7-Day Azerbaijan Tour with Baku, Khinaligh and Shahdag National Park

Meeting at the airport.

Accommodation at a 4-star hotel in the city.

• 18:00. Excursion to Burning Mountain Yanar Dag.
  • One of the most famous and popular tourist places of the "eternal flame" in Azerbaijan is Yanar Dag. It is more a hill than a mountain, with natural gas burning on its slope since ancient times. Meter-long tongues of fire lick the stratified earth across an area approximately 10 m wide, searing those who approach too closely. People sit on the benches to watch the blazing hill in the evening, when the sight is most impressive.
  • Yanar Dag is located 25 km north of Baku, in Mehemmedi village. Buses run there from the city, so it can be reached reasonably cheaply and easily. Since 2007, Yanar Dag has been declared a state-protected conservation area.
• Excursion: "Lights of Evening Baku".
  • The tour of "Lights of Evening Baku" begins with a visit to Mountain Park. Here, the "City of Winds", as Baku is often called, opens before you in all its glory. The observation platform, located on the highest part of the city near the Flame Towers, reveals the city with all its bright lights bordering Baku Bay and reflecting the measured pace of life in evening Baku.
  • Further, we continue our excursion to one of the favourite walking places for Baku residents and guests of all ages and social groups, a place where no one is in a hurry in the evening - Baku Boulevard. This national park, sometimes called the "Diamond Necklace of Baku", stretches along Baku Bay for 16 km. At every time of day, the boulevard has its own charm - in the morning, you can walk in silence, feel unity with nature, and do sports. During the day, especially on weekends, the boulevard comes alive thanks to the tiny inhabitants of the capital, who ride attractions, rollerblades, and bicycles. In the evening, it becomes a magical world of dreams for lovers. In addition, the original illumination of the park, fountains, and other features gives the boulevard a unique charm.
  • At the end of our "Lights of Evening Baku" excursion, we will go to the lively central street of Nizami, also called Torgovaya Street since old times. Torgovaya is one of the longest streets in Baku, stretching 3.5 km. It is also considered one of the most beautiful streets in the city, with many architectural monuments, beautiful houses, cinemas, parks, and many modern boutiques and shops.
• Transfer to the hotel and free time.

Overnight at the hotel.

09:00 Breakfast at the hotel.

• The tour begins with a visit to one of the modern and most recognizable places in the city, the Heydar Aliyev Center. The Heydar Aliyev Center is a cultural complex with an auditorium (congress center), a museum, exhibition halls, and administrative offices. The project was designed by the famous architect Zaha Hadid. Baku is a city that combines modern and ancient, traditional and unusual.
• After visiting the center, we will go to Nagorny Park. Here, the "City of Winds", as Baku is often called, opens before you in all its glory. The observation platform, located on the highest part of the city, shows the city with all its beauty and greenery bordering Baku Bay.
• After viewing the observation deck, we go down the stairs and head towards the Bibi-Heybat Mosque. Bibi-Heybat Mosque is located on the shore of Baku Bay in Azerbaijan. The existing structure, built in the 1990s, is a reconstruction of the mosque of the same name, originally built in the 13th century by Shirvanshah Abu-l-Fath Farrukhzad and destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1936 during the fierce struggle against religion throughout the USSR. In addition to the mosque, the Bibi-Heybat complex includes tombs of revered people, including the grave of Ukeima Khanum, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. Before its destruction and again today, it has been a spiritual center for Muslims of the East and one of the significant monuments of Islamic architecture in Azerbaijan. The mosque was once visited by Abaskuli-aga Bakikhanov, Alexander Dumas, and Khurshudbanu Natavan. The local population once called it "the mosque of Fatima", and Alexander Dumas used the same name when describing the mosque after visiting it in the 1840s.
• At the end of the modern Baku tour, we visit the world's first oil well drilled in the Bibi-Eibat oil-bearing region.
• Visit to the old town of Icheri Sheher.
  • Icheri Sheher is often called a fortress, as it is surrounded by a well-preserved fortress wall. People lived in the territory of Icheri Sheher as early as the Bronze Age, and by the 8th-11th centuries it was fully populated. Behind the walls are many unique monuments: the palace complex of the Shirvanshahs with a burial vault, divankhana, and mosque; Gyz Galasy (the Maiden Tower); mosques and minarets; and the remains of caravanserais and baths. The buildings of the old fortress are unique in character. Because of the lack of space, structures were built wall to wall from ancient times. There are no gardens, and the yards are tiny, separated by threads of narrow streets, lanes, and dead ends. When the Shirvanshahs moved their capital from Shemakha to Baku in the 15th century, major construction began in Icheri Sheher. During this period, the pearl of the fortress was built - the Palace of the Shirvanshahs.
  • It should be noted that Baku in the 17th-19th centuries did not extend beyond the boundaries of Icheri Sheher. The palaces of the rulers and residential quarters were located here. From 1747 to 1806, it was the capital of the Baku Khanate. Only after the beginning of the oil boom did the city expand beyond the walls of Icheri Sheher. The fortress wall itself is also of great interest. Once, Baku had two walls separated by moats, but at the beginning of the 19th century, the city grew so quickly that the outer wall had to be demolished. Only the inner wall remained. It has 25 towers and five gates. It is said that in the 1930s there were more than 900 buildings in the fortress, and by the beginning of the 20th century only half remained.

