Pioneering Azerbaijan Expedition

In Baku, you will get the chance to visit the city’s old centre and explore its alleys, mosques and palaces, before visiting the imposing mansions of the city’s 19th century oil barons.

We will visit the double arches of the Fortress Wall constructed by King Manoucher II (1120-1159). The wall encircles the most ancient part of Baku called ”Ichari Sha-har” (Inner City) and preserves the image of a medieval Oriental citadel that has been reconstructed.

Inside we will see the extraordinary architecture of the 15th century Royal Palace of ShirvanShahs (Kings of Shirvan) that was constructed in 1435-1442 by King Khalil; the Ga-simbey bath house, the public bath house dating back to the 17th century; and the Ismayiliye Palace, a beautiful edifice in Venetian Gothic style built by oil baron Agha Musa Naghiyev (1849-1919). We will also have a look at the modern building of SOCAR from where we can enjoy a panoramic view of the city and the market place.

After this, you can either visit the carpet museum/Alyiev Foundation or stroll around the city. Dinner will be arranged in a restaurant, following which you will stay overnight in a hotel.

Before heading deep into the mountains, we will drive up north along the Caucasus range. We will explore the village of Kish, which is home to the oldest church in the Caucasus called The Church of Kish or The Church of St Elishe.
On the way, we will have a quick lunch at some diner or restaurant.

Next, we will go to Sheki, an important centre on the Trans-Caucasian trade routes. It was an independent Khanate until the 1820s. Inside the Sheki Khan fortress, the Sheki Khan summer residence that was built in 1797, is the only remaining structure from the larger palatial complex. There are also a number of old caravanserais and mosques to explore.

Overnight, we will stay in a guesthouse in the area.

We will start our horseback trip from Ictitcyl, which is a Lesgien village populated originally by an ethnic group from Dagestan, Russia. The natives speak a language that has its roots in the Caucasian language, unlike the the Azerbaijani language that has

Turkish-Mongol roots. The area we will ride in is a National Park and a restricted nature reserve that has an unspoiled environment. As there is neither a road nor a trekking path, we will be plunged in the wilderness. Be aware that from here onwards, and for the remainder of the trek, you won’t have any phone connectivity.

The horses are mountain horses of a local Caucasian race that is very well-tempered, calm and tough. They are not big, have incredible balance and know their job. Skillful and smart, they also know how to save their own energy.The camps are located deep in the valley and offer amazing locales.

Our first day on horseback leads us to a base camp that is located in the middle of a restricted nature reserve and national park hidden in the mountains. We ride upward on the river bed and through some beautiful forests.

From the camp, we will decide the next 3 days’ journey based on the weather and mountain conditions. So, we might ride for the day and return to the camp or ride for 2-3 days with tents and equipment. Ideally, we should keep moving for 2-3 days; so, you should be prepared to travel. If we do travel, we will stay in tents for the night.

The journey will provide us many possibilities, such as riding 3000-metres high on a plateau, by some beautiful lakes, on crests, over passes, and through beautiful forests.

We will ride from basecamp 1 to basecamp 2 that is also located in an amazing setting. From there, it will take us 3-4 days to reach our final destination, Lahic, which is a very old village built by the Tat people. These people are originally from Iran or Afghanistan and speak a Persian dialect.

On the way, we will stay overnight in another very beautiful camp surrounded by the Babadag summit, which is one of the highest mountains in Azerbaidjan. From there, it would be possible to have round trips of one or two days, depending on the remaining time we have. The horseback trip will end in Lahic on day 10.

Throughout the trek, you will be sustained by, and enjoy, the delicious Azerbaidjan and Lezgian cuisines.

We will spend some time in Lahic village, exploring its beautiful, cobbled streets and its medieval water supply and sewage systems, as well as the traditional workshops that specialize in making jewelry, copper-ware, carpets, pottery, daggers, and iron tools.

In the middle of the afternoon, we will drive back to Baku, where we shall eat in a restaurant and stay in a 4-star hotel for the night.

Gobustan is a national historical landmark that is located in the south-west of Baku in the middle of ravines in a desert landscape. It got its name from the word ‘Gobu’, which means ravines in Azerbaijani. Gobustan is an archeologically-rich site, with more than 6,000 rock engravings that are 5,000 – 40,000 years old.

The site was also a cave-dweller city. Most of the rock engravings depict primitive men, animals, battle-pieces, ritual dances, bullfights, boats with armed oarsmen, warriors with lances in their hands, camel caravans, and the sun and stars.

Next, we will visit the mud volcanoes and have an alfresco (open air) lunch.

Following this, we will drive back to Baku and visit the suburbs of the Absheron Peninsula.

We will drive to the old petroleum industry plants; the Ateshgah temple in Surakhany village where the Zoroastrians travelled thousands of kilometers to worship fire coming out of the earth, and the Yanardag Mountain where natural gas has been burning for several thousand years.
We will have an early dinner at Baku and then take the Soviet-era night train back to Tbilisi at 21:00.

We will arrive in Tbilisi in the morning. After breakfast, we will visit the old center of Tbilisi, to look at its architecture and historical places.

While the city is different from Baku, there are similarities as well that I will help you identify and appreciate.

Our final dinner together will be in a restaurant, following which your stay will be arranged in a 3 or 4-star hotel in Tbilisi. This will also conclude your trip.

Drop at the airport.

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS FOR AZERBAIJAN:

You can take the flight back from Baku and extend your trip to visit Xinalig, the Qetish village.

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS FOR GEORGIA:

It is highly recommend that you stay one more day exploring Tbilisi, which will be definitely worth your time.