I had a couple of weeks to spend in Azerbaijan and I was looking for some hiking opportunities.
Azerbaijan is home to the Greater and Lesser Caucasus Mountains which means there are plenty of opportunities to go and explore. (Un)fortunately, many are yet to be mapped and finding information about trails can be a bit confusing. There is good information on the Azerbaijan Travel official page. But I found it a bit confusing to go through and choose a multiday hike. Also, the Transcaucasian Trail Association has published 2 different multi-day hiking guides as of 2022 in the Greater Caucasus Mountains. More will be coming up next years as they are building a trail network from the Caspian Sea all the way to Georgia. Check out:
- Guba to Gusar, 102km, 6-10 days.
- Sheki to Zagatala, 97km, 5-7days.
But as I was chatting with Nazrin from Transcaucasian Trail Association Azerbaijan, they recommended me to try a brand new route that they have been scouting. She told me the name of the village where the trek starts and sent me the GPX tracks just a day before. They asked me not to camp out in the region and told me that they will direct me to some hosts while I am already there. The hike was going to take 3-4 days and I was going to be the very first hiker on these trails.
The following is a full trip report of the whole adventure.
If you are interested in doing a similar hike then please contact the Transcaucasian Trail Association Azerbaijan and Nazrin for GPX files and more information. As these trails are still in development you will get the most up-to-date info from there.
Email: info@transcaucasiantrail.org
Instagram TCT: https://www.instagram.com/transcaucasiantrail/
Instagram TCT Azerbaijan: https://www.instagram.com/tctazerbaijan/
Table of contents
- Transportation to the trailTransportation to the trail
- Day 1Day 1
- Day 2Day 2
- Day 3Day 3
- Day 4Day 4
- Getting outGetting out
- Length of the hikeLength of the hike
- Language barrier in the regionLanguage barrier in the region
- General route recommendation by daysGeneral route recommendation by days
- Trail conditionsTrail conditions
- Other tips and recommendationsOther tips and recommendations
- General feeling and closing remarksGeneral feeling and closing remarks
Transportation to the trail
Bus Baku – Lankaran – 9 manat.
Taxi Lankaran bus station – Salyut Hotel – 3 manat.
Salyut Hotel 1 night 30 manat (after hike I stayed for 2 nights and payed 35 and 45 manat)
Taxi Lankaran to Lerik – 30 manat (booked with the same taxi driver who brought me from the bus station). The hotel told me that there should also be a few buses to Lerik, departing about 6-7 am from the bus station.
I told the taxi driver that I am going on to Mistan and I need find a car. He took me to a corner with many taxis and found me the next ride.
Taxi Lerik to Mistan – 30 manat. A regular small Lada. I payed 40 manat since I didn’t have exact and decided to just leave it as it is. He was a bit concerned to leave me there in Mistan and told me not to pass to Iran through the mountains because it is not allowed.
I left Lankaran 8am and arrived to Mistan about 10.30am. From there I started walking.
Day 1
Nice ascent in the beginning. The path was quite clear. It was really windy.
Soon after reaching the ridge, there were some shepherds who invited me to join them for food. They gave me some bread and cheese and tea and we had some laughs together. They were really surprised about me being there.
Really nice mountain views throughout the whole day. Passed another sheep herd with some dogs along the way. Had a lunch break in the spot where it was marked “add a picnic table”. It was a little windy that day there.
Just before reaching Coni a car passing by stopped to have a chat. We took photos together 🙂
Reached Coni about 5-6 pm right before sunset.
Accommodation
1st night in Coni. I asked around from villagers for Rasim. One young guy directed me to his house. He lives a bit more uphill away from the main road. The people I asked, in the beginning, were actually also willing to host me.
Rasim lives together with his wife and a son (who is mentally disordered. I noticed that kind of people more during the hike. Seems to be a common problem with the small village life).
They have 2 rooms – a common area with the oven and a cold room in the front. No beds but carpets on the floor. They put me to sleep in the front room and gave me a mattress, pillows and 2 blankets.
Rasim and his family were really curious about my hiking poles and backpack. For them, these items seemed very weird and were intrigued to have a tourist there.
Food
For dinner a small bowl of soup, bread and cheese. Besides that afterwards walnuts and apples. A lot of tea. Like a lot.
It was really nice and warm to sleep in, I also used my sleeping bag.
Breakfast bread and cheese.
