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Bizarre bubbling mud volcanoes in Gobustan National Park, Azerbaijan. - Azerbaijan Highlights, Azerbaijan
Bizarre bubbling mud volcanoes in Gobustan National Park, Azerbaijan.
French stained glass, Russian timber, Ottoman ceramics & Iranian mirrorwork decorate the Palace of Shaki Khans, Sheki. - Azerbaijan Highlights, Azerbaijan
French stained glass, Russian timber, Ottoman ceramics & Iranian mirrorwork decorate the Palace of Shaki Khans, Sheki.
Baku, the cosmopolitan capital of Azerbaijan, where ancient Zoroastrian fire temples meet modern glass sky scrapers. - Azerbaijan Highlights, Azerbaijan
Baku, the cosmopolitan capital of Azerbaijan, where ancient Zoroastrian fire temples meet modern glass sky scrapers.
Natural gas burning in one of Gobustan's mud volcanoes - Azerbaijan Highlights, Azerbaijan
Natural gas burning in one of Gobustan's mud volcanoes
The medieval backstreets of Baku's Old City - Azerbaijan Highlights, Azerbaijan
The medieval backstreets of Baku's Old City

Azerbaijan Highlights

A guided discovery of Azerbaijan’s culture, cuisine and contrasts.

Azerbaijan

8 Days from

$2390 USD

Trip Code: AZE
View dates to Book
Essential Information

Extra trip options & supplements

*Prices listed are per person

Prefer not to share? Your own room - all hotel nights
$370 USD
Guarantee trip date for 1 person (subject to availability)
$1310 USD
Duration
  • 8 Days
Activities
  • 6 days adventure touring
Accommodation
  • 7 nights hotel
Meals
  • 6 Dinners
  • 7 Breakfasts
Difficulty Grading  
2 / 10

Adventure touring

Trip highlights

  • Explore Baku’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed Old City, including Shirvanshah Palace and the Maiden Tower
  • Visit the Ateshgah Fire Temple and Yanardag burning mountain
  • Discover Shemakha’s Diri Baba Tomb and the royal mausoleums of Yeddi Gumbez
  • Wander Sheki’s Khan’s Palace, artisan Shebeke workshops and pakhlava bakeries
  • Step inside the Albanian church of Kish, one of the oldest in the Caucasus
  • Share a home-prepared pilaf meal with a local family
  • Visit Lahij village, famed for copperwork and carpet weaving
  • See Gobustan’s UNESCO petroglyphs and unique mud volcanoes

Overview

Azerbaijan sits at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, a land shaped by Silk Road trade. This 8 day guided adventure reveals the country’s contrasts, from the Caspian coastline and the ancient walled city of Baku to the snow tipped Caucasus foothills in the west.

Explore Baku’s UNESCO-listed Old Town, with it's stone caravanserais and mosques. Travel along mountain roads to Shemakha’s royal tombs and Sheki’s Khan’s Palace.

In artisan villages, meet traditional silk weavers and copper craftsmen, learn the art of making pakhlava, and share home cooked pilaf with welcoming families. In Ganja, discover mosques, mausoleums and markets filled with fruit, herbs and saffron. Return east via the Gobustan Reserve, where prehistoric rock engravings and bubbling mud volcanoes hint at a landscape as old as time.

With private vehicle travel, comfortable hotels and expert local guides, this journey blends history, culture and scenery into a richly rewarding introduction to Azerbaijan.

