Looking for a day out of Baku? A one-day trip to Gobustan is the perfect idea to change of scenery and to be amazed by some of the treasure of Azerbaijan!
1st Stop: Mud Volcanoes
The Land of Fire is well known for its mud volcanos. Azerbaijan has the most mud volcanoes of any country, spread broadly across the country and some of them can be discovered near Gobustan state reserve. Taxis are waiting at the entry of the reserve to bring you up to the mud volcanoes for 15 Manats and the journey worth it (cf. Road trip in a Lada). It is a chance to plunge one hand in the mud, to get funny pictures but above all to discover one of the treasure of the country!
2nd Stop: Gobustan National Reserve
Once you have discovered the surprising mud volcanoes, the Gobustan State reserve is waiting for you. A travel through time begins with a museum and a walk to discover cave paintings dated between 5 000 and 20 000 years ago. There are more than 600 000 paintings along the walking path which depict primitive people, animals, battle-pieces, ritual dances…The site is part of the UNESCO world heritage and besides its cultural interests, it offers a beautiful shooting spot!
3rd Stop: Ateshgah – The temple of fire
Finally, the day ends with a visit of the Baku Ateshgah, which is a castle-like religious temple. It has been used as a Hindu, Sikh and Zoroastrian place of worship and different rooms depict it. There is for example a room for Ganesh. In the middle of the temple, a flame burns constantly, one more tool to confirm that you are on the Land of Fire!
So, keep off the city of winds for a day and discover a new world made of desert, mud and fire!
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