I'm on the early stages of planning a trip to Central Asia.
Don't know yet how to deal with the Turkmenistan part of it.
As far as I understand there are two possibilities:
1 Get a 3 to 7 days transit visa and you are on your own as far as guides / " tourist escort" is concern, but you can only travel on main routes (with the exact entry and exit points).
2 Get a tourist visa, up to 3 weeks, and you have to have a guide with you all the time, but you can choose your own route (doing some off-road desert tracks, for instance), if you specified in your application.

In option 1, one could enter in Kone Urgench, go all the way to Asgabat and then to Turkenbashi, all on major roads.
But if I aim for offbeat Turkmenistan, an off road route like Kone Urgench > Sarykamish lake > Gaplankyr reservee > Ghagyl before heading out of the country, via Garabogaz (Bekdash) what are my options?
Do I have to get a tourist visa and to travel with an official guide to do it? Or can I do it by myself as long as the visa doesn't expires?
Is the Turk / Kaz border Garabogaz (Bekdash) open to tourists?
What about the Dekhistan region, how can I explore this part of the country? In the Lonely Planet all but the major cities are mentioned to be sensitive areas, one can assume forbidden ones?
Does anybody had experiences with guides in off road conditions? And, how much that would cost?

Cheers