Gabala-Sheki-Gakh 3 Days, 2 Nights Tour

Our first stop will be Diri Baba Mausoleum. Nestled in the captivating landscape of Baku, Azerbaijan, the Diri Baba Mausoleum is a remarkable testament to the region's cultural heritage. This ancient burial site, dedicated to the revered Sufi saint Sheikh Diri Baba, showcases stunning octagonal architecture and intricate stonework. Step inside the mausoleum to discover a world of tranquility, adorned with beautiful calligraphic inscriptions, delicate floral motifs, and a serene ambiance. 

Shamakhi city is the ancient capital of the medieval Shirvanshah state. In Shamakhi guests will have an excursion to the Juma Mosque - one of the centers of Azerbaijani poetry and viticulture. Guests will find themselves in the walls of a grandiose architectural structure made according to ancient antiseismic technology. A visit to the first Muslim temple in the Caucasus, built in 743, will introduce tourists to the history of Islam in Azerbaijan and the history of the mosque itself. After that, they will go further along the road that stretches like a ribbon along the Mugan mountain Pass, classic for the Greater Caucasus, and leads to the northwest of Azerbaijan to Ismayilli.

Our next stop is the Agsu Pass, which is a natural wonder in Azerbaijan, hidden in the embrace of dense deep forests and the rocky mountains of Akhsu and Gulchi. This beautiful corner of nature is located on the Lyangyabiz ridge, and its road meanders like a snake along the entire mountainside, taking your breath away and leaving an unforgettable memory for every and each person who comes across such beauty. Surrounded by greenery on every side and with a river running just below, this local landscape creates an atmosphere as if you are in a wilderness that has never been fully exposed to man or modern technology. Traveling through the Agsu Pass is also a way of connecting three important cities of Azerbaijan: Baku, Shamakhi and Yevlakh. This route not only allows travelers to revel in the breathtaking natural scenery but also plays a crucial role in establishing essential transportation connections among these urban centers, amplifying its importance. Against the backdrop of this captivating landscape, every guest of Azerbaijan Travel International will have the opportunity to take a photograph and also pause their fast-paced life for a few minutes to breathe in the pure mountain air and savor the beauty of Azerbaijan's untamed nature.

Lunch in the Ismailli forest. An hour break in a cozy restaurant will bring the main gastronomic notes to Baku-Gabala tour. A three-course meal will end with a tea party, and fresh air saturated with oxygen will have a beneficial effect on digestion.
Well-fed and with pleasant impressions from the first half of the tour, the guests go on. The culmination of the journey awaits them.

The city Gabala is the capital of the Gabala district. The city, which was in ancient times the capital of Caucasian Albania, and today is known as a ski resort, will welcome tourists on the territory of the most famous hotel in the region "Tufandag". Ski trails are located here and cable car lines are stretched over them, from which magnificent views of the mountains and the central part of the city open. The highest point of this exciting attraction is the peak of the Sleeping Beauty Mountain (Yatmysh Gezel), located at an altitude of about two thousand meters above the level of the world ocean.

After arriving in Sheki, guests check in into one of the most popular hotels in the city. You spend the whole evening where and how you please. The companions of tourists, representatives of our company allocate this evening for free time for their guests. And they do it with a clear conscience and calmness since Azerbaijan is one of the safest countries in the world. And people in Sheki, besides, are famous for high hospitality.

In Sheki we start the day with the breakfast at the hotel. After that, together with a professional English-speaking guide, they go to the neighboring Gakh region by car of the Republic of Azerbaijan along the road, one of the sections of which passes through the bridge over the Shin River, the length of which is more than a kilometer.

Mamirli Waterfall is one of the most beautiful places during the Gakh Tour. Mamyrly waterfall is located in the mountain forest of the subtropical climate zone near the village of Lekit, Gakh region. There are many waterfalls on the territory of Azerbaijan, but the Mamyrli waterfall has its own peculiarity - for centuries, water flowing down the rocks formed massive thickets of moss on their surface. This influenced the name of the waterfall: the word "moss" is translated into Azerbaijani as "mamyr". Its bright green color with fragments of brown and orange hues, a mysterious cave and myriads of splashing drops of breaking streams of water sparkling in the reflections of the sun make the waterfall picturesque and peaceful.

The tour to Gakh includes two temples, the first of which is the Church of St. George the Victorious located in the city of Gakh. The Church of St. George the Victorious is an active place of worship that belongs to the Georgian Orthodox Church. Founded in the middle of the 19th century. Since the beginning of the period of Soviet Power, it has not functioned as a church. Its religious significance was restored in 1997.

It is located in a cozy park with centuries-old oaks and thickets of magnolias and orchids. There is also a bell tower and a small historical churchyard.

The Gakh tour also includes lunch and looks like it's time to eat. On the banks of the Kurmukchay River (Kürmükçay), guests will have lunch at the Yeni Baki restaurant (New Baku). The peculiarity of the meal is the cuisine typical for the Gakh region. As a main dish, guests will taste the national thick soup "surfullu" (or also surfullu). Its base is dumplings with lamb dressing, previously dried according to a special recipe with local herbs. And for a snack, guests will try Girz, a meat dish that can be compared with Slavic dumplings.

Our company also takes into account special gastronomic preferences, therefore, vegans and vegetarians will be offered thick red lentil soup instead of "surhullu", and the filling of "girz" in this case is not meat, but greens or Azerbaijani salted cottage cheese "Shor".

