10-day summer walking and cultural tour in Azerbaijan

Welcome to Baku! Our representative will pick you up from the Baku Haydar Aliyev International Airport. You will have free time after transferring to the hotel. The hotel located in the city center. If you arrive early, you can take a small tour of the city center. In the evening, we will arrange a short meeting in the hotel lobby.

Accomodation: Nemi Hotel or similar.

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After breakfast, we move to Khinalug early morning. Khinalug is an ancient (5000 years) Caucasian village going back to the Caucasian Albanian period. It is located high up in the mountains of Quba Rayon, Azerbaijan. We will have lunch on the way before reaching the village. It is one of the highest settlements in the world. The village standing at 2350m above sea level. Khinalug was included on the World Monuments Fund's 2008 Watch list. After visiting the Khinalug Museum we will drive to the hiking start point.

Our 8 km hiking will take us from the Galaykhudat village to another ancient Griz village. On the way to Griz, you will enjoy the views on the edge of the creek and canyon. You will be admired the summits which 3000m and 4000m above sea level, flowing rivers, small waterfall Gur-gur, and landscape.

3 visited different mountain villages will provide a wide range of information connected with the daily and cultural life of these areas. We will have dinner on the way to the hotel.

Accomodation: Qalaaltı Hotel&Spa or similar

Meals: breakfast in hotel

Activity level: Easy

B - - Hotel

After leaving the hotel, we will drive to the nearest village by four-wheel-drive cars. The silence in the Dehne village will help you to forget the tiredness of the road. Our hiking will continue 4km along the Dehnacay valley from the village. You will admire the beauty of the river, the meadows, the forest, and the rocky landscapes. In the end, as a bonus you can take a hot sulphur bath. The hot sulphur spring bath is constructed by surrounding villagers. It is located on a small canyon in the small room shaped building. The water is rich in sulfur and other minerals. Since ancient times the water attracted local people who looked for treatment. Do not forget to take a towel and a swimsuit if you wish to enjoy a bath. This day our total hike distance will be 8km. It will take 3 hours to drive to the Baku at the end of the day.

Accomodation: Nemi Hotel or similar

Meals: breakfast in hotel

Activity level: Easy

B - - Hotel

Todays program starts with the Gobustan State Reserve. The reserve is located 64km southwest of the center of Baku. The reserve has more than 6,000 rock carvings, which depict primitive people, animals, battle-pieces, ritual dances, bullfights, boats with armed oarsmen, warriors with lances in their hands, camel caravans, pictures of sun and stars, on the average dating back to 5,000-20,000 years. The Gobustan has included UNESCO World Heritage List is part of an international endeavor to preserve the most important natural landscapes and cultural sites of our planet for the next generations. After Gobustan National Park Museum and Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, we will drive to mud volcanoes.

Azerbaijan is known as the country with the most mud volcanoes in the world. The mud volcanos do not produce lava and are not necessarily driven by magmatic activity. The Earth continuously exudes a mud-like substance, which may sometimes be referred to as a mud volcano. Mud volcanoes may range in size from merely 1 or 2 meters high and 1 or 2 meters wide to 700 meters high and 10 kilometers wide.

After lunch, we will have Baku sightseeing tour. We will walk to the Shirvanshahs Palace complex, we will see the eight-story fortress Maidens Tower which located in the Baku Old City – Icherisheher.

Accomodation: Nemi Hotel or similar

Meals: breakfast in hotel

B - - Hotel

Today we drive to Lahic. According to the tour plan, the first stop will be Shamakhi Juma Mosque, which is the oldest mosque in Azerbaijan. The initial Arabian inscription on the portal of the mosque said that the mosque had constructed in 744. Therefore Shamakhi Juma is considered one of the earliest mosques of Transcaucasia.

