Baku - Gabala

Arrival to Baku, meeting at the airport. Transfer to Gabala, check-in. Free time.

Gabala

Breakfast at the hotel. Check-out from the hotel. Gabala tour. Pick-up time 10:00. Gabala is one of the most beautiful provinces of Azerbaijan with rich and ancient history. For 600 years the city named Kabala used to be the capital of Caucasian Albania, an ancient state that used to exist on the territory of modern Azerbaijan back in the days. The ruins of the ancient city and the main gate of Caucasian Albania had survived until today. On the way to Gabala you will pass so called Russian forest, river valleys, the famous Chestnut Forest and numerous picturesque villages. We will make a stop at authentic bucket bazaar to buy some fruits and vegetables which are measured and sold by bucket, not by scale. Gabala region is rich with natural assets. Nohur Lake has a fabulous location with a spectacular view to the Caucasus Mountains. Yeddi Gozel (Seven Beauties) waterfall is situated near Vandam village in a mountainous area with dense forests. The name of the waterfall comes from the seven cascades falling from the highest peak of the mountain. Wooden stairs are leading to the very top. In spring and summer teahouses dot every mountain road, where guests can enjoy tea with traditional types of Gabala jam (for example, walnut or white cherry jam). Later we will spend some time in Tufandag Winter-Summer Tourism Complex. It provides skiing in winter, going up to the mountains by cable cars in summer, as well as many other types of entertainment like mountain climbing by ATV quad bikes, zip-line, mountain biking, horse riding, etc. Have a breathtaking drive in a cable car: four ropeways extending over 5.5 km will take you for a journey up to a mountain top at 1920 m height, opening spectacular views of Gabala and surrounding mountains. At Gabala Shooting Club in the village of Bum you can improve your aim and enjoy its beautiful natural surroundings (optional). It is a multi-purpose and world-class shooting facility that can serve both as a recreational and entertainment center. You can have lunch in national restaurant in a calm and peaceful natural place enjoying delicious fresh farm eco-food coupled with outstanding view to the Caucasus Mountains.

Gabala - Baku

Breakfast at the hotel. Check out from Gabala Hotel and transfer from Gabala to Baku. Check-in to the Baku Hotel. Free time for a rest.

Baku

Breakfast at the hotel. Pick-up from hotel for Baku city tour. Want to have a close look at the Baku`s most popular landmark? Baku business and hotel complex Flame Towers Baku is composed of 3 buildings. The surface of the Towers is fully covered with LED screens reflecting different visual characters in motion, easily visible from the far corners of the city in the evening. Walk along the Alley of Martyrs which is usually being included in the protocol visits of the foreign officials. Enjoy the panoramic view of the city and its bay from Baku’s Highland Park (also called Upland Park), the highest point in the Azerbaijani capital. Walk down to Baku Boulevard to view the International Mugham Center created in order to widely promote Azerbaijani ‘mugham’ (folk musical composition) in the world and shaped as the national musical instrument – ‘tar’. Here you will also see Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, designed by Austrian architect Franz Janz and looking like a rolled carpet. Wander between the decorative stone bridges of so-called Little Venice, a small town on the water and one of the jewels of Baku. It has two large and several small islands and its gondolas are travelling in the channels full of still and clean water. Cross the street and enter Icherisheher (Inner City), known as a “Fortress” or “Old City”, a unique historical and architectural conservation area in the center of Baku. This is one of the most ancient places of the country where archaeological excavations revealed burial vaults of the Bronze Age. Maiden Tower (12th century) and The Palace of Shirvanshahs (13th-16th centuries) are the best-known historical monuments located in the Old City. Besides them there are a lot of other unique monuments such as mosques, minarets, the remnants of caravanserais “Multani” and “Bukhara”, ancient baths, etc. Stroll down the paved streets of this ancient city and drop to some of the numerous souvenir shops where you can buy national clothes, kerchiefs, scarves and caps, dishes and handmade carpets. Lunch time.

ABSHERON

Breakfast at the hotel. Let`s begin our interesting tour around “Land of Fire”! Our excursion will start with Ateshgah Fire Temple in the village of Surakhani that for centuries has been attracting crowds of thrill seekers. Built in the 17th–18th centuries around naturally burning flames which were previously worshipped by Zoroastrians, the site then had become an important place of pilgrimage for fire-worshipping Hindus until the 1880s. Today it houses a well-designed open-air museum. And the final stop of our “fiery tour” is State Historical, Cultural and Natural Reserve Yanardag (literary “Burning Mountain”), a complex built around the hill located on the top of the natural gas pocket causing continuous flame eruption. Most probably the fire has been burning in Yanardag for over 20,000 years. These natural flames were described by Marco Polo in the 13th century and continue to mesmerize those who visit the site. On the way back visiting Heydar Aliyev Centre (without entering) designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid. It is vast and jaw-dropping majestic statement of fluid 21st-century architecture forming abstract waves and peaks that seem to melt together. The real delight is simply pondering and photographing the extraordinary exterior from ever-changing angles. Make a stop next to the popular “I love Baku” sign to take some photos. Shopping tour: Visit “Sharg Bazaar” (Oriental Bazaar) is a unique opportunity for tourists to see the ancient Azerbaijani traditions and cultural heritage: taste traditional dishes, buy the best sweets, dried fruits and souvenirs, listen to national music, visit the fair of handicraftsmen who create their works in front of your eyes. Get entertained or spend a relaxed day doing shopping in numerous boutiques and dining in the food courts with wide choice of international and local restaurants in Baku shopping malls: - “Deniz” (Caspian Waterfront Mall), newly opened in June, 2020, with over 70 favorite branded shops and restaurants - “Park Boulevard”, the first shopping mall in Baku - “Port Baku”, a luxury shopping mall providing local and international consumers with a new premium shopping experience

Departure

Breakfast at the Hotel, Check out Transfer to the airport.