Free time.

Overnight at the hotel.

09:00 Breakfast at the hotel.

• The Temple of Eternal Fire - Ateshgah - is an authentic Azerbaijani exotic.
  • It is well known practically all over the world. It is located 30 km from the center of Baku in the suburb of Surakhany. This territory is known for such unique natural phenomena as burning natural gas outlets, where underground gas coming to the surface contacts oxygen and ignites. The temple in its present state was constructed in the 17th-18th centuries by the Baku-based Hindu community related to Sikhs. However, the history of the temple is even longer. From ancient times, this was a holy place of Zoroastrians - fire worshippers - dating approximately to the beginning of our era. They attributed mystical significance to the inextinguishable fire and came here to worship the relic. After the introduction of Islam, the Zoroastrian temple was destroyed. Many Zoroastrians left for India and continued their worship there. Later, in the 15th-17th centuries, Hindu fire worshippers who came to Absheron with trading caravans began making pilgrimages to Surakhany. Indian merchants started the construction of the temple. The earliest part of the temple dates to 1713. The latest part, the central temple-altar, was built with the support of merchant Kanchangar in 1810. During the 18th century, chapels, cells, and a caravanserai were added to the central part of the temple. You can still find carved inscriptions in Indian lettering there. In the early 19th century, the temple acquired its present-day appearance. Ateshgah is a pentagonal structure with a castellation and entrance portal. In the center of the courtyard, the altar-sanctuary is built as a stone pavilion. At the center of the altar is a well from which "eternally" burning gas once emerged.
• Excursion to the Ethnographic Museum Gala.
  • Gala, the well-known open-air historical and ethnographic museum, lies forty kilometres from Baku. The museum, founded in 2008 at an archaeological site in the village of the same name, is dedicated to the history of the Absheron Peninsula. Here, you can see how Azerbaijanis lived, what they ate and drank, and how they managed their households from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The territory of 1.2 hectares hosts old-time houses, portable tents made of animal skins, later replaced by stone and beaten cob structures with cupolas, as well as an ancient blacksmith shop, market, pottery, bakery, threshing mill, and other interesting medieval buildings. You can see, touch, and take pictures of all of them. You can even try to bake bread in an ordinary oven, weave a carpet, work with pottery, or feed camels, horses, and donkeys peacefully resting in their stalls. Many monuments and exhibits were brought to the Gala Museum from different corners of the Absheron Peninsula and were renovated or fully reconstructed. Together, they help visitors gain an idea of the life of medieval people in Azerbaijan.

Free time.

Overnight at the hotel.

08:00 Breakfast at the hotel.

