Saglyk Yoly - The Path of Health, Part 3

On a typical misty November day an excursion up to the plateau of the Kopet-Dag Mountains is a rewarding thing to do. Hiking is not permitted in the vicinity of the border to Iran, but there is a cable car that was installed in 2006. We had originally planned to hike from the bottom station to the top station, but were not allowed to do so. So we took the ride instead. It costs the equivalent of 50 cents for citizens and foreigners alike: clearly people are supposed to make use of the cable car like they ride the bus.

About ten minutes takes the ride of 3,5 km steep uphill and brings the visitor up to an altitude of 1293 m. On a clear day the view over Ashgabat must be spectacular, but even on a cloudy day there are moments of sunshine and partial views along the border range. No hiking is allowed from here, but visitors have to stay in the perimeter of the restaurant facility, which was closed due to the off-season.

There may be a delay in descent though, when the top station’s water supply is being replenished. This happens by way of large containers taking all space of a the cable car. Filling and dewatering takes place as the cabins move along the platform.

There was a reward for the delay: The spectacular sighting of two herds of grazing Marco Polo sheep. Having seen many kind of sheep in different countries such majestic horns were a novelty to us.

We did our stretch of hiking that day, although this part of the Saglyk Yoly health trail is not well trodden and may need some weeding. Starting in fog again at the basis station we had an easy walk down to the edge of the city, from where we caught a conveniently arriving scheduled bus back to the hotel.

For the most spectacular part of the Saglyk Yoly, see wikiloc #8540779. Do not look for Part 2 - this would start at the end of of part 1 (the Ashgabat TV tower) and the beginning of Part 3 (the bottom station of the cable car). We didn't have time to do this, but look forward to someone publishing that part.