As I often am, I was on Google Maps looking for a new country to visit which were not too far or expensive to get to from the UK. At some point, I came across the Caucasus and noticed Azerbaijan. I wondered what there was to do there and after a bit of research, I realised that it had an amazing wealth of stunning national parks which had seldom been visited by international tourists. Upon some more research and planning, I decided to pack my tent and take the plunge! Below is an account of my travels in this beautiful country!
My route
Day 1 – Absheron National Park and Baku
I started the day by visiting Ateshgah, a Zoroastrian Fire Temple, before heading to Absheron National Park – the closest national park to Baku and a good first stop on my tour of the national parks. There was a nice walk to complete which wasn’t marked out but hard to get lost given you just follow the strip of land until the end! The water was also perfect for swimming in, if a little cold. Following this, I visited the Baku Old City – a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s well worth a visit and should be on anyone’s to do list when visiting Baku.
Day 2 – Gobustan rock art, Mud volcanoes and Shirvan National Park
The day started by visiting the Yanardagh reservation, a natural gas leakage, which is constantly aflame. It’s interesting to see, but if you’re pressed on time, I wouldn’t call it a must see. I then headed to another UNESCO World Heritage Site: Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape. Here, you can find 40,000 years of rock art, mainly from the Neolithic era, with a great museum explaining the different eras and meanings of the symbols. This place is really outstanding, not only for it’s historical and cultural heritage but also for the stunning natural landscape it’s situated in.
I would highly recommended taking one of the tour guides situated near the entrance areas – I paid only 10 Manat for over an hour of highly detailed explanations, a true bargain! This is really a must see if visiting Azerbaijan.
Following this, I started my search for the renowned mud volcanoes nearby. They are very well hidden and difficult to find on a map – the ones I went to are located at the following grid reference: 39.996431, 49.402915. I recommened MAPS.ME for navigation and either asking someone to take you or be confident in both your driving abilities and your car as the road is not easy! I managed to do it in a sedan but it would have been a lot easier in a 4×4. After reaching the mud volcanoes, you can get up close to them and enjoy some solitude as it was completely empty. They are truly spectacular and I can’t recommend enough adding them to your itinerary.
On my final destination of the day, I headed to Shirvan National Park, in order to catch a tour of the park I had scheduled with one of the park rangers. This was one of my favourite national parks of Azerbaijan due to variety of landscapes visible and a huge quantity of wildlife on offer. It’s particularly known for its Goitered Gazelle and birdwatching opportunities. I had binoculars but alas no proper camera apart from my phone so these pictures do not do it justice! I was planning on spending the night camping here but I was told by the park rangers that the jackals and wolfs might disturb me in the night so I was kindly offered to setup my sleeping bag inside.
Day 3 – Gizil-Agach National Park and Hirkan National Park
I continued my journey by heading straight to the Gizil-Agach National Park which is a national park mainly in the water. I opted to have a park ranger take me on a boat ride around the park for the best experience. This national park is very rarely frequented by international tourists so my arrival was taken with particular interest. I even had a group of school children join me for a section of my visit! Beware, there are large quantities of insects, I didn’t have any repellent on me and it was a struggle!
I then drove further south and arrived at the Hirkan National Park right next to the Iranian border. By this point, the vegetation had changed substanstially and everywhere around me was bursting in green colours. I finished the day by driving up to a town called Lerik – a really beautiful drive – and staying in a local hostel which I had found on the day. This was run by a lovely old man who served me tea on multiple occasions!
Day 4 – Agh Gol National Park and Goygol National Park
I commenced the longest day of driving, with around 550km ahead of me. Starting early in the morning to not miss daylight in any of the national parks, I arrived at the Agh Gol National Park where I was greeted by vivid scenary, friendly park rangers and flamingos! This was another of my favourite national parks. Particularly known for its birdwatching, it has beautiful riparian environments and lakes.
I then continued to the Goygol National Park where I setup my tent, but this was honestly my least favourite park as it was quite gray in comparison to all the other parks I had previously visited. Unfortunately, my tent failed during the night but luckily a local offered to let me sleep at their place!
Day 5 – Ganja and Sheki
I started the day by visiting Imamzadeh, a sacred place in Shiite Islam and important pilgrim destination. I followed this up by visiting the mausoleum of Nizami Ganjavi, a famous Persian poet who lived in Ganja. Following this I went to Sheki, where there is another UNESCO world heritage site – the Palace of Shaki Khans. It was truly spectacular and showed the rich history in this region – however, no pictures were allowed. There is also a stunning Georgian Orthodox church dating from the early 12th century nearby which was well worth a visit. I met an international traveller for the first (and only) time during my visit in Azerbaijan (outside of Baku) and we spent the rest of the day exploring Sheki.
Day 6 – Shahdag National Park and Lahich
On my final day, I visited the Shahdag National Park which was stunning. In particular, I went to Lahich which had the prettiest drive I had done whilst in Azerbaijan. The road was stunning and anyone going this way must stop by to visit. In Lahich, there were local handicrafts with a long history, all amongst a stunning backdrop of the Caucasus mountains. Also along the route were some waterfalls around Gebele which were a nice addition.
I finished the day in Baku and decided to treat myself with a Azerbaijani haman ritual – the kise. I really loved my time in Azerbaijan and it’s really a underated country with plently to visit outside of Baku. In particular, it has stunning little-known national parks and if you like birdwatching, it really is a must do! I really wished I had time to visit Quba as well but alas work beckons!