Itinerary

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On arrival at Baku International Airport you’ll be met by your guide and transferred to your hotel. Rest and prepare for the journey ahead. Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, sits on the coast of the Caspian Sea. At its heart is a well preserved, UNESCO-listed medieval walled old city, containing the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, a vast royal complex, and the iconic stone Maiden Tower. Surrounding the old city are elegantly illuminated stone mansions and pedestrianised boulevards and squares filled with exclusive boutiques. Wooded parks and the Caspian-front promenade make it feel a million miles away from the surrounding desert. The more recent oil boom has flooded the city with breathtaking contemporary landmarks such as the Zaha Hadid–designed Heydar Aliyev Centre, and the Flame Towers, 3 pointed glass skyscrapers. Baku is rapidly changing, and now is the perfect time to visit whilst it remains relatively under most tourist radars. Overnight: Midtown hotel or similar

Meals: Nil

Today we take our time to see the sights of Baku. Begin at Highland Park with sweeping views of Baku’s horseshoe-shaped bay and the Caspian Sea. Explore the UNESCO-listed Old City, including Shirvanshah Palace, Maiden Tower, Juma Mosque and preserved 12th century walls. Visit the Carpet Museum, then stroll Seaside Park and the lively Baku Boulevard. Overnight: Midtown Hotel or similar

Meals: B,D

When Marco Polo visited the then-Persian city of Baku in the 13th Century, he mentioned numerous mysterious flames throughout the region. These fires are considered to have played a crucial part in the creation of Zoroastrianism and gave rise to the moniker, Land of Fire. Drive to the Absheron Peninsula to visit the Ateshgah Fire Temple, once a centre of Zoroastrian worship, where natural flames have burned for centuries. Continue to Yanardag, a hillside where fire seeps perpetually through the earth. Return to Baku. Overnight: Midtown Hotel or similar

Meals: B,D

After breakfast we will drive west into the Caucasus foothills, stopping at Shemakha to see the Diri Baba Tomb and Yeddi Gumbez mausoleums of Shirvan royalty. Continue to Sheki, a historic Silk Road town, set against the Caucasus mountains. Overnight: Macara Hotel or similar

Meals: B,D

Medieval Sheki was once a stop-over on the fabled Silk Road, connecting travellers and cultures from east to west. Nestled on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus, Sheki's main attraction is its blend of small town charm, fresh mountain air and attractive historic architecture. Visit the 18th century Khan’s Palace, famed for its frescoes and colourful stained glass, said to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the Caucasus. Learn traditional craftsmanship at a Shebeke workshop and sample pakhlava at a local bakery. Travel to Kish village to explore its ancient Albanian church, before joining a local family to prepare a traditional pilaf. Overnight: Macara Hotel or similar

Meals: B,D

Browse Sheki Bazaar before travelling to Lahij, a mountain village known for copperwork and carpet weaving. Continue via Mingyachevir to Ganja. Explore the Shah Abbas Mosque, medieval caravanserai, Nizami Ganjavi Mausoleum and the quirky “Bottle House”. Overnight: Premium Hotel or similar

Meals: B,D

Travel back towards Baku, stopping at the remarkable Gobustan National Park which is rich in archaeological monuments. The expansive site features over 6,000 petroglyphs, covering some 40,000 years of rock art. The engravings depict scenes of the daily lives of the local inhabitants of the time, animals, battle-scenes, ritual ceremonies, bullfights, naval ships, camel caravans, images of the sun and stars. The site also contains once inhabited caves, settlements and burials, illustrating the intensive human habitation of the area during the wet period that followed the last Ice Age, from the Upper Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. Home to nearly a third of the world’s mud volcanoes, Gobustan is also famous for the bizarre mud volcanoes which bubble and erupt, sometimes in flames across the landscape. Many locals believe the mud has a special healing quality and it is common practice to apply the mud to the skin. Afterwards we continue onto Baku for dinner and overnight. Overnight: Midtown Hotel or similar

Meals: B,D

After breakfast, trip concludes with transfers to the airport for onward travel. Should you wish to extend your stay in Baku, please discuss post tour arrangements with your World Expeditions consultant.

Meals: B

Map

Elevation

The map and elevation chart are for illustrative purposes only and meant to provide general guidelines.

Ready to start your adventure?

435 scheduled departures between 5 Oct 2026 and 31 Dec 2027.

