Awaza

Awaza was built from the late 2000s as a national tourist zone on the Caspian shore west of Turkmenbashi: a strip of marble-faced hotels, a canal, a promenade and beaches along several kilometres of coast, developed as a single planned project. The scale is considerable and the occupancy usually is not. The Caspian here is warm and shallow in summer, and the surrounding country is desert.

What you actually see

• The hotel strip - marble-faced buildings along several kilometres of coast.
• The artificial canal - the waterway cut through the resort zone.
• The beaches - the Caspian shore, warm and shallow through the summer.
• The planned scale - a whole resort district built as one project.

When to go

June to September is the beach season when the Caspian is warm. Outside it the zone is largely empty. Winds off the sea are strong in winter.

Honest expectations

Occupancy is low and much of the zone feels empty even in season. Prices are high relative to what is offered. The surrounding country is bare desert with nothing to do outside the strip.

Nearby

Turkmenbashi is east, and Hazar Nature Reserve is south.