Ulu Bridge constructed in the 18th across the river Kurmuk (or Kyurmyuk). It is located near the village of Ilisu in the gorge of the Uludag mountain range, which belongs to the Great North Caucasian Range.
Majestic peaks covered with dense forest and a mountain river are the classic romance of the Caucasus, and a photo session on this bridge will inspire and give warm memories for a long time to come.

The next stop on the tour is the historical Cathedral Mosque. "Cathedral" is a translation from the Arabic word "Juma", which is also called the Friday day of the week, which is sacred for Muslims. In every city of the Islamic world there is a mosque (and sometimes more than one) with this name. The city of Gakh was no exception, where in the interval of the XVII-XVIII centuries. this temple was founded.

The Juma Mosque is located not in the central part of the city, but in the suburbs, the picturesque village of Ilisu, which can be called a classic Caucasian village, cozy, tidy, with clean streets. Physical cleanliness and tidiness is one of the foundations of the religion of Islam, and the population of Ilisu is mostly devout Muslims.

The Sumug-Gala tower is known to all lovers of Soviet cinema. The culminating scene of Yuli Gusman's cult musical "Don't Be Afraid, I Am Here For You" was filmed on it and in its vicinity. The film became one of the first Soviet ones, where martial arts were demonstrated in stunt scenes. It was on this tower that Polad Bul-Bul ogly sang the magnificent battle hymn "How we lived, fighting ...". It was here that the hero of Lev Durov, along with his improvised army of fugitive convicts, hurried to help his friends. It was here that the performers of their roles, the taekwondo fighters of the Savalan sports club, showed their mastery in their martial art.

Tower built in the 17th century. served for military purposes: signal, guard, defensive. It got its name in honor of the Ilisu Sultan Sumu Khan, who ordered it to be built in due time.

The way back from the city of Gakh towards Sheki passes through a very interesting sight, in which both history and nature converged. The ancient temple of Caucasian Albania (Kurmukh Church of St. George), named after the nearby river Kurmuk. It was founded on a high rocky cliff on the slope of a majestic mountain range in the 4th century BC.
The pedestrian ascent to the Kurmuk temple is an inspiring walk through a natural forest tunnel, where the crowns of deciduous trees converge low over the heads of travelers. And from the edges of this forest and from the very cliff, where this ancient church of the Albanians rises, a breathtaking view of the Alazani Valley opens with delight. Local Christians revere this cliff as a sacred, mystical place.

After traveling to Gakh, tourists settle into a hotel and until the next morning they have free time, during which they manage to miss the sensitive and hospitable staff of our company.

The next day you will begin Sheki Tour and the first point will be the ancient church located in the village of Kish - a place that was used for religious pagan rites from ancient times and later became one of the Christian churches of Caucasian Albania. In 2000, the temple was visited by the avid Norwegian scientist and traveler Thor Heyerdahl, famous for his research and sailing on the Kon-Tiki raft from South America to Polynesia in search of truth.

The next stop on this tour will be the Palace of Sheki Khans, built in the 18th century. The windows of the palace represent the architectural style of the shebeke, which will amaze you with multi-colored glass embedded in the most complex ornaments, in the assembly of which no glue or nail was used.

On the Great Silk Way connecting East Asia with the Mediterranean in antiquity and in the Middle Ages, there were caravanserais - rest houses for merchants. Feel like a traveler of the distant past, because the next stop will be the caravanserai in Sheki, built in the 17th century.

During this tour, you will also visit a number of old shops, where you can not only buy Sheki silk, souvenirs, dishes, jewelry and much more, but also taste Sheki sweets, which are famous not only for their unique taste, but also for their elegance. After all, these masterpieces of cooking are the work of entire generations of Sheki masters of halva, transmitting the manufacturing technique for centuries.

At the end of the tour you will go up to the Sheki park dedicated to the World War II, where you can admire not only the magnificent memorial of the victory over fascism, but also you will enjoy a panoramic view of the entire ancient city of Sheki.

After the tour you will have lunch and only in Sheki you will have the local traditional dish called "Piti", prepared and served in special clay pots, as well as choban-salad and soft drinks.

Lake Nohur. A worthy end to the journey offered by the Baku-Gabala tour package is a stop on the shore of a colorful mountain lake. To characterize the acquaintance with him, one word is enough – pacification. Riding a catamaran on its mirrored surface or walking along its wooded shore will encourage any sad person to rethink existence and come to the conclusion that the world is really beautiful.
Half an hour later - on the way back by semi-express with a short rest in the city of Shamakhi. Returning to Baku, which has already become like a native, to which you return as to your home, realizing that you have fallen in love with Azerbaijan and there is no end to this love.

Set the scene: nestled amidst the majestic peaks of the Great Caucasus Mountains, enveloped in abundant forests that stretch as far as the eye can see, and peaceful atmosphere that anyone could feel in a place like this, shielded from prying eyes here lies the "Seven Beauties," a cascade of waterfalls where each view is more breathtaking than the last, offering a series of mesmerizing sceneries. The name "Seven Beauties" didn’t appear out of thin air, there are exactly seven waterfalls, each distinguished by its unique height and slope steepness. These waterfalls flow harmoniously into a cascading display, and a series of stairs facilitate access to each of them. Situated in the Vandam area near the city of Gabala, You can not only admire this enchanting waterfall complex, but also get close to the dense wall of water. Visitors have the chance to approach these natural wonders closely, allowing them to feel the gentle water droplets on their skin and immerse themselves in the soothing serenity that envelops the surroundings.

After the Sheki tour, our professional team will take you back to the capital and leave you at the address you specified in Baku.