Lankaran-Astara-Lerik 2 Days, 1 Night Tour

Lankaran Tour starts with a guide from Azerbaijan Travel International meeting you. Then everyone sets off to Lankaran in a comfortable car.

A modern highway laid across the steppe of the Mugan Plain is also part of the national culture. And in the culture of the East, the road is unthinkable without a caravanserai. Here, 130 km from Baku, between the Kura River and the Mugan Water Channel, in the picturesque oasis restaurant called "Haji-oglu", guests will enjoy a refreshing breakfast in the best Azerbaijani traditions.

The first stop during Lankaran Tour is very symbolic. One of the features of the region is tea, which has been grown here since the Silk Road. From the very beginning, the Lankaran reminds about their tea culture. Here, in the center of the road circle, there is a sculptural composition depicting a samovar and an oriental armudu glass filled with this wonderful drink.

The first day of our tour ends at the Lankaran Railway Station Square near the coast of the Caspian Sea. Here guests get acquainted with several attractions of Lankaran at once.
In front of the railway station in the park there is a monument to the hero of the Second World War, Major General Azi Aslanov, a native of these places.

Nearby stands a historical monument of architecture – the Lankaran Lighthouse. The years of its construction date back to the first half of the XVIII century. At one time it was part of the destroyed Lankaran fortress. It is in excellent condition and is an active lighthouse.

The station itself and the railway are located near the seashore, so a walk along the shore of the Caspian Sea, the largest lake on the planet, will be a worthy end to the Lankaran adventure.

A historical tour dedicated to local lore will take place in the museum, where the residence of the local ruler, Khan, was located in the XVIII-XIX centuries. In addition to getting acquainted with local customs, tourists will learn about the life of the khan, his family and the influence he had on the reality of Azerbaijan in those years.

The most delicious food of Azerbaijan is in the south. Hearty, with a delicate taste that satisfies the most capricious gourmet and an aroma from which you want to interrupt all diets, the dishes are distinguished by their authentic component – Lankaran Levengi. Levengi is a fruit–nut-vegetable paste, which is used as a filling for most South Azerbaijani dishes. The author is not even going to convey the unique taste in these lines, but strongly recommends coming to Lankaran with the tour operator Azerbaijan Travel International and having lunch at the Khan Lankaran restaurant. With the coming pleasant appetite!
The menu of your lunch includes an appetizer of cold eggplant Levengi, the main course is hot Lyavyangi from rustic chicken, vegetable salad, bread, soft drinks.

Azerbaijanis always drink tea. At any time of the day, alone or in the company of friends and acquaintances, they drink tea for any reason and without it, because the tea party itself is already an occasion. For the average Azerbaijani, the first is air, the second is tea, and only after it is water. And tea in the country is grown only here, in Lankaran. How it is grown and where exactly - our guests will see with their own eyes when they find themselves on a tea plantation on the eve of the Hirkan National Park.

It's time to drink tea. In the Talish Mountains, a mountain range located on the South Caucasus mountain range, the mirror lake Khanbulan is hidden among the dense forests of the Hyrkan National Park. Here, on the approaches to its shores, in the shade of majestic oaks and chestnuts, guests enjoy a tea party. And a walk along the shore of Khanbulan makes a Lankaran Tour truly unforgettable.

After a rest in the protected areas, we go back to Baku by semi-express with a short stop on the way to the already familiar oasis of the Haji-oglu caravanserai. The guests are already meeting the evening in the capital.

"Yanar Bulaq" or The Burning Spring is a natural spring located in the Astara region of Azerbaijan. The name "Yanar Bulaq" translates to "burning spring" in English. It is known for its unique feature of the water catching fire, attributed to the high concentration of sulfur and methane gases present in the water. The flames occur when the gas released from the water ignites upon contact with a flame.

The spring has been a local attraction for its medicinal properties and has been used by the community for many years. It is believed by the locals that drinking the water from Yanar Bulaq can provide healing benefits, especially for gastrointestinal ailments. The spring also holds historical significance and is considered a protected historical monument.

After the walk, tourists are accommodated in the five-star Khazar Palace hotel and have free time until the next morning. At the hotel, guests can use the services of a fitness center, spa, swim in the pools located both inside the hotel and outside, and for an additional fee they can use massage services, play bowling and use other amenities.

The next morning in the guest breakfast at the hotel in Lankaran, after which, together with the guide of our company, they go on a Lerik Tour by car.
The road to Lerik is quite long and amazes with the magnificence of nature, as it passes in a serpentine through the Talysh mountains. You have to drive through the Hirkan National Park. At one of the turns of this road, among the thickets of the forest, there is a historical mausoleum of the 15th century, where you can visit the grave of Amir Shahsever, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, the great commander and preacher, who lived in this place in the 11th century. A professional English-speaking guide will tell you a detailed history of this sacred place.
The Bobogil mausoleum in Lerik is revered as a sanctuary visited by pilgrims not only from local residents, but also from all over Azerbaijan and neighboring Muslim countries.

The administrative center of the Lerik region is the city of Lerik, one of the highest mountainous cities in Azerbaijan. At an altitude of almost 1200 meters above sea level, the cleanest air, water and food have become the reason for the excellent health of the locals.
Seventy-year-olds in Lerik are middle-aged people in their prime. A healthy lifestyle is a guarantee of longevity, therefore, in 1991, a unique museum of its kind was founded in the city of Lerik. There is no similar place anywhere in the world, and here an interesting tour awaits guests in this Longevity Museum.

The turbulent mountain river Talysh-chay originates in Iran and flows through the Hirkan National Park through two countries. The most beautiful rapids of this river are located in the Lerik region.
In the dense thickets of the forest near the village of Guneshli, one after the other, with an interval of a couple of kilometers, two picturesque waterfalls rumble, reminiscent of miniature variations of the legendary Niagara. These are the waterfalls of "Boy" and "Girl".
Both waterfalls are great places for photos and videos as a memento of the Lerik Tour. And near one of them, our guests drink fragrant Lankaran tea brewed with mountain herbs and eat jam. Tea with jam, oxygen-rich forest air against the background of tons of falling river water! In such an environment, all sorrows are forgotten.

In the local restaurant, located among the wonderful landscapes of the Lerik forest, guests are served lunch and tea. And since Lerik is a southern region of Azerbaijan, the guests will dine with pilaf from a rare variety of Astara rice from Lavangi (also called Levengi) and drink Astara tea. And an afternoon walk among the picturesque alleys of the “Cenub” Tourism & Holiday Centre is an ideal oxygen bath that contributes to a long healthy life.

After a rest in the protected areas during the Lerik Tour, we go back to Baku by semi-express with a short halt on the way in the already familiar oasis of the Haji-oglu Restaurant. Evening Guests will meet evening in the capital.