild countries over the last decade, to places like Central African Republic, Mali, Afghanistan, Yemen and I feel a huge sense of privilege being able to show people these wild places, that perhaps otherwise they wouldn’t venture too.

As I’ve been doing that, I’ve been doing all the crazy stuff physical challenges above, and I knew how beneficial those experiences have been to me. How huge a part they’ve played in me becoming who I am. Of me feeling fulfilled, content. How it’s help keep me motivated to become financially free, but also to know I’m reaching my potential. Even though most of the experiences are absolute torture while I do them!

So, now, since turning 40 this year. I want to share that with the world. I want to show people that I’m not special. I’m not some elite athlete. I’m just a guy who decided to do some epic stuff. Then some more, and more. And now I’m here. I want to create an event where you’ll be the hero of the story. Not some guy or girl you follow online. 

So sure, 300km off road will be hell. But you’ll be a legend when you finish it. And finish it you will. So come with me. 

The first edition of HIGHWAY TO HELL ULTRACYCLE is this AUGUST, 2025. It will be a yearly event, hopefully a huge one in years to come. Come suffer with me on the first one. 

How Does the Ultra Cycle Work?

We meet in Turkmenistan. Check our gear. Sleep. Then kill ourselves over the next 2 days to cycle to the burning crater.

Basically, all the ‘athletes’ (cough, cough) start on Race Day 1 at the same starting point, around sunrise. We have approximately 150km (around 100 miles) to get through today, before sunset. 

We’ll all be competing at different speeds (from SUPER SLOW to something marginally faster than super slow) and we’ll all eventually all meet at Camp at the end of race day 1. Where our time is logged. You then eat together, cry together, and sleep in the pre-setup tents. 

Race day 2, sunrise again, we eat brekkie together, meet at the start point, hear the buzzer, and go again. 150km more today. Meeting at the GATES OF HELL 5-15 hours later, depending on your speed. 

Your time upon arrival at camp is logged, and added to yesterday’s time and you are done!

Celebrate in a world of pain and pride. You’re officially a legend. Let’s get drunk.

Is the race self-sufficient?

NO! I’ve competed in self-sufficient races before, and I hate them. 

A self-sufficient race is a race where you have to bring EVERYTHING for the enroute duration of the race. All your food, all your sleeping stuff, all your gear. 3, 4 or 5 days worth. The bag is heavy. It’s uncomfortable. 

So, when designing my own events, I want to make it more ‘enjoyable’ (maybe that’s a stretch, but you know what I mean). Why? firstly, our race doesn’t follow any ‘easy route’. Lot is off-road, so we have spare bicycles, a mechanic, and water anytime you need. 

So our local Turkmen team set up a wonderful camp for us each night. They provide delicious local fare, both for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. The camp will be waiting for us as we hobble into camp.

How About Water?

There are water stations, with flags, on the route every 30km. You can refill at will. Then crack on until the next station.

Won’t we get lost?

It’s (almost) impossible. We have a team of  off-road vehicles driving back and forth the 150km route each day. 

So you literally go in one direction the whole time. Your compass can’t fail you there. 

You only have to make it 30km until the next check-point. All good.

How about Medical Care?

Your ass will get chewed up. That’s a fact folks. We have a nurse at camp each night, staying with us, who tends to all our wounds at will. 

We also have a doctor on call. 

Do we also visit the Gates of Hell?

Absolutely! The ‘race’ finishes there. And…. The gates of hell are closing! We don’t know if it’s 2025, 2026 or 2027, but there is now a permanent base beside the Gates of Hell where engineers are actively trying to shut them down. So come and join me, it may be your last chance!!
Turkmenistan Tour time! Ever since I first visited Turkmenistan, and made a very shaky youtube video about the Gates of Hell, I’ve had people email me asking if I could finally organise a onestep4ward trip there, so here it is. Turkmenistan is actually the 10th least visited country in the world, with a tricky visa situation and a government who couldn’t care less about tourist dollars. So historically it hasn’t been the easiest place to visit. That’s where I come in though folks, so jump on board and let’s go together. 

Highway to Hell Tour Dates and Price

August 15-19 (or 21st if you also join the add-on extension)

$2,499

• The non-refundable deposit to secure spot is $250.
• Full payment due on JUNE 15th, 2025.
• Price based on per person sharing (don’t worry, you can come solo and I’ll match you up with a buddy)
• Single supplement available at $349, for those who want their own room.
• Optional 3 day add-on to traverse the whole country on a Russian night-train to the Caspian sea

How to Book Your Spot on the FIRST EVER EDITION of the Highway to Hell Ultracycle:

You can book it HERE, or simply click book below here:

Book Now

What’s included in the trip

• Letter of Invitation. And all help with the visa, so you can get it when you land in the airport
• All transport. (Apart from the brutal 300km cycle of course)
• Race logistics. Water stops, water, support vehicle, mechanic, nurse.
• All meals during the cycle event.
• Local guide.
• Western Guide (me! I’ll be cycling too!)
• All accomodation. Hotels in Ashgabat, camping or yurts on the cycle.
• OPTIONAL: Night train. Ashgabat to Turkmenabashi sleeper train
• OPTIONAL: Domestic flight. The train one-way will be enough, we’re cheating on the way back.

