Baku to Guba, Candy Cane, Khinaliq village with HOMEMADE lunch
Description
What makes this tour truly unique is its perfect blend of breathtaking landscapes, rich cultural experiences, and unforgettable adventure. You will marvel at the stunning Candy Cane Mountains with their striking natural patterns, and as we continue toward Khinaliq, you’ll be surrounded by majestic mountain scenery that will truly leave you speechless. The tour also includes a one-of-a-kind cultural highlight: lunch in a local house-museum, where you will enjoy a homemade meal prepared with fresh, natural ingredients, including traditional freshly baked bread, offering you an authentic taste of local life
Tour Options
Itinerary
We provide pickup from central hotels in Baku, except for hotels located on Nizami Street (Tarqovaya) and in the Old City. Guests staying in these areas are kindly requested to come to the meeting point.
The Candy Cane Mountains are shale mountains in the Khizi and Siyazan districts of Azerbaijan, part of the Greater Caucasus mountain range. The 'Candy Cane Mountains' were originally dubbed so by travel author Mark Elliott in his guidebook 'Azerbaijan with Excursions to Georgia'. The mountains' colors are produced by groundwater that alters the oxidation state of the iron compounds in the earth.
Driving along the M1 motorway connecting the capital of Azerbaijan with the largest cities of Russia, you will see the mountain Beshbarmak, located near the coast of the Caspian Sea. Beshbarmak is a place of pilgrimage for the local population and thanks to its height and shape has been an excellent reference point for sailors since ancient times. The holy place “Pir Hydyr Zundzha” is located at the foot of the Beshbarmag Mountain, where the travelers stop to perform prayers and worship. Your professional guide will tell you the mythical stories associated with this place.
Qechresh is one of the largest villages in the Guba region. The area is covered with forest on all sides. Along the road, there are recreation areas and restaurants where you can sample the local cuisine. In Qecresh forest we will need to switch to a Soviet off-road vehicle to reach Khinalug!!!
If you go further from Gechresh forest, you find yourself in the Gudyalchay canyons: steep ascents and descents of the road pass through the steep walls of the gorge.The road that passes through two mountains, steep cliffs as well as beautify forest make the view of this village charming.
Here we will stop to enjoy the panoramic view of the Cascade Mountains. From this point, you can see the entire beautiful landscape.
The mountain village of Khinalig, which is included in the list of UNESCO historical monuments of world importance. With its inaccessibility, unique language, unique architectural appearance, and culture, the village attracts tourists from all over the world. Since 2007, Khinalig has been declared an ethnographic reserve. On the way to Khinalig, you can often see eagles flying overhead, wild horses galloping along the banks of stony rivers and clouds descending so low that sometimes they can even be touched. During the tour, you’ll enjoy a full traditional lunch prepared by a local family in the heart of Khinaliq village. This is not a simple snack or a basic plate – it’s a complete meal with four different homemade dishes, showcasing the rich flavors of authentic mountain cuisine.
You will spend at least 8 hours on the road (go and back).
We'll return back to the starting point. Additionally, we can arrange drop off service to hotel or to any address in Baku.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The tour starts at 8 a.m. We are also picking up the guests from the Hotel or accommodation in Baku. We'll send you the pickup (meeting) time one day before the tour date via WhatsApp or email. Usually, the pickup from your accommodation is around 30 minutes before the departure.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(293)
The canyon area is impressive, and the homemade food is delicious. At times, I felt like I was on a mechanical ride; the road had its peculiarities.
I really enjoyed this tour. Lila was a fantastic tour guide and we had a lot of fun. It’s quite a long day but very enjoyable. It’s a shame we couldn’t see the pink lake but I understand it’s only pink at certain times of the year. It was very cold in Khinaliq village when I was there so bear that in mind. We had a lovely lunch up in the mountains with amazing views. Thank you Lila for making it so special. I will remember it always.
This was a breathtaking tour and a must do if you’re in Baku! I am so glad I booked this tour because if I didn’t see this natural beauty I would have regretted it dearly. Our guide Leyla was spectacular and such a fun person and great guide! I highly recommend booking this tour
This was a very nice tour. Musa the guide was very good and made great photos. I enjoyed being out in nature and seeing diverse landscapes. Candy cane reminded me of rainbow mountain in Peru but not as spellbinding. Khinalig village was very beautiful and we enjoyed having lunch with a local family. We had amazing photo stops and it was beautiful.
As a solo female traveller I typically plan out my own adventures and outings, but this type of trip required some local guidance. This ended up being a well-organized bus tour with several stops at beautifully scenic points deep into the mountains of the unique countryside of Azerbaijan. Our tour guide was highly personable and provided all kinds of useful facts about national culture, language, history. He also very kindly assisted many fellow travellers several times with photography/videography. Booking was easy on the Viator platform; however, the dates could potentially change with some notice (I was asked to move my booking to a day later than I had originally confirmed, which forced me to have to rearrange my schedule) - but definitely book it if you have a flexible itinerary! The mountain views are quite stunning, especially into the second half of the trip. Highly recommend taking anti-nauseants if prone to motion sickness (for the hours driving on rough, winding roads), packing a sweater or jacket for the frigid temperatures at some of the higher-altitude stops (even in summer!) and wearing hiking shoes, particularly if you intend to head up a ways on the Candy Cane slopes for better views/photos, and for the unavoidable ~15-20 min trek up stony paths for the village lunch. All in all, a lovely and memorable day to discover the breathtaking beauty of Azerbaijani nature!
Transport was rather cramped with 3 traveling backwards although pickup from hotel included it never happened and meeting point very difficult to locate how ever guide collected me after a stressful time Huseyn our guide was very helpful kind friendly and knowledgeable 7 on the tour and a long 13 hour day but worth it
Fantastic experience, the provided lunch was fresh, clean, and delicious. All natural ingredients, mostly raised and processed in the village. Ruslan was very welcoming and friendly, would absolutely recommend it.
Maybe the best tour of the three I took from Baku, with Azerbaijan’s best views. I would perhaps have liked a little longer in the village, but otherwise all good!
Honestly, I visited Azerbaijan recently and used Birtour.com for transfers and tours. Everything was priced upfront, the drivers arrived on time, and I didn't run into any of the issues you described.
Fantastic tour to escape Bali and to see the forests and mountain scapes of Azerbaijan. Our guide, Leyla, was a fantastic communicator and ensured everything ran smoothly from communicating pickup time to helping everyone to get the perfect photos. During our lunch stay in Khinalug, Leyla explained a lot of the artifacts in the house and about the language and traditions of the Kettid villagers. We were lucky to have Elmar as our driver, who navigated both the winding mountain roads and the highway with expert speed. The only complaints were that the seats in the back of the bus were quite affected by the fast pace and the bumpy roads. It was a workout to hold on. Additionally, the rest stop in Quba was quite a tourist trap, with really high prices. Unfortunately, it was raining during our stop, or maybe you could wander to find a more local offering.
