DISCOVER AZERBAIJAN

Discover Azerbaijan

PRIVATE TOUR: DEEP DIVE INTO AZERBAIJAN
9 DAYS / 8 NIGHTS :: 3, 4, & 5-STAR AVAILABLE

Welcome to Azerbaijan! An English-speaking guide will meet you and transfer you to your hotel in Baku. Baku is a lively place at night, so depending on when you arrive today, get out and enjoy the town!

Your experience of Azerbaijan begins today as you experience the most modern of the three Caucasus capital cities, Baku. Baku has all the amenities of a cosmopolitan 21st century large city, while maintaining its historic feel & place on the Silk Road. You’ll cover different time periods of history today, as you visit the 15th-century Palace of the Shirvanshahs (UNESCO site), while on the other hand exploring Baku’s many 20th-century historical points of interest. Baku rests right on the shore of the Caspian Sea so make sure to dip your toes in at least once while here!

You’ll hit the road today for your first foray outside of Baku, as you explore Azerbaijan’s historic lowlands and hill country. This morning’s short journey south of Baku will take you WAY back in history, as you go to Gobustan National Park, home to some of the world’s oldest cave art and a UNESCO World Heritage site. This Martian-like desert landscape also has hot mud volcanoes…lots of them :). After lunch, you’ll drive to the other side of Baku, to the natural wonder Yanar-Dag National Park, where flames of fire have been burning from the ground (without break!) for more than a millennium; this can be attributed to the country’s massive natural gas reserves. You’ll also stop by Ateshgah Temple, an ancient Zoroastrian place of worship, also connected to, you guessed it, fire. It’s no wonder why Azerbaijan’s historic moniker is “Land of Fire”, after your visits to Fire Mountain and Fire Temple, yes? It’s your last evening in Baku for the next 5 days, so enjoy the vibrant nightlife while you can!

As much as we love Baku, we’re so excited for you to experience more of Azerbaijan as you’ll explore the countryside & Caucasus mountains the next few days! Late morning, you’ll make your first stop in Shamakhi, visiting an early 19th-century cemetery (Yeddi Gumbaz Mausoleum), where the last rulers/family members of the Shamakhi Khanate were buried in that time. After visiting Shamakhi’s central mosque and stopping for lunch, it’s all beautiful nature the rest of the day, as you head to Gabala, one of Azerbaijan’s top mountain destinations. You’ll see beautiful Nohur Lake, the 7 Beauties Waterfall, and have a chance to take the Tufandag Ski Resort cable car up to around 1900 meters for beautiful panoramic views of the area. Gabala is a scenic, restful place to spend the night, and we’re sure you’ll appreciate the beautiful night sky after several evenings around Baku’s many skyscrapers.

As much as we hate to tear you away from beautiful Gabala, there is much more of Azerbaijan to explore still! Today you’ll begin to experience some of the religious diversity of Azerbaijan. Although a predominantly Muslim country, there are several religious minorities in the country as well as an eclectic historical blend of religious influences (as you saw in Baku with the Zoroastrian temple). This morning, that begins with visiting the Nij church among the Christian Udi people, who only have several thousand remaining of their ethnic group remaining in the world today. Continuing on to Sheki, this is one of the cradles of history in modern-day Azerbaijan. You’ll spend time in 18th-century summer residence/palace of the Khan family, as well as visiting an oft-visited caravanserai from the Silk Road. You’ll also see Kish Church right outside of Sheki, a 1st-century church from the Caucasian Albanian empire, one of the oldest churches in the entire Caucasus region!

Today is all about small village life! You’ll experience three unique Azerbaijani villages with historic significance. Ivanovka is a relic from the Soviet Union which still has the collective farm work structure alive today (and the only town in the former Soviet Union to be able to make this claim!). Basqal and Lahic take you way back, with origins in the 4th & 5th centuries respectively. There are great handicrafts available in each of these places if you’re looking for gifts for friends back home. You’ll spend the night in Shamakhi, as you prepare for one final push into the Caucasus Mountains the next two days!

You’ll see it all today, as you begin in the hill-country of central Azerbaijan, wind your way back to the lowlands along the Caspian Sea Coast, then drive straight towards the southernmost part of the Caucasus Mountains along the border with Russia. Your drive to Quba will give you a chance to rest a bit before the final portion of your trip, finishing in what many would say is the most beautiful part of Azerbaijan. You’ll experience a fascinating part of Jewish history in Azerbaijan this afternoon, visiting “Red Town”, the only exclusively Jewish settlement outside of Israel & the USA. Quba has a variety of sites for you to visit including its famous carpet factory, the Genocide Memorial Complex, and a brief tour of the city.

Can you believe it? It’s already your final full day in Azerbaijan. You’ll wrap up your trip today on a literal high note (the highest point of elevation of your trip!) with an excursion into one of the highest villages in Europe, Khinalig, at around 7,700 ft. above sea level. What a great place to have a final home-cooked meal among the local village residents before descending back to Quba and then Baku this evening. You’ll stay in a different part of Baku tonight to enjoy the views of the modern Heydar Aliev Cultural Center. It’s your last night in Baku so make the most of it!

You’ll be transferred to the airport this morning for your flight home. Thanks for visiting and experiencing just a drop of what Azerbaijan has to offer! We hope to see you again, maybe to explore even more of the Caucasus: Georgia with its majestic mountains & wine country, or Armenia and its diverse, ancient history. Nakhvamdis! (Goodbye in Georgian)

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What you’ll see on the “Discover Azerbaijan” tour