Yeradzhi and Repetek

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Yeradzhi

   Yeradzhi is a name on the map in the middle of the Karakum, the Black Sand desert that covers most of Turkmenistan. There is no town in the nearby list, which tells you most of what you need to know. The Karakum is one of the largest sand deserts in the world, with ridges, hollows, saxaul scrub and takyrs, the flat clay pans that bake hard in summer. It is cold in winter, brutally hot in summer, and when it rains the clay turns to grease.

   Read the complete Yeradzhi write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Yeradzhi is where the day begins. Next is Mansaf Caravanserai.

2. 2. Mansaf Caravanserai

   Out in the Karakum, the great black-sand desert that covers most of Turkmenistan, the old caravan route between Merv and Amul on the Amu Darya crossed some two hundred kilometres of sand, and along it, at intervals of a day's march, stood caravanserais where travellers could rest, water their animals and find shelter. The ruins of the Mansaf caravanserai lie on this route, a crumbling square of brick walls and gateways in an empty landscape of dunes and saxaul shrubs. They are part of the Silk Roads heritage of Central Asia, and the corridor is on Turkmenistan's list of sites proposed for UNESCO recognition.

   Read the complete Mansaf Caravanserai write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Mansaf Caravanserai comes up about 235 km into the recorded legs. Next is Repetek.

3. 3. Repetek

   Repetek has the reputation of being one of the hottest places in the former Soviet Union, and on a summer afternoon in the Karakum desert, standing among the dunes with the air shimmering, you will not doubt it. A desert research station was founded here in 1912, and the surrounding area became a nature reserve, later a biosphere reserve, protecting a typical stretch of the sandy desert of Turkmenistan. Scientists have studied the plants, animals and dunes here for over a century, and the station has been a pioneer in understanding how life survives in extreme heat and drought.

   Read the complete Repetek write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 438 km into the recorded legs you reach Repetek. Next is back through Mansaf Caravanserai.

4. 4. back through Mansaf Caravanserai

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Mansaf Caravanserai write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Mansaf Caravanserai, late in the day. Next is Yeradzhi.

5. 5. Yeradzhi

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Yeradzhi write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Yeradzhi. That is the ride.