Price
They didn’t ask for anything but I gave them 40 manats. I was thinking to leave 30, but I did not have an exact 🙂
I left the place around 7.30 am.
Day 2
I don’t remember anything specific about the trail. Was good and chill with a nice path. Really nice views up on the ridge where the strange-looking rocks/cliffs are. Had lunch there as well.
Reached Hamosham at about 2.30 pm. When I reached the village I was stopped by a group of guys and one of them seemed to be an official. He asked to see my passport and invited me for chai in a restaurant. There was also a local teacher who spoke very good English and so he was a good translator and helped me very everything. The school there has around 300 students.
The official guy and many others were very interested in what I am doing there. I needed to explain thoroughly that I am hiking, I enjoy nature/mountains and like to meet the local people who are very nice and welcoming. They did not seem to be familiar with the concept of hiking. Also, again they were very concerned that I did not come or will not cross the border to Iran from there.
Also, they warned me about the bears and wolves who they supposedly have a lot of in these forests.
I continued from Hamosham and soon enough reached Dolu around 16.30pm.
Accommodation
Upon reaching Dolu I asked around for Ilqar. The house is at the end part of the village on the right-hand side of the road a bit after the road signs.
Ilqar (55+) was there with his mother (85+). He speaks Russian as well. He gave me a spot(mattress) in the corner of his own room. His wife was not there at that moment but as I understood she usually is. We spent the whole evening in the same room drinking tea and watching TV.
For dinner, they offered a small plate with chicken. Also, as always, some bread, butter and cheese.
His friend came over at some point and also ended up staying in the same room (in his bed) for the night. Ilqar kept on calling his friends and family to show that he is hosting a tourist 🙂 I provided him with Wifi hotspot for the evening. Also, it turned out that his friend from Hamosham had already called him beforehand that a tourist is coming to his village. So people around knew that someone is walking through their villages 🙂
Anyways, that evening turned out to be one of the strangest ever. Around 9 pm I was getting tired and he told me that if I want, I can go lay down and sleep. At the same time, in the same room, they were watching TV at really loud volumes and chatting. Around 12pm some other friend came over and it kept on going until 1-2 am. At the same time, I was napping/half awake and trying to sleep in the same room. Due to the language barrier, we couldn’t speak that much as well.
They turned off the TV and went to sleep around 2 am.
For breakfast, we had some bread and cheese and I left around 8 am.
Price
I gave him 40 manats. I felt that 20 was maybe not enough and I didn’t have 30 🙂
It was a great experience and I am grateful for the roof over my head but if I can choose I would not stay there again. OR if he would put their guest to some other room to sleep, then it would be very good. All in all, the place is nice and good.
Day 3
For some reason that day felt like the toughest on the trail. It had more elevation gain and many parts were difficult.
Already just after leaving Dolu the shortcut down to a river and back up was really muddy. And it continued like that through the next village – Savgo. Really beautiful views in the village after that after the uphill part. Then the trail through the forest was nice. Had a break for coffee next to the “water source” stream. Coming down to Avyarud is just a big mess. No exact trail is to be followed. It looked like it would be nicer to get down to a flatter part earlier would have been nice and then continue there. Or if going along the hillside then serious trailblazing would be good. Then a steep ascent after Digo and also after Sim. Both trails were very muddy. I think the muddy conditions also made it so much more physically challenging.
Higher boots were a good choice for these sections during that day 🙂
Had some short chats with people in Sim and a very late lunch on the hill after Sim to get some energy.
Accommodation
Suleymans’ place at Siyov village was one of the highlights of this trip. Actually, there was no Sulayman but Asiman with his wife and 3 kids. If I understood correctly then Suleyman is his wifes’ brother. They were really welcoming even though we didn’t have a common language to speak. They did not speak any Russian as well. So we were talking basically only with google translate and hand signs. They gave me a personal room with an oven and they even have an actual hamam/hot shower. It was the first time in 3 days I got to change my clothes and have a (hot)shower. I was already smelling my bad odour myself :D.
They provided the best/biggest dinner I had throughout these days. Besides the aforementioned things also fried potatoes with eggs and honey. They insisted on washing my muddy pants which I allowed them to.
During the evening I was also learning some Azerbaijani together with the young boys – 2 and 5 years old. They had some notebooks that were also perfect for me 🙂
We went to sleep around 10 pm and after waking up I was given a delicious breakfast.
