You’ve never really tasted melon until you’ve tried it in Turkmenistan. Out of 1,600 melon varieties in the world, over 400 grow in Turkmenistan alone — sun-ripened, fragrant, and so sweet they’ll make you question every supermarket melon you’ve ever had.
Here, melons are more than just fruit — they’re pride, tradition, celebration. So much so that we have a National Melon Day every second Sunday of August, honoring ancient varieties that have been passed down for centuries.
These melons stay fresh from harvest in August all the way to New Year’s Eve — that’s why every Turkmen holiday table ends with a slice of melon.
Even legendary travelers like Ibn Battuta said: “Nowhere in the world are melons as delicious as in Turkmenistan.”
And Vámbéry called them “divine in taste and form.”
In our tours, you’ll meet local farmers at colorful markets, try different varieties, and bite into a story that began on the Silk Road.
Next tour: September 4
DM us to reserve your spot — and taste the juiciest secret of Central Asia.