• 08:30: Excursion to Shabran.
  • The Red Mountains are a psychedelic red-pink and white-striped area of exposed rock in the northwest of Azerbaijan. Iron in the ground gives the mountains their deep red colour, while powdery shale forms the white parts. Through a geological process, these layers mixed underground one on top of another, and when exposed to the elements, they eroded into a beautiful and utterly bizarre sight. Despite being such a striking natural wonder, almost no one visits them. Although there are a few small trails, the entire area feels open for exploration. If you are willing to hike away from the road, you are rewarded with extraordinary patterns stretching for miles. Climb over the formations, take as many pictures as possible, and explore the tiny crevices in between. Though the main area lies just off the road, many other candy-striped sections can be found in the surrounding valleys. Occasionally, fossilized remains of belemnites, a type of ancient squid, can be seen in the rocks. Unlike modern squids, this one had a skeleton, most notably its bony rostrum, a hard protrusion on the opposite end from its tentacles. A similar geological phenomenon is believed to occur in only one other place on the planet: Death Valley in the United States. The formations take their colour from groundwater with oxidized iron within the rock.
• Beshbarmag on the route.
  • Here is one of the leading natural attractions of the area - the legendary mountain Beshbarmag. It was named for its unusual shape, resembling a stone hand menacingly raised above the ancient caravan route. At the top, among the teeth of the rocks, are the ruins of the sanctuary "Hyzirzinde" (eternally living Hizir). Any traveller knows this place because it cannot be avoided while driving on the road leading from the capital to the north. Tourists enjoy admiring the forbidding rock. You can get out of the car, warm up after a long journey, drink tea, eat barbeque or boiled corn in season, and those interested can visit the mosque here. There are many historical monuments in the area. Beshbarmag Tower, built in the middle of the 8th century, is located far from the center of the district.
• Excursion to Chirag Gala Castle.
  • Chirag Gala ("Lamp Castle"), a castle from the 4th-5th century, is located 100 km north of Baku on top of a mountain. Chirag Gala was built over a seam of oil and gas, which allowed signal fires to be lit and seen from several dozens of kilometres away. Similar castles and towers once stood all over the area from Derbent to Baku, providing a warning system against enemy invasions. Today, below the castle is the Galaalty urology treatment center, whose thermal water has a curative effect on diseases of the kidneys, urinary tract, and digestive organs.

Arrival in Gusar.

Overnight at the hotel.

08:00 Breakfast at the hotel.

• 08:30: Guba excursion.
  • The Guba district has long been popular among tourists due to its proximity to the capital of Azerbaijan. In Guba, the symbol is the rosy apple, along with beautiful nature, many historical sights, and a carefully protected cultural heritage. The Guba carpet-weaving school is known all over the world, and the hospitality of the locals is famous throughout the country.
  • The region, visited by the French writer Alexandre Dumas and the Norwegian scientist Thor Heyerdahl, is ready to share its secrets with curious travellers.
• Walk along the arched bridge.
  • The only surviving bridge, the Gudyalchay Bridge, is one of the seven that existed in the Guba district in the 17th-19th centuries. This longest bridge was built in 1894 under the project of Alexander III to strengthen Russia's military presence in the Caucasus. Fourteen of its spans, with a total length of 275 meters and a width of 8 m, are made of baked brick. The multi-span construction allows the bridge to remain intact even during heavy mudflows and floods that raise the river level. A bridge of similar construction built in the 19th century is the only one of its kind in Azerbaijan.
• Visit Krasnaya Sloboda village.
  • This village is a place of compact residence for Jews in Azerbaijan. The inhabitants of Krasnaya Sloboda (Red Sloboda) are Mountain Jews who call themselves "Dzhugur". They speak Hebrew and also know Azerbaijani and Russian. Currently, about 4,000-5,000 people live here. The inhabitants of Red Sloboda are engaged mainly in trade. The local population loves pomp, and in this wealthy settlement you can see many fashionable mansions.
• Admire the Juma Mosque.
  • In the center of the city, near the central park, stands one of the oldest mosques in the city - the Juma Mosque (Friday Mosque), built at the very beginning of the 19th century. Featuring a rich architectural style, the mosque was built of red brick in 1802 with the financial support of Haji Ismail Efendi. The architecture of this religious building is typical only of the mosques of the Guba province. Juma Mosque is one of the oldest religious centres not only in Guba but in all of northeastern Azerbaijan. Get acquainted with the historic bath as well. Baths in Azerbaijan occupied a special place in people's lives and were favourite places for the enjoyment of body and spirit. The Guba bathhouse, built of red brick in the 18th century, is crowned by a large dome that allows the room to maintain the desired temperature and humidity. This quadrangular structure is also called Suhur (Chukhur) hamam, meaning a bath built of remarkable rocks. The bath has six compartments, two doors, and six windows. At one time, the French writer Alexander Dumas bathed here, and 150 years later his great-grandson visited these places. Until 1985, the bath was used for its intended purpose, but today this pearl of Oriental architecture is protected as a historical monument.
• Gachresh Forests.
  • This is the most popular recreation area in the Guba district, located 25 km from the district center. Gachrash means "come and sit down". This toponym is also understood as "a place where sunlight does not fall". In this vast area, trees grow so densely that the sun's rays do not reach the ground, and in summer it is pleasantly cool here. In winter, these places are covered with a thick layer of snow.
  • Once, the center of tourist attraction here was the suspension bridge Asma Korpu across the Gudyalchay River. It is now destroyed, but there is hope for its speedy restoration.
  • On the very outskirts of Gachrash, there is a natural formation called the Minara, shaped like a natural minaret. This natural monument is 30-35 m long, 4-5 m wide, and 3-4 m high. It is believed to have formed in the 4th century due to tectonic movements and river erosion. The Minara also serves as a natural bridge at a height of 10-15 m. The small cave between the rocks is called the "fridge". It is so cold there that the owners of a nearby restaurant attached doors to the entrance, hung a lock, and used the resulting room as a refrigerator.
• Visit the ancient Khinaligh village.
  • On the territory of Guba, 65 km from the district center and at an altitude of 2,500 m above sea level, lies the unique village of Khinaligh. It has about 380 houses and 3,000 inhabitants. The population of the village is a separate ethnographic group and speaks its own language, which no one else speaks. Along with the language, the Khinaligh people have also preserved their ancient customs.
  • There are always many foreigners here - travellers and scientists who come to study the unique way of life and traditions of this original nationality.

