Get under the skin of Azerbaijan's multi-faceted history, diverse cultures and unique landscapes
Explore Azerbaijan, a little visited country on the fringes of both Europe and Asia.
Learn about its history - from its Palaeolithic past through to the emergence of Islam to its nineteenth century newfound wealth in the years soon after oil was discovered. Navigate a surprising array of cultures, communities and languages as you travel from the Caspian shores to the Caucasus mountains. Discover vestiges of communism in Russian-speaking communes, visit Sheki's Persian-style palaces and explore rugged castles across the Absheron peninsula. And of course, revel in the affluence of its capital, Baku. Contrast steel & glass modernity with medieval walled citadels.
Mud volcanoes bubble all across the mineral-rich lands of Azerbaijan. Natural gas keeps the memory of its ancient Zoroastrian fire temples and eternal flames burning. Indeed the country is reputed to have taken its name from "Azer" meaning "fire" in Azeri.
Welcome to the "Land of Fire"!
Sheki - Kish - Ganja - Lahic - Guba - Gala
Arrive into Baku airport where you will be met by a Travel The Unknown representative and taken to your hotel.
Relax into your new environment. Remain at leisure for the rest of the day.
Overnight in Sapphire Bayil, Baku
Meal plan: n/a
Start a day touring capital hotspots at Highland Park and its panoramic sweep of Baku's horseshoe bay. Then we descend on the city's central zone, containing the greatest concentration of historical and architectural sites, most notably Baku's centuries old walled inner-city - Icheri Sheher - within which the UNESCO sites Shirvanshah Palace and Maiden Tower take pride of place.
Keeping with Azerbaijan's Islamic character, later scheduled activities include Juma Mosque and the Carpet Museum. End our city-wide tour ambling through Seaside Park and along Baku Boulevard, which lays claim to being Europe's second largest.
Spend your evening in leisurely fashion.Â
Overnight in Sapphire Bayil, Baku
Meal plan: Breakfast
Heading not far out of town, our first stop hints at the country's pre-Islamic roots. Ateshgah is a fire temple with deep origins in Zoroastrianism, the world's oldest monotheistic belief system. The Zoroastrians venerated the purity of fire, and this you will see in this striking temple where a natural gas vent burns an eternal flame. Interestingly the 'Azer' in 'Azerbaijan' means fire, denoting the centrality of the flame to Azeri culture.
In a variation on the same theme, next we go to Yanar Dag where a natural gas flare leaking from a crack in the earth creates a surreal and almost biblical sight.
End the day back in the capital in the comfort of your hotel, or cooling off from all that fire on an evening stroll.Â
Overnight in Sapphire Bayil, Baku
Meal plan: Breakfast
After breakfast depart for the district of Shamakhi. Once there, we'll explore the district capital, Shamakha, which contains important historical artifacts in the form of Diri Baba Tomb and Yeddi Gumbez. Shamakhi was the erstwhile centre of the Shirvan kingdom. As in neighbouring Iran, monarchs too were called Shahs. Yeddi Gumbez, in fact, lies on a site of seven cupolas, resting places of various Shirvan shahs.
Onward to Sheki, where we stay overnight.
Overnight in Macara Sheki City Hotel, Sheki
Meal plan: Breakfast
Today has a certain educational ring to it. You'll watch and learn and interact. That said, we'll start our exploring with a tour of the town in which you're staying. Sheki, apart from occupying a serene location high on a promontory and ringed with oaks, has quite a history. Settled since at least the 7th century BC, it was a silk manufacturing centre, as well as a fixed stopover on the Persian branch of the Silk Road. This tour includes the Khan's summer palace. Another monument we'll see is a 1,400 year-old Albanian church.
Learn about artisanal traditions at a shebeke workshop. Shebeke is a age-old art form creating intricately-patterned stained glass. Another workshop will instruct you in methods of baking pakhlava (baklava). With appetites whetted, we end with an invite to help prepare pilaf in the kitchen of a local family.
Return to your hotel in Sheki. Rest of the day at rest.Â
Overnight in Macara Sheki City Hotel, Sheki
Meal plan: Breakfast
See how local people trade and deal at Sheki Bazaar. On leaving Sheki, we'll pause in Ismayilly district to see village life in Lahic. And for good reason. Many of the 2,000 people living in Lahic are involved in ancient crafts such as engraved copper work and carpet weaving. Such artisanal flair travelled far and wide, for by the mid-19th century Lahic's 200 workshops were selling wares for a premium to bazaars in Baghdad and Shiraz. You can't fail to be impressed by this craftsmanship, and you'll get to see it in the guise of coppersmiths hammering away with small mallets on decorative plates, trays, jugs, goblets and pitchers.
