Mountains come in all shapes, sizes, and colours in Azerbaijan. 🙂

Dear Diary,

After exploring the Himalayas and Hindu Kush in recent years, I thought I knew it all about mountains. Those soaring peaks on our earth which reach out to the heavens. Could I be further from the truth. I instead learnt, whilst in Azerbaijan, that every mountain range has its own soul. Even if they happen to be geographically right next to each other.

During my 2-week stay, I travelled into the very inner recesses of the Greater Caucasus Mountains in the country’s north, the Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the west, and the Talysh Mountains in its south-east. And was always, both equally charmed and awed.

Though most travellers focus their Azerbaijan travels to the capital Baku, and the much-touted Absheron Peninsula which surrounds it, a mere few hours on impeccable roads takes one to pristine mountain landscapes and towns curled up in the lap of nature.

I thought I would collate some highlights from those days. For posterity’s sake.

Aren’t these hills pretty? Located in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus range, they are called Candy Cane Mountains because they resemble candy. The red parts are oxidized shale with high iron content.

This is the fun part! Those little brown plastic-like pieces are fossils dating back to the Cretaceous Period 145 to 66 million years ago.

Gachrash Forest in the Quba region, Greater Caucasus Mountains—Gachrash literally means ‘come and sit down.’

The 74-metre-long Zernava Suspension Bridge swaying precariously over the gushing Girdiman River is the only way residents of Juhary Zernava village can get to the mainland. Trust me, crossing the bridge was a vertigo challenge.

Herbs on sale by the Zernava Suspension Bridge.

My cable car ticket at Tufandag Ski Resort, Gabala, Greater Caucasus Mountains.

Up and above nearly 2,000 metres from the cable car station …

… And the views above.

Azeris take their dried herbs very seriously.

Do you know why the pomegranate is called the ‘king of all fruits’? Because it comes with a crown. In the above photograph, true, it is an upside crown, but a crown is still a crown. 😀

The Greater Caucasus Mountains in all their breathtaking beauty.

Samovar Monument and some Lankaran tea at Lankaran, the Talysh city nestled between the Talysh Mountains and the Caspian Sea.

90 Percent of Azerbaijan’s domestic tea demands are met by Lankaran’s tea plantations. An interesting factoid: The world’s oldest samovar was also found in Azerbaijan. It is on display at Baku’s National Museum of History.

Me and a tea plant seed at the Scientific Institute of Fruit-Growing and Research, Lankaran. This was a first for me. I really had no clue what a tea plant seed looked like.

Statue of Hazi Aslanov, an Azeri war-hero, with the 18th Century Lankaran Lighthouse in the background.

I loved the way there would always be swings hanging from trees in Azerbaijan’s countryside. This was at Khanbulanchay Lake.

Gudial Chay Gorge in the Greater Caucasus Mountains.

Sisters on a family day out.

Matriarch of the family I met, with her granddaughter.

Nature, humans, and livestock. All in perfect harmony.

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[This blog post is part of a series from my solo independent travels to Azerbaijan in June, 2024. To read more posts in my Azerbaijan series, click here.]