oil drills AND HOLY FLAMES

September 01⇾ September 09

In addition to our regular group departures to Azerbaijan, we also offer tour services for private travel parties and lone wolves alike. As a traveller-oriented boutique operator, tailored trips and bespoke adventures are our bread and butter. Get in touch for more info on our customised journeys to Azerbaijan! 

DAY 1 to Day 2 – Soviet Baku

  • Meet-and-greet at Heydar Aliyev International Airport and transfer to our hotel of choice in central Baku.

  • In the company of our local guide, we will enjoy a comprehensive two-day cultural tour of Baku and its rich architectural heritage, ranging from early examples of Soviet constructivism and neoclassicism to later modernist and internationalist buildings.

  • Our urban gallivanting will naturally also include a selected compendium of USSR-era mosaics and memorials, pre-Soviet architectural wonders, post-Soviet pomp, and ancient Islamic grace.

  • Overnights in Baku.

DAY 3 – Absheron Peninsula

  • We'll spend the entire day touring the surreal badlands of the Absheron Peninsula: burning rocks, fire temples, secret islands, melancholic Soviet resorts, rickety oil drills, fishing villages, and ancient mausoleums.

  • In the afternoon we’ll then visit Sumqayit, the second largest city in Azerbaijan and a major industrial center during the heydays of Soviet Azerbaijan.

  • Overnight in Baku.

DAY 4 – Southern Riviera

  • Early morning drive along Azerbaijan’s Southern Riviera: long sandy beaches, industrial archeology, socialist architecture and lots of hidden gems – a true paradise for Soviet-geeks and photographers alike.

  • We’ll first tour the area around the city of Qobustan (active mud volcanoes, perfectly preserved petroglyphs and stunning views over the riviera) and then head for the country’s little-visited interior, stopping en route at the Soviet town of Yevlakh, known as the “Gate to Karabakh”.

  • In the afternoon we’ll arrive in Ganja – formerly known as Kirovabad in honour of Bolshevik revolutionary Sergei Mironovich Kirov – a gracious city of Soviet neoclassicist shapes, atmospheric Islamic architecture and gorgeous Tsarist relics.

  • Overnight in Ganja.

DAY 5 – Naftalan

  • In the morning we’ll allow ourselves a more touristy detour and visit the quaint town of Goygol and the namesake national park.

  • After lunch we’ll then move on to Naftalan, an archetypical Soviet town known for its petroleum sanatoria (yes, you read that right), once a popular destination amongst the hard-working citizens of the mighty Soviet Union.

  • After years of post-Soviet neglect, the spas are now making a slow but steady comeback: enjoy your oil bath and travel back in time to the good old days of Soviet tourism.

  • Oil bath, Soviet-style dinner and overnight in Naftalan.

DAY 6 – QAX

  • Today we’ll head north towards the high peaks of the Greater Caucasus, a diverse region of superb natural beauty where the many different ethnicities inhabiting the country come together: Lezgins, Tsakhurs, Tabassarins, Akhvaks, Avars, Dargins and, of course, Azerbaijanis.

  • We'll first visit the the picturesque stone-and-wood town of Qax and then finally arrive in Sheki, a thousand-year-old Silk Road city home to the UNESCO-listed Palace of Shaki Khans.

  • Overnight in Sheki.

DAY 7 – Sheki

  • Full day devoted to Sheki: ancient mosques, atmospheric chaikhanas, narrow alleys, colourful markets, super palaces, and labyrinthine caravansaries.

  • We’ll also take a short trip out of town to visit the nearby village of Kish, where we will admire a well-preserved Caucasian Albanian church and learn about the obscure culture and the traditions of the Udis, the last Albanians of the Caucasus.

  • Overnight in Sheki.

Bespoke Experiences • Oil baths at a Soviet sanatorium in Naftalan and traditional Molokan meal at farmers’ house in Ivanovka.

DAY 8 – Ivanovka

  • Today we will drive back towards Baku crossing the beautiful valleys and quaint villages of the Ismaili Province.

  • The list of interesting hops we’ll make along the way includes: the ancient city of Shamakhi, the Soviet observatory of Pirkuli, and the curious village of Ivanovka.

  • The latter is mainly inhabited by the Molokans, a religious and peaceful Russian orthodox sect following a strict traditional lifestyle: the Soviet answer to the Amish communities of Pennsylvania.

  • Overnight in Baku.

DAY 9 – FAREWELL TO AZERBAIJAN

  • After enjoying a last Azerbaijani meal, we'll take care of your transfer to Heydar Aliyev International Airport.

  • Do you wish to spend more time in Azerbaijan and explore further offbeat destinations? Have a look at our Xinaliq extension below and get in touch for more info on our private tours around Azerbaijan! 

  • End of the tour.

Two-Day Xinaliq EXTENSION

  • In the morning we'll leave Baku and travel north along the Caspian coast and break the drive at the holy mountain of Besh Barmag, a five-peaked rock cliff rising abruptly from the desert steppes of northeastern Azerbaijan.

  • Just outside the multi-ethnic frontier town of Quba we’ll visit Krasnaya Sloboda, the last place in the country inhabited by a Jewish majority and - by extension - the very last Shtetlekh (pre-Holocaust Jewish-majority urban localities) in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

  • A scenic drive across green pastures and whitewater streams will eventually lead us to Xinaliq, a remote mountain inhabited by an historically isolated population said to be one of the oldest distinct ethnicities in the Caucasus.

  • Dinner and overnight in Xinaliq and transfer back to Baku on the following day.

1895 €

INCLUSIONS
Double/twin hotel accommodation (breakfast included), private transport in Azerbaijan (car/minivan), all entrance fees, English-speaking guiding service, 24/7 on-site and remote assistance.

EXCLUSIONS
Single supplement, international flights, main meals (lunches and dinners), extra drinks, visa fees (if required), tips, travel insurance.

© Gianluca Pardelli | www.gianlucapardelli.com