| Friends, readers, travelers! We're running a contest in partnership with Atlas Obscura, in which U.S.-based R&K readers can win two spots on their sold-out trip to Turkmenistan in the spring (March 30-April 8 2020). The contest ends Friday, November 15th. Enter here (it's free!). Travel to some of the 'Stans is opening up—Uzbekistan, for example, has recently relaxed its visa rules. But traveling to Turkmenistan (one of the world's least-visited countries) under your own steam is still challenging and expensive. All visitors must have visas—which can vary greatly in fees and length of processing—and must have a local guide or join a tour for the duration of their trip, which bumps up the daily spend. This prize includes all accommodation, admission to all sites and events, transport, and most meals, plus a $750 gift card towards flights. Atlas Obscura will also guide you through the visa process. (The approximate value of this trip for two people is $8,000.) The 10-day trip with local guides includes the capital Ashgabat and its gleaming white marble skyline, seaside spa cities, deserts and canyons, swimming in an underground thermal lake, hanging out with famous Akhal-Teke horses, and a night camping next to the Gates of Hell—a crater and former gas field set alight by Soviet geologists that has been burning continuously for almost 50 years. Plus, as a major Silk Route station, the food will not disappoint. | 
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