  • Departs 5 Oct 2026 – ends 12 Oct 2026 (8 days)
  • Departs 6 Oct 2026 – ends 13 Oct 2026 (8 days)
  • Departs 7 Oct 2026 – ends 14 Oct 2026 (8 days)
  • Departs 8 Oct 2026 – ends 15 Oct 2026 (8 days)
  • Departs 9 Oct 2026 – ends 16 Oct 2026 (8 days)
  • Departs 10 Oct 2026 – ends 17 Oct 2026 (8 days)
  • … and 429 more departures.
View dates to Book

What's included?

Included

  • 7 breakfasts and 6 dinners
  • Accommodation in comfortable hotels on a twin share basis
  • Local sightseeing & entrance fees to monuments
  • All internal transport by private vehicle
  • English speaking local tour guide
  • Airport transfers (day 1 and 8 only)

Not included

  • International flights
  • Visas
  • Travel insurance
  • Meals not indicated in the itinerary
  • Bottled water, aerated and alcoholic drinks
  • Items of a personal nature such as laundry, porterage, etc.
  • Tips

Extra trip info

AccommodationWill My Trip Run?
Central Park Hotel Baku DBL

Midtown Hotel Baku

Midtown Hotel in Baku is located 1.7 km from Fountains Square in the Nasimi district. The hotel has a spa & fitness centre with Turkish and Russian baths, sauna, massage, steam bath and gym. Other services include free WiFi, restaurant, bar, room service and buffet breakfast. The rooms offer air-conditioning, toiletries, bathrobe, hairdryer, flat-screen TV with cable channels, kettle, bar fridge, a seating area as well as city views.

Every departure date advises whether the date is confirmed, and roughly how full it is. Here is what each one means.

Is the departure confirmed?

Guaranteed to go This departure has reached its minimum number and will run.
It is the point travellers should wait for before booking any non-refundable flights.
Close to guaranteed This appears only when a date is close to reaching minimum numbers. If it shows 1 or 2 to guaranteed, book as a pair on a date needing two and it reaches its minimum. Your booking confirms the date for everybody already booked.

How full is the date I am looking at?

Space is filling or Space is filling fast This date has bookings and places are still open. Filling fast means limited spots available, so don't leave your decision too late.
Closing soon Down to its last few places, or close enough to departure that we are finalising numbers. Still bookable online.
Closed Not bookable online - either full, or inside the notice we need to arrange permits, flights and logistics. Ask us anyway, you never know!

Availability questions answered

Will this trip actually go ahead, or could it be cancelled?

If a date shows Guaranteed to go, it runs regardless of further bookings. 

What does 2 to guarantee mean?

It means two travellers are enough to confirm the departure. It could be 2 more to add to the group, or the date only needs 2 people to run. Either way, if you book for two people, the date will become guaranteed to run. 

What happens if my departure does not reach minimum numbers?

You will know the status before you book. Every date on this page is labelled, and dates marked “Guaranteed to go” are running regardless of further bookings. Where a date has not reached its minimum we either offer a surcharge to operate for a smaller group size so it can still run, or we cancel it. We contact you directly either way.

Will I get my money back if you cancel a departure?

If we cancel a departure due to not meeting minimum trip numbers, you receive a full refund of everything you have paid us less any non recoverable costs, where insurance may cover you. We cannot refund money committed elsewhere – additional non refundable deposits advised at the time of booking, flights, visas, vaccinations, gear - which is why it is worth waiting for “Guaranteed to go” before booking other arrangements around this trip date. Please read our Booking Terms and Conditions before you book.

Why can't I book some dates online?

Each trip closes online a set time before departure. Permits, internal flights and hut or campsite bookings all have to be arranged before we take payment. Call or enquire as it might still be possible to organise last minute places.

The date I want is closed. What are my options and why does it say to enquire?

Cancellations happen and places do open up on closed dates, so it is worth being on our list. We can also tell you which nearby date on the same trip has space, which is usually the faster route. 

None of these dates suit me. Can you run this trip on another date?

Yes, as a private departure. We can run this trip on a date you choose, for your own group - family, friends, a club, or in many cases, just for the two of you. Tell us when you want to travel and who is coming, and we will build it around that.

Guaranteeing A Great Azerbaijan Trip

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