What’s not included

• Lunches and Dinners in the cities. We’ll eat in local places, expect maybe $10 a meal or so. Can be less if you’re on a budget, or if you don’t touch alcohol.
• Visa feePay on arrival depending on nationality. $50-$120 for most people
• COVID costs. Right now, Turkmenistan is requiring testing for flights etc, so we may have to test occasionally. Madness, but ture.
• Video/Photo fees. Officially you need these when asked, you may have to pay a fee (I’ve never had to though)

Highway to Hell Ultracycle ITINERARY

Day 1 (August 15th, 2025):

And so it begins. 3 days from realising that you’re capable of so much more than you thought.

You can arrive anytime on August 15th. Ideally early so you can prep and be ready for Day 1 of the cycle tomorrow. 

If you need to come one day early, that’s possible too. Message me and I can help organise. 

Day 2 (August 16th, 2025):

Day 1 of the HIGHWAY TO HELL ULTRACYCLE

Early start folks. We have 100 miles/150km to get through today. So quick brekkie and then to the support cars.

They’ll drive us to the start-point, AND WE’RE OFF!

Sometime between 5-15 hours later we’ll reach our 150km mark, where tents and dinner is awaiting us. Time to rest that ass. One more BIG day tomorrow. 

Day 3 (AUGUST 17th)

Second and FINAL day of the HIGHWAY TO HELL Ultracycle

Ooooph, how’s that ass today? Not great! 

And the sunburn? Dehydration? Hunger? Weary limbs? Yeah I thought so. What a way to spend a so-called holiday eh?!

Anyway, today you are officially an actual LEGEND! We did it. 200 miles/300km. On a sh*tty bike, on an awful service. And you’re greeted at the Gates of Hell. Burning in your honour. A night in tents, with some booze and new friends, is just what the doctor ordered. Well done folks. 

Day 4; AUGUST 18th (Optional extension starts here)

Recovery (or hangover), and back to Ashgabat.

Brekkie in the desert. Then we drive back to Ashgabat.

And the next bit is in your hands. Either tonight is your last night. We get back to the Ashgabat hotel, and have a city tour. And then your last night in Turkmenistan before your flight home tomorrow, complete with medal and memories. 

ADD-ON OPTION:

Or…. you may want to extend your trip with me as I take an old Soviet Russian nighttrain across the country to the Caspian Sea. 

If you take the optional extension, in that case….

Our friends at our Ashgabat hotel from the day before kindly allow us to use their facilities to clean up after a night of camping. Hot showers, a gym/pool if you want, even a sauna. Manage your expectations here though, the hotel hasn’t been upgraded since about 1950!

Then we have a civilised lunch spot (with real coffee!), before we’ll then head to the train station for one of my favourite things to do in unique countries, an overnight train across the whole country towards Turkmenbashi. 

OPTIONAL Day 5; AUGUST 19th

We’ll wake up in Turkmenbashi and have a short sightseeing tour where you’ll get a chance to have your first sight of the Caspian Sea.

We’ll then hop back in 4WD vehicles and make our way to Central Asia’s proud answer to the Grand

Canyon, Yangy Kala. This canyon was the former floor of the Tethys sea, and over time, millions of years created the current ‘design’ of unusual forms and multicolor pictures. We’ll chill here for a bit, soak up just where in the world we are, before we head back to Turkmenbashi to overnight in our Caspian Sea resort.

OPTIONAL DAY 6; AUGUST 20th

Back to the airport folks (god it feels like we live in these places!).

We fly back to Ashgabat, check out the UNESCO world heritage site of Nisa Fortress, and the world famous Turkmen horses, then we check into our hotels once more. We have a free afternoon to explore the city, or recover from a fast paced few days. Then this evening we’ll have dinner in Ashgabat’s fanciest restaurant (don’t worry, due to the black market, this will cost about $10!).

Overnight at our Ashgabat hotel.

OPTIONAL DAY 7; AUGUST 21ST

We’re out of here. Again, the way the flights work, we will check out of our hotels around 2am for an early transfer for the 4am flights on AUGUST 21st. Airport time. There may be a new flight at 8am today for the 2025 dates. I hope so!

Or, come and join me on my Madagascar tour. It’s start in 3 days!

FAQs about the trip

How difficult is the cycle? Can anyone do really do it?!

