For some spectacular views of Ashgabat and the surrounding desert, take a ride up the Ashgabat Cable Car (return ticket 2M; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun). The cable-car system, opened in 2006, starts from the base of the Kopet Dag (south of the National Museum) and climbs to a height of 1293m above sea level on a lower peak of the Kopet Dag. The upper terminal has souvenir shops, a restaurant, cafe, picnic spots, several high-powered telescopes for sightseeing and an 80m-high artificial waterfall. It takes 10 minutes to travel the 3.5km-long cableway. We can organize a trip for you to get here.