Arrival in Gusar.

Overnight at the hotel.

08:00 Breakfast at the hotel.

The northern part of Azerbaijan consists of hundreds of square kilometres of stone, forests, alpine meadows, and snow-capped peaks. Unsurprisingly, there are several national parks in this part of the country. Shahdag National Park is perhaps one of the most beautiful places in Azerbaijan. It lies on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus and covers an area of more than 130,000 hectares. This is the largest national park in the republic and is located across six administrative regions of Azerbaijan. The picturesque landscapes of this region lie in several climatic zones that stretch across steppes, forests, and alpine meadows. All of Azerbaijan's highest peaks are on the territory of the national park, including Shahdag, which gave the park its name.

• Excursion to the village of Laza.
  • The main attraction of the village is a mosque from the late 18th century and the sacred place "Haji Be Baba's Feast". Locals worship sacred graves near the festival site. About 100 years ago, this sacred place was located on a rock in the center of the village, and later it was moved to the rock wall on the edge of the village next to the sacred old cemetery. Below the village, on the slope of the Gusar Chai River, there is an ancient cemetery. According to the inhabitants, a gravestone with Arabic inscriptions divided into two halves was preserved there. Part of the cemetery has been washed away by rain and mud.
• The following excursion destinations are located nearby:
  • Czar's Cave, a deep rocky fault in the steep wall of the Shahdag Massif, up to 800 m long;
  • the old stone bridge "Hounds-Müh" over the river Gusar-Tee;
  • a holy place at the foot of the slopes of the Shahdag Massif;
  • waterfalls on the way to the summit of Shahdag, which turn into picturesque icefalls in winter.
• On the opposite slope of the Gusar Chay River, opposite the village on a high, steep hill, are the remains of the walls of an ancient defensive fortress where villagers hid during raids and wars. The inhabitants of the village still observe their ancient rites at weddings and other celebrations. Weddings are held separately for men and women, accompanied by national music whenever it is possible to invite musicians from neighbouring villages or the district center. If that is not possible, audio recordings of national Lezgi tunes are used. Weddings take place in the groom's courtyard for men and in the bride's home for women. Arts and crafts have also remained partially preserved. One of the most common crafts among the Lezgins is carpet weaving. Sumacs are made with a smooth front and a shaggy inside.
• You can enjoy the national cuisine. Cakes (Tskan) are baked with meat and potatoes during celebrations. In everyday life, people eat kutab with vegetables, meat, and tripe. Bread is baked in ovens such as Hizanfu and Caravatfu.

Return to Baku.

Overnight at a hotel in Baku.

• 09:00 Breakfast at the hotel.
• Free time to visit the eastern market, shops with sweets, and souvenir shops.
• Transfer to the airport.