If you’ve spent any time scrolling through "world’s spookiest places" lists, you’ve definitely seen it. A massive, glowing orange pit in the middle of a pitch-black desert. It looks like a portal to another dimension, or maybe just a really bad day for the planet's crust. People call it the Gate of Hell in Turkmenistan, but its official name—the Darvaza gas crater—is a bit more grounded in reality. Even if the reality is kind of a mess.
It’s been burning for over fifty years. Think about that for a second. While the rest of the world went through the Moon landing, the invention of the internet, and a global pandemic, this hole in the Karakum Desert just kept on flaming. It’s a surreal sight, honestly. But there is a massive amount of misinformation floating around about how it started, why it hasn’t been put out, and whether it’s actually about to disappear forever.
The 1971 Story Might Be a Lie
Most travel blogs will tell you the same origin story. They say Soviet engineers were drilling for oil in 1971, hit a gas pocket, the ground collapsed, and they lit it on fire thinking it would burn off in a few weeks. It’s a clean story. It makes sense. But Turkmen geologists sometimes tell a different tale. Some evidence suggests the crater actually formed in the 1960s and didn't start burning until the 1980s.
Wait. Why does that matter?
Because it changes the "Gate of Hell" from a simple engineering mishap into a long-term environmental mystery. There are no declassified Soviet records that explicitly state, "Hey, we accidentally created a permanent fire pit today." It’s all based on local oral history and the accounts of people who were there. Whatever the start date, the result is a hole roughly 230 feet wide and 65 feet deep. It’s huge. It’s hot. And it’s leaking a staggering amount of methane into the atmosphere every single day.
What It’s Actually Like to Stand There
Getting to the Gate of Hell in Turkmenistan isn’t like visiting the Eiffel Tower. There aren't any gift shops. No handrails. Just you, a lot of sand, and a blast of heat that feels like opening a 2,000-degree oven in your face.
The wind usually whips across the Karakum, so one second you’re fine, and the next, the breeze shifts and you’re inhaling singed air and sulfur. Most travelers camp nearby in yurts. At night, the desert is terrifyingly dark, which makes the crater look even more like a supernatural event. You can see the glow from miles away. It’s a low, constant roar, sort of like a jet engine idling in the distance.
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The heat is the most intense part. You can’t actually stand right at the edge for very long without feeling like your eyebrows are going to melt off. But people do it anyway. It's one of those rare places left on Earth where there’s basically zero "health and safety" oversight. You want to walk to the edge? Go ahead. Just don't trip.
The George Kourounis Expedition
In 2013, a Canadian explorer named George Kourounis became the first person to actually go down into the pit. He had to wear a heat-reflective suit and use a custom Kevlar harness because a regular nylon rope would have just melted.
He wasn't just doing it for the "gram," though. He was looking for life. And he found it.
Kourounis and his team discovered extremophile bacteria living at the bottom of the crater, thriving in high temperatures and a methane-rich environment. This was a huge deal for astrobiologists. It basically proved that life could potentially exist in similar conditions on other planets. So, while we call it "Hell," for some microscopic organisms, it’s actually a pretty cozy home.
Why Doesn't Turkmenistan Just Put It Out?
This is the question everyone asks. If it’s a waste of natural gas—which is Turkmenistan’s biggest export—and it’s bad for the environment, why let it burn?
The truth is, Turkmenistan has tried to close it. Or at least, they’ve talked about it. A lot.
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In 2010, the late President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov ordered geologists to find a way to extinguish the flames. Then, in early 2022, he brought it up again, citing environmental damage and lost profits. But "putting out" a massive subterranean gas leak isn't as simple as throwing a wet blanket over it.
- The "Dome" Problem: If you try to cap it, the gas pressure could just build up until it finds a new, weaker spot in the earth and creates a dozen smaller craters.
- The "Water" Problem: Water won't work because the gas is under pressure and the fire is coming from everywhere—the walls, the floor, the cracks.
- The "Cost" Problem: It would require a massive engineering project, possibly involving drilling "relief wells" to redirect the gas flow. That costs millions of dollars.
For a long time, the government realized the crater was more valuable as a tourist attraction than the gas was as a commodity. It’s the only reason many people even know Turkmenistan exists on a map. But as global pressure to cut methane emissions grows, the pressure to snuff out the Gate of Hell is getting real.
The Environmental Reality Check
We need to talk about methane. It’s way worse for the climate than carbon dioxide in the short term. The Gate of Hell is essentially a giant chimney dumping methane byproducts into the sky.
However, there’s a weird irony here.
Burning the gas (flaring) is actually better for the planet than letting it leak out unburned. Methane is about 25 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2. By burning it, the crater converts that methane into CO2 and water vapor. So, if they "put out" the fire but didn't seal the leak, they’d actually be causing more environmental damage.
It’s a bizarre catch-22. The fire is the only thing keeping the site from being a completely invisible climate disaster.
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Planning a Visit (Before It’s Gone)
If you're actually thinking of going, you need to know that Turkmenistan is one of the hardest countries in the world to get a visa for. It’s often compared to North Korea in terms of bureaucracy. You generally need a Letter of Invitation (LOI) and a guided tour to see the Gate of Hell in Turkmenistan.
- Fly into Ashgabat: The capital city is a trip in itself—lots of white marble and gold statues.
- Get a 4x4: You cannot drive a sedan to Darvaza. The "road" is more of a suggestion through the sand.
- Timing: Go between March and May or September and November. In the summer, the Karakum Desert hits 120 degrees, and when you add a burning gas pit to that, it’s basically unlivable.
- The Bubbling Mud Crater: On your way, stop at the nearby water and mud craters. They are similar gas collapses, but they didn't catch fire. One is a bright teal pond that literally bubbles like a boiling pot of pasta.
What Most People Get Wrong
People think the crater is some kind of volcanic activity. It’s not. There’s no magma. It’s purely a gas phenomenon.
Another misconception is that it’s dangerous to stand near because of the fumes. While you shouldn't huff the air directly over the pit, the open desert breeze usually keeps the oxygen levels safe enough for a visit. Just don't camp downwind of it unless you want a massive headache.
Honestly, the "Gate of Hell" is a bit of a misnomer. It’s a monument to human error and the raw power of geology. It’s beautiful in a destructive, unsettling way. It’s a reminder that once we break something in nature, we don’t always have the tools to fix it.
Actionable Takeaways for the Curious Traveler
If this place is on your bucket list, stop waiting. The Turkmen government is increasingly serious about "extinguishing" the site or at least limiting access to it for environmental reasons.
- Check Visa Requirements Early: The process can take months, and rejection rates are high. Work with a reputable agency like StanTours or Advantour.
- Gear Up: Bring a high-quality buff or face mask for the dust and sand. The Karakum is incredibly windy.
- Respect the Site: There are no fences. Don't be the person who falls in for a selfie. The ground near the edge can be unstable because the heat dries out the soil and makes it crumbly.
- Support Locals: Stay in the yurt camps run by local families near the site. It’s the best way to ensure your tourist dollars actually stay in the region.
The Gate of Hell won't burn forever. Eventually, the gas pocket will deplete, or an engineer will finally figure out a cost-effective way to plug the hole. Until then, it remains the world's most spectacular accidental campfire.
Next Steps for Your Journey
To see the crater for yourself, you'll need to coordinate with a licensed Turkmen travel agency to secure a Letter of Invitation (LOI). Start by researching current travel restrictions through your local embassy, as Turkmenistan's entry policies fluctuate frequently. If you're unable to visit in person, look for the 2014 National Geographic documentary featuring George Kourounis’s descent for the most detailed visual record of the crater’s interior.