En route to Ganja, the nation's second city, we make a detour into Mingyachevir, an industrial town on Kura river. Onward to Ganja, the programme allows for a full city tour. And rightly so. We'll visit the mosque of Safavid Persian ruler, Shah Abbas. We'll see a medieval caravanserai, the Bottle House Museum of Miniatures, as well as the mausoleum of the Great Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi. End on a visit to the local bazaar.
Check in to your Ganja hotel and rest the evening at leisure.Â
Overnight in Ganja Hotel, Ganja
Meal plan: Breakfast
After check-out, we take the road back to Baku. But not before stopping off at Gobustan National Park. With interesting topography wedged between the greater Caucasus range, the Caspian Sea and the Absheron peninsula, this archaeological reserve reveals direct evidence of local human presence as far back as the Upper Paleolithic period, 40,000 years ago. Its petroglyphs are a must-see when in Azerbaijan.
Onward to Baku when you will rest the night.Â
Overnight in Sapphire Bayil, Baku
Meal plan: Breakfast
It's a great road to Guba over the venerated mount Beshbarmaq. In Guba itself we offer a menu of sites worthy of visiting: the mosque, the old bath house, the Jewish quarter (the so-called Red Settlement), and the genocide memorial complex.
Back in the capital, return to your hotel and spend the evening at leisure.
Overnight in Sapphire Bayil, Baku
Meal plan: Breakfast
Our final day of excursions should be a good one. We head to the fortresses of Ramana and Mardakan, built probably in the era of the Shirvanshahs. Then it's off to Gala (Qala), a rural settlement with foundations stretching back, some say, 5,000 years. A manufacturing base for wool and salt extraction, visitors get a taste of small-town Azerbaijan. Its open-air ethnographic museum comes highly recommended.Â
Back to Baku and the comforts of your hotel. Spend your final night in a manner befitting of a good holiday. Â
Overnight in Sapphire Bayil, Baku
Meal plan: Breakfast
At the appointed hour, be transferred to the international airport for your onward flight home, or perhaps elsewhere with us in the Caucasus.Â
Meal plan: Breakfast
All accommodation subject to availability. Final accommodation choices will be confirmed after booking.
No expense spared in the construction of this 4* property. Its facade wouldn't look out of place on the edge of Central Park. Perfect for visitors to Baku who wish to exploit all the town has to offer. Full range of facilities in house, with elements of original design evident throughout.
Located in the heart of Ganja city, Ganja Hotel offers air-conditioned and  comfortable accommodation. The on-site resturant serves both traditional Azeri and European cuisines, or choose from one of the many local restuarants and cafes in the hotel's immediate vicinity. Free wi-fi is available.  Â
Extend your Azerbaijan trip to the region set apart from the rest of the country.
The beautiful mountain scenery and remote villages of Azerbaijan
Charms & contradictions of Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
Three small countries. All neighbours. All totally different.
Get under the skin of Azerbaijan's multi-faceted history, diverse cultures and unique landscapes
Irwin Drangel & Linda Schain , Tailor-made Caucasus and Soviet FringesWe asked Travel the Unknown to come up with an unusual trip to 6 counties of the Caucasus and the ex-Soviet Union countries. They did so in a tour that flowed seamlessly the whole 38 days. The most impressive part was when Ukrainian Airlines cancelled our connecting flights from Kiev to Minsk, for 2 consecutive days. We contacted Travel The Unknown that morning and asked them to arrange an overnight train with a sleeping compartment. When arrived in Kiev, we were met at the airport, driven to the train station where tickets where waiting for us. They arranged for our pickup at the station in Minsk, as we left the train, and we went on our planned tours without losing a minute. That is what I call great service!
Pam Bowers & John Simpson , Best of the CaucasusWe had a fantastic time on our Best of the Caucasus tour. We loved eating with the families in Georgia and visiting the Molovan family in Armenia, definitely highlights of the trip. Our Georgian guide in particular was the best you could possibly have, giving a true insight into the country. He should be recommended for an award!
Margaret Small , Best of the CaucasusLoved the Caucasus with Travel the Unknown. I learnt of their ancient history and the current geopolitical significance of the cross roads between West and East. Another first class trip from Travel the Unknown with extremely knowledgeable guides and great hotels.
Doreen , Best of the CaucasusThe trip to the Caucasus was both illuminating and fun. It was particularly interesting to visit all three countries, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, to try to understand the area and the problems they face from each country's very different perspective. The scenery in the whole area is breathtaking. The tour introduced us to many local people who were all very hospitable and generous. They welcomed us warmly and joined in our enjoyment of "having a go" at various crafts, eg bread making, felt-making, learning a bit of Georgian script, etc. In each of the three countries, religion is fundamental to their lives and visits to mosques, temples, churches, monasteries and cathedrals were a large feature in the tour. I would highly recommend the tour to anyone who likes an activity-packed holiday in places that are off the beaten track.