Yes, ANYONE can do it! It’s roughly 100miles (160km) per day. So it’s not short. BUT you have ALL day to do it. Sunrise to sunset. So that’s 14 or 15 hours. Even if you cycle at a super pedestrian 10km an hour (7 miles an hour!) you’ll make it. So while the fittest riders might get it done in 5 years for the day, the slowest ones will still get there, just a few hours later. Challenge yourself. You’ll love yourself at the end of it, allbeit with a very sore bum.

Why visit Turkmenistan aside from the Ultracycle?

For hardcore travelers, there are 2 main reasons. It’s one of the least visited countries in the world, which is already pretty cool. And then of course, Turkmenistan is famous for their Gates of Hell. And my Turkmenistan tour, of course, focuses on that. But that’s not the only reason to visit Turkmenistan. For me there are 3 epic places to visit in this secretive central Asian nation. 

• The Gates of Hell. Come and see them soon! The rumours are that they’re due to close it any time!
• Ashgabat, the futuristic capital city. One of the strangest cities in the world. Just wait and see. 
• Yangy Kala Canyon. Central Asia’s answer to the grand canyon, and including a cool overnight train to traverse the country, to the coast of the Caspian Sea, to reach it!

There are some other spots around the country that are historic, and hold cultural significance too. But my trips are more focused on crazy adventures so I’ve tailored this tour to include the 3 coolest places and try to keep the cost, and time, down. I know a lot of the people who travel with me have the same outlook, so I hope this works for all you guys too!

How about getting the Turkmenistan Visa?

We’ve got you! Visiting Turkmenistan is amazing but getting a Turkmen visa is not. It’s one of the toughest visas IN THE WORLD. And often gets rejected.

BUT…. you avoid all those headaches by going on a Turkmenistan tour with me. My guys will register us, organise the LOI (letter of invitations), process all our documents and all-being-well, we simply turn up at the airport and pay the fee. We have yet to have any rejections, and long may that continue.

I was previously rejected twice when I tried to apply solo. Eventually I cracked and used my fixer, and got in the country with no problems. We, as a group, now use the same team. Perfecto.

Is it really one of the least visited countries in the world?

Turkmenistan is actually the 10th least visited country in the world, with a tricky visa situation and a government who couldn’t care less about tourist dollars. So historically it hasn’t been the easiest place to visit. That’s where I come in though folks, so jump on board and let’s go together.

Is it safe to visit Turkmenistan?

Safe doesn’t even come close. One of the safest countries in the world. Perhaps even THE safest country in the world.

I’ll avoid getting political as the permits are hard enough to get, but let’s just say everyone obeys the law in Turkmenistan, and leave it at that. As we say in Ireland, “safe as houses“

What actually are the Gates of Hell?

The Dervaza gas crater, also known as the Door to Hell or Gates of Hell, is a natural gas field in Turkmenistan that collapsed into an underground cavern in 1971, creating a large crater approximately 70 meters in diameter and 20 meters deep.

In an effort to prevent the release of toxic gases, Soviet scientists set the crater on fire, hoping that the gas would burn off within a few weeks. However, the fire has been burning continuously for over 50 years, creating a spectacular and eerie sight that draws visitors from around the world.

The area around the crater is now a popular tourist attraction and has been dubbed the “Gates of Hell” due to the infernal flames that never go out.

How do I get to Turkmenistan to join the trip?

Don’t worry, it’s easy.

You can fly via Istanbul or Dubai (maybe there’ll be more options by August 2025, but right now, that’s it). They all land at horrible hours, between 2am and 4am (similar to my Mauritania tours). This makes the itinerary sound a little confusing, but bear with me, it’s honestly not! Check our the Turkmenistan Itinerary below to make sense of it all.

Also, don’t worry, my team will be there with airport pick-ups, regardless what time you arrive!

FINAL THOUGHTS ON MY TURKMENISTAN TOURS

I hadn’t been back to Turkmenistan since 2016, until I ran my 2 group tours in 2023 and 1 in 2024. I didn’t really know what to expect. I thought, I’ll repay my fixer by bringing a group and sending some money his way. But then we went, and had probably the best group trip of my life. SOOOO MUCH FUN! Very little sleep, but epic times all day every day!

It’s closed to most people most of the time, furthermore it’s been closed for more than 3 years thanks to their pretty heavy-handed COVID restrictions. It literally just opened Q3 2023 so even coming in 2025 we’re be amongst the first people to get back in this secret nation. So let’s do it, see you in Ashgabat!

Please not, should any of us have your visas rejected, or the country close again due to Covid, I’ll give back all the money that our fixers give back to me. So most of it, minus visa costs, letters of invitation etc. But, on the off chance they fill in the Gates of Hell in the meantime, there’s nothing we can do, so hurry hurry!

SIGN UP FOR MY TURKMENISTAN TOUR HERE:

https://www.wetravel.com/trips/turkmenistan-and-the-gates-of-hell-john-ward-29834614

Some Pics of my last Turkmenistan Tours (without the cycle)

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