Last Updated on June 5, 2025 by Home in the World
If you’ve read my Baku post, you’ll know I found the city pretty mind-blowing. It is super unique and off the main tourist trail – and is worth several days of exploring in its own right. But if you can spare the time, Azerbaijan also boasts a number of varied experiences beyond the capital. Some are closer than others, but they each offer fascinating insights into the country’s landscapes, religions, history and geology. Below are a couple of day trips from Baku that I took during my two separate visits.
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Absheron Peninsula & Yanar Dag
Azerbaijan is known as the ‘Land of Fire’, its Persian name Aturpatakan indeed roughly translating to ‘a place where the sacred fire is preserved’ – a hat tip to the country’s bubbling geothermal activity and status as the cradle of an ancient fire-worshiping religion.
There are two places in particular where this is apparent, and both are just outside Baku on the Absheron Peninsula. The first is the Ateshgah fire temple which, though built in the 17th and 18th centuries, celebrates fire-worshipping practices dating back well beyond that. It is believed to have been originally founded as a Zoroastrian temple, though Sanskrit inscriptions and images of deities indicate it may also have been a Hindu place of worship.
The walls of the temple are dotted with cell-like alcoves containing exhibits and artefacts tracing the history of Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian fire-worshipping religion originating in the region of modern-day Iran and Azerbaijan (pop-culture fun fact: One of the most famous Zoroastrians was Freddie Mercury from the rock band Queen), and Hinduism at the site. The visit here was a special moment for me personally, since the family on my mother’s side are all Zoroastrian Parsis from India, and seeing the familiar cultural objects and practices in an otherwise obscure country far from home was quite a mind-blowing experience.
The second example of natural fire is a short drive along dusty roads, past fields of bleating sheep, to a semi-rural area known as Yanar Dag, where an underground pocket of natural gas has been fuelling visible hillside flames for thousands of years, even when it snows.
Mir Mövsüm Ağa Ziyarǝtgahı
This shrine was included as a stop on our tour of the Absheron Peninsula, as it was only about a half-hour drive beyond the Ateshgah temple. It was built for and named after an invalid who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was believed by locals to have supernatural powers.
Its exterior, which features stunning mosaics and a Central-Asian-style blue dome, reminded me of pictures I had seen from cities like Samarkand (which is not totally surprising, seeing as Uzbekistan is pretty much just across the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan). The interior, like many mosques, is split into separate areas for men and women. Shoes must be removed and women must cover their heads – so, ladies, be sure to have a scarf, shawl or similar with you if you want to go inside.
And when you do step through the door, prepare to be dazzled. I was awestruck by the beauty of it. Every square inch of wall and ceiling surfaces seemed to be covered in jewel-like glass, ornate metal or reflective mirrors, further enhanced by chandeliers. It goes to show how fiercely people believed in the supernatural powers of Mir Mövsüm Ağa that they would venerate him with such opulence.
It was quite busy inside, the multiple generations of women – from young girls to grandmas – all making the slow pilgrimage around the tomb, running their hands along its intricate metal and coloured-glass encasing. It also seemed to be a bit of a general meeting place, as there were numerous groups of women huddled around in various corners of the room having a good old chinwag. It was amazing to be part of it all and experience this part of Azeri cultural practices, though, after a while, it was also quite a relief to finally step back out of the rather crowded, airless shrine and into the calm, quiet parklands surrounding it!
Mud volcanoes & Gobustan
It’s not all about fire, however. To the west of Baku lies a lunar landscape of mud volcanoes, and the journey out there is an adventure in itself. Crammed into a 35-year-old Soviet Lada with wind-up windows and a mightily robust suspension, our skilled local driver navigated the bumpy, gravelly roads and potholes with ease, and we shuddered our way up the slopes to witness the oozing molten mounds for ourselves. There was something soothing about standing in what seemed like the absolute middle of nowhere, with a soundtrack of nothing but the bubbling and gurgling of the mud and the whispering of the wind as it swept across the arid terrain.
Further west, in this semi-desert region, is an area known as Gobustan (also Qobustan), whose Rock Art Cultural Landscape and museum are UNESCO World Heritage sites. Despite being only about 70 km (40 miles) from Baku, it feels like another world – the tranquil setting of historic petroglyphs and giant boulders a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the modern-day city. And yet another example of the many different dimensions of this unique part of the world.
The site is quite large and exposed, so be prepared to do some walking, potentially in glaring sun, but your reward will be the chance to admire rock carvings dating back as long as 40,000 years, as well as the remains of former cave dwellings, settlements and burial sites. It really is amazing to think this place was inhabited between the Upper Paleolithic to the Middle Ages – and to be able to walk among the preserved traces of these civilisations.
We visited the Gobustan National Park Museum before setting off to explore the rock formations and petroglyphs – it was a well-laid-out and informative museum providing excellent, interactive information on the history of the site, and I would recommend heading in there first to get some background on what you’re about to see.
Juma Mosque, Shamakhi
About a 1.5-hour drive west of Baku is the town of Shamakhi. We visited it as part of a full day tour to Gabala (details further on in this post) to explore other parts of Azerbaijan beyond Baku and the Absheron Peninsula. Home to just over 30,000 people, Shamakhi is one of the country’s most historic cities and is rich in cultural tradition, being the birthplace of Azerbaijani poets and also getting a mention in Alexandre Dumas’ memoirs for its famous dancers.
Undoubtedly one of its main attractions, however, is the Juma Mosque, which is Azerbaijan’s oldest mosque and was the first mosque to be established in the Caucasus region. Built in AD 743, it has fallen victim to earthquakes and inter-ethnic clashes, but the rebuilt version that stands today is just as impressive as it would have been back in the days when Shamakhi was capital of the state of the Shirvanshahs. The day we visited, it was very quiet, and I was able to explore both the vast forecourt and imposing interior with hardly anyone around.