Our second stop will be Demirci village which was famous for its blacksmiths in ancient times. An asphalt mountain roads will take us to Lahic bypassing Pirsaatchay riverbed, the Lahıc pass (2060m above sea level), the Girdimanchay riverbed. Lahij is a notable place in Azerbaijan, with its authentic handicraft traditions, particularly related to copper. The village's carpet and rug crafts are also well known in Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus. Lahij has an old sewage system (some experts claim that it was built 1000–1500 years ago). After lunch, we will visit the Lahic Museum of Local History. During free time you can walk to this ancient village of artisans. Their workshops are on the main street of the village, you can buy handmade souvenirs, sweets, ethnic clothing, etc.

Accomodation: Lahic Guesthouse or similar

Meals: breakfast in hotel

B - - Hotel

After breakfast, we drive to Sediyan village. It is our hiking start point and located 30km distance from Lahic. Our path going through the forest. After 4km hike, we reach to the lake Garanohur. Body of standing water located at 1550m above sea level in the forest. After the mountain lake, we will hike to Talıstan village. Today our total hike distance will be approximately 8km with 450m ascent and 600m ascent. We will drive to Shaki city at the end of the day.

Accomodation: Shaki Palace Hotel or similar

Meals: breakfast in hotel

Activity level: Medium

B - - Hotel

Shaki city is surrounded by the peaks of the Greater Caucasus. Archaeological data show that Sheki has been inhabited for about 2,500 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the Caucasus. Shaki is a major crafts center.

The most famous sight in Sheki is the Sheki Khans Palace. The Khans Palace, has been inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List. The majestic architectural monument, Shaki Khans Palace, takes a special place among the countrys historical and architectural attractions. With its magnificent wall paintings and colorful windows mosaic, the palace is considered one of the most prominent and unique monuments of medieval architecture. This cultural site is also one of the rare pearls of Azerbaijani painting and folk applied art.

The Kish village located approximately 5km north of Shaki. Walking the quiet cobble-stoned streets, you d never guess that Kishs story is one of ancient history and of great regional importance. The village is well known for its unique ancient Albanian temple - the mother of Alban churches. This ancient monument of Azerbaijani-Albanian architecture is believed to be the oldest church in the Caucasus, founded in the 1st century by the Apostle Eliseus. For centuries, the church functioned as a spiritual center and place for enlightenment for people of the East.

Gelersen Gorersen is a fortress of the Middle Ages, ruins of which remain on the coast of the Kish River. The fortress located on the summit of Garatepe (Black Hill) Mountain. Construction of the fortress is dated back to the 8th or 9th century. Gelersen-Gorersen was thoroughly consolidated and was used for defense. In translation from Azerbaijani language, the name of the fortress means will come-will see.

We will drive to Qax city at the end of the day.

Accomodation: El hotel or similar

Meals: dinner and breakfast in hotel

Activity level: Easy

B - D Hotel

The offroad is operated by local professional offroad tour company. Today will continue in accordance with this program: Instruction; Start; Ilisu bath; Saribash village; photo session, leisure time, horseback riding; Mamirli waterfall, walking, photo session; Lekit Kotuklu; dinner at Balli (Honey) Spring; reaching the starting point. We are sure that you will have a day full of adventures.

Accomodation: El hotel or similar

Meals: breakfast in hotel

B - - Hotel

Today is the last day of our tour. After breakfast, we leave the hotel and return to Baku. On the way back we will visit the Gabala Archeological Center. Gabala Archaeological Center was built in the territory of the capital city of Albania. The old Gabala was the capital of Caucasian Albania for 800 years. The ruins of the ancient city of Gabala are considered as Chukhurkabala (Chukhur Gabala) surrounded by two fortress walls located 2 km from the present Gabala city. Gabala was mentioned as “Kabalaka” in Pliny’s historical writings and as “Khabala” in Ptolemy’s works. During excavations that show that the city of Gabala belonged to the ancient period, it was revealed that the bottom layer of the city as belonging to the 3rd millennium BC.

Accomodation: Nemi Hotel or similar

Meals: breakfast in hotel

B - - Hotel

Our adventure comes to an end today. There are no activities included on this day and you are free to leave until midday. Please contact our guide if you wish to stay in Baku for a few extra days to attend in some of our optional activities. B - - - - -