Azerbaijan – A Trek Through Timeless Landscapes

Start with a delightful breakfast at the hotel. Begin your exploration at the panoramic site, the highest point of Baku, known as the Alley of Martyrs, offering stunning views of Baku Bay, which resembles Naples. Explore the ancient old city, passing elegant early 20th-century buildings and stopping at historical landmarks like the Shirvanshahs Palace, caravanserais, the Maiden Tower, and ancient mosques. Icherisheher is Baku’s inhabited walled city, recognised by UNESCO together with the Shirvanshahs’ Palace and Maiden Tower. Its narrow lanes connect mosques, caravanserais and bathhouses that served the medieval trading town. The fifteenth-century palace complex was the royal residence of the Shirvan rulers; the cylindrical Maiden Tower, with its thick stone walls, is one of the city’s oldest landmarks. Their architecture shows Baku’s history before the oil boom reshaped the surrounding streets. Departure to Gobustan, a UNESCO World Heritage site with over 7000 rock paintings. Gobustan’s UNESCO-listed rock-art landscape preserves thousands of engravings on the boulders of a semi-desert plateau. Hunters, wild animals, boats and groups of dancers record how successive communities lived, travelled and expressed their beliefs. The museum explains these images in the context of prehistoric settlements and changes in the environment, making the small figures on the stone easier to understand. Visit the contemporary museum equipped with modern technology, photos, and videos. Continue to the awe-inspiring mud volcanoes, creating a lunar-like landscape. The mud volcanoes are driven by gases rising through water and sediment below the ground. Bubbles break the grey surface and small cones build up around the vents, forming a bare, sculpted landscape very different from a lava volcano. Azerbaijan has an exceptional concentration of these formations. They are a natural attraction separate from Gobustan’s UNESCO rock-art property. Finish the day with a visit to Bibi-Heybat Mosque. Bibi-Heybat is a pilgrimage mosque on Baku’s southern approach, facing the Caspian coast. The present complex reconstructs a historic sanctuary destroyed during the Soviet period. Its domes, minarets and decorated interior make it a landmark of the city’s Islamic heritage; it remains an active religious place, so the visit follows the rules of worship and access in force. Overnight stay at the hotel.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Guba, heading towards Yukhari Khanagah village (elevation 860m). Enjoy a tea break before beginning your trekking journey. Reach Girdah village (elevation 1200m) after 3 km of walking, with a break near Girdah waterfall. Continue your trek to Daligaya village (elevation 1740m). Arrival at a villager’s house for an overnight stay.

After an early breakfast, head towards Sohub, passing through the beautiful Qarachay Canyon, and arriving at Sohub Tower (11th-12th century), which offers a panoramic view of the landscape. Enjoy lunch in Sohub village (elevation 1680m), followed by free time to explore. Take a mountain car tour to Adur village (elevation 1900m) and enjoy some leisure time in the village. Overnight stay at a villager’s house.

Start your day early with breakfast and head towards Haput village (elevation 1925m). Along the way, pass through valleys, villages, and mountain rivers. After crossing plains and seeing herds of sheep, enjoy lunch prepared by a shepherd in a tent. Continue the journey to Haput village and enjoy some free time exploring the surroundings. Overnight stay at a villager’s house.

After an early breakfast, embark on a trek towards Khinalig village, with a stop at the mountain pass to enjoy stunning views of Shahdagh and Qizilqaya plateau. Khinalig’s stone houses are built close together on a steep mountain slope, with roofs and terraces adapting to the uneven ground. The community has its own language and a pastoral economy linked to seasonal movement. UNESCO recognises the cultural landscape of its people and the Köç Yolu transhumance route: the network connecting the village with summer and winter grazing lands. The heritage therefore includes both the settlement and the continuing practice of mountain herding. Continue the journey, arriving in Khinalig village in the afternoon. Known for its unique language, architecture, and culture, Khinalig offers a fascinating experience. Explore the Khinalig History Museum. Overnight stay at a villager's house.

After breakfast, bid farewell to the mountain villages and begin your journey back to Guba by minivan, passing through picturesque mountain landscapes. In Guba, visit the Red Town (Krasnaya Sloboda), home to the largest community of mountain Jews in Azerbaijan. Stop at the 19th-century synagogue before departing for Baku, with a brief stop in Khizi district to see the candy-cane mountains. Once in Baku, enjoy a scenic excursion to the best viewpoints of the city, offering panoramic vistas of the capital. Overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your departure, concluding this unforgettable journey through the landscapes, cultures, and rich history of Azerbaijan.