As with any mosque, shoes must be removed and women must cover their head upon entry. My first instinct as I stepped through the doorway was to look up and marvel at the stunning ceilings. The intricate patterns and carvings, the rich colours and the circular recesses rimmed with Arabic calligraphy and hung with crystal chandeliers were a sight to behold. I am a sucker for Islamic architecture and interiors, so this was right up my alley.
The cavernous vibe created by the high ceilings, internal archways and hushed alcoves only added to the feeling of reverence of this majestic place, whose stone walls reverberated with the soft echoing of the prayer session that started just as we were about to leave. There is enough space here for 1500 people to worship at one time.
The Juma Mosque really was a revelation, and offers amazing architectural photography opportunities virtually everywhere you look. I’m so glad we didn’t miss it, and would definitely recommend it as a day trip out of Baku for anyone wanting to see a little more of the Islamic side of this officially secular country.
Nohur Lake
Heading further north-west from Shamakhi, deeper into the Caucasus region, you really start to notice the change in landscape. Nine of the eleven possible climate zones exist in Azerbaijan and, as we got further away from the arid Absheron Peninsula, the scenery gradually shifted from flat, dry, sandy terrain to lusher, rolling hills, and eventually to deep-green mountains shrouded in clouds, the entire route dotted with tiny villages and lone houses.
Nohur Lake itself is a picture of tranquility, idyllically surrounded by forests and mountains. Located in the Gabala region, in the foothills of the Caucasus, it is a very popular recreational spot for locals, and, on the stunning spring day that I visited, there were plenty of families and young couples enjoying picnics and walks under the leafy canopies or snacking at some of the small on-site food stalls and cafés.
You can even take a ride in a pony-drawn carriage if you like. While the clear turquoise waters (freshwater, reaching depths of up to 24 m (79 ft) look super enticing, swimming is strictly prohibited. There are cute little boats you can head out in though – I would have liked to do this, but unfortunately we did not have time, as our stop here was only brief.
Though a natural body of water did apparently originally exist here, the lake we see today was actually created after WWII as a reservoir to supply water to nearby villages. I cannot overstate how zen and calming the vibe of the whole area was. It was impossible not to feel relaxed sitting by the water’s edge, listening to its gentle lapping and feeling the gentle breeze on your face, with just the soft murmur of the family gatherings in the background. It was the perfect place to stop on what is quite a long (and often bumpy) car ride from Baku to Gabala.
Tufandağ Mountain Resort, Gabala
The ultimate destination of this day trip was Gabala (also written as Qabala), a municipality located in northern Azerbaijan at the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, beyond which lies Russia (the Dagestan region, to be precise). Despite only being about a 3-hour drive from the sandy scapes and oil fields of Baku and the Absheron Peninsula, the scenery here couldn’t have been more different.
In winter, the region is actually very popular for skiing, and, even in the lush springtime, you could easily have told someone you were in Switzerland or Austria and they would have believed you – with the added bonus of no crowds. We effectively had the stunning panorama that was the Caucasus Mountains (the Greater Caucasus range running diagonally along Russia’s southern border with Georgia and Azerbaijan, from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea) to ourselves.
The main point of coming to Gabala was to experience precisely this landscape, and one of the best places to do this is at the Tufandağ Mountain Resort. Apart from being a luxury lakeside hotel with restaurants, spa and bar, it also makes the most of its stunning location to offer both winter and summer activities for the whole family – such as sledding, snowmobiling and tubing in winter, and trekking, quad-biking and mountain-swinging in summer. We were there to take the cable car up to the mountain viewing platforms, but we did have a brief walk around the property too. It was very quiet at the time but looked to be of a solid 4-star standard.
So up we went in our cable car to the lookout point at an altitude of Yatmish Gozal, 1920 m (6300 ft). The first stretch was relatively flat, floating along the valley leading from the hotel, past little clusters of houses, before changing gondolas and heading up the steep slope, above the tree tops. It was lovely enough to see it all in the lush green of spring, but I was also imagining what it would look like blanketed in snow, a cookies-and-cream landscape of whites and browns, in the winter. I’m sure it’s equally, if not more, captivating.
Once at the top after the approx. 20-minute ride, it was just us and the Caucasus Mountains. I had expected the viewing points to be crowded, but nope, it was just the gentle breeze, birds chirping and the gentle whir of the oncoming cable cars – and the silent but intensely powerful presence of the majestic peaks all around us. What a treat! I got the impression this place was probably more designed for the winter ski season, but I wasn’t complaining. It was a fantastic way to get amongst what is one of our planet’s great mountain ranges.
I am a huge fan of the Earth in general, and there is just something about being around mountains in particular that I find stirring and almost magical. They remind you just how mighty Mother Nature is, and it is incredibly humbling. It was a picture-postcard scene: the colourful rooftops of the houses far below, and the lower slopes clad in grass and woodland, which gradually gave way to the barren, rocky ridges of the snow-capped (even in May) and sometimes also cloud-shrouded summits. Just glorious.
Final thoughts on day trips from Baku
Azerbaijan is a truly unique country, with so much culture and so many different landscapes and microclimates for its relatively small size. I enjoyed every single one of the day trips from Baku mentioned in this post and would recommend any of them in a heartbeat.
** This post, like everything else on this website, has been written entirely by me. No ChatGPT or any other AI tool has been used. It takes longer to create, but I value 100% human-generated content and I hope you do too! **
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