I asked for his number but Asiman said that he doesn’t have a phone. By the way, to reach any place that has roads from that village is at least a 3-hour walk. There are 6 houses in Siyov.
I left around 9 am in the morning
Price
I only had 20 manats left in my wallet which I gave to them. I also found 10 USD which I gave as well.
Day 4
I only had half a day worth of hiking left for the 4th day. Mostly downhill but also in really really muddy conditions for half the time. The forest and path itself was really beautiful and I would love to hike it maybe during summer when it is drier. It was also raining a little but for the whole day. At the same, the autumn has its own special vibe and the forest feels a bit different from summer I bet.
Second half of the trail ran along a river and there are some really nice chilling spots. Perhaps good for camping as well.
I reached the asphalt road and the thermal pools which marked the ending point for the hike around 13pm.
Getting out
I walked all the way to the Istisu Thermal “pools”. I went down to the river to wash my boots and there is hot salty water flowing into the river which made the wash really pleasant.
As I just stood around the bus stop, some guy stopped and asked me what am I doing there and where am I going. He offered to drop me off at Lankaran for 30 manats.
He asked for the money already while still in the village for the fuel and as I didn’t have any we needed to go get some in an ATM in Astara. It seemed he didn’t have enough for fuel and wanted the money in front.
Afterwards, he asked for 5 manat extra for that side trip. Also, he was not really keen on dropping me off in the centre of Lankaran but at the entrance next to some taxis. So I spent an extra 5 manats to get back to the hotel from there. That made in total 40 manats to get back.
By the way, as we were driving, I noticed buses with the writing Istisu-Astara on the windshield, so I guess that a bus would have also gone to that stop next to the thermal pools. Besides that, I saw buses with Astara-Lankaran written on them, so it should be possible to get out by bus as well.
Length of the hike
Day 1 – Mistan to Coni; 28500 steps 19,15km
Day 2 – Coni to Dolu; 38600 steps 26,29km
Day 3 – Dolu to Siyov; 36700 steps 25,32km
Day 4 – Siyov to Istisu; 21600 steps 12,14km
Total 82,9km
This data is according to the Google Fit application on my phone. I have noticed that it might add a few extra kilometres each day compared to other people’s fitness watches.
The GPX data from TCTA suggests that the whole length is 68,3km.
Language barrier in the region
I only met a few people during the whole trip who spoke English – guy at the hotel, a shephard and a teacher in Hamosham. A lot of people also speak Russian. So my very very basic understanding of Russian was definitely useful.
Having a language translation app which can also be used offline is a must. I used Google Translate and downloaded Azerbaijani and Russian languages beforehand.
General route recommendations by days
Doing this hike in 3 days is definitely possible with a bit longer days and drier conditions.
The days were getting dark in November already after 5pm and since there was no “set” accommodations I prefered to arrive into villages in daylight. Also, walking in the thick mud was definitely lowering the pace.
But I think 4 days is also very nice and chill.
My recommendation to do it in 4 days is following:
1 – Mistan to Coni
2 – Coni to Hamosham
3 – Hamosham to Sim (it gives the possibility to hike the higher route without camping)
4 – Sim to Istisu
You should still have time to get out from Istisu before it gets dark.
But in this way you will miss out on hospitable people in Siyov 🙂
Trail conditions
In general, the trail is in very good shape!
It is totally possible to hike everything with ease and very little needs to be done for trail improvement in my opinion.
There was a section before Avyarud that needs some work. And I don’t know if anything can be done with the muddy trails. Probably not, because there are just so many and this is normal for this season.
Naturally, I lost the trail multiple times and I needed to backtrack when I checked the GPS. But this is normal in this stage of trail building. When red markers and signs will be put up, it will be easier to navigate.
Other tips and recommendations
Money
Take at least 200-300 manat with you and have small bills so you can have exact money. The hosts will probably not give you anything back. They will say that give as much as you want.
Food
In the beginning, I felt that food in the accommodations was really little and eating only bread was not really sufficient. I had gotten used to the big portions in the guesthouses in Georgia so it was different here.
But then I understood that the locals really don’t have more and they eat the same way themselves all the time. Bread and cheese, bread and cheese, bread and cheese. No vegetables in sight.
The biggest meal was in Asiman’s house where they also gave potatoes.
So my recommendation is to take some extra food with you. I had some ready-packaged meals that I got in Baku in Yonja Outdoor Store, noodles, coffee and a stove with me.
The only shop in the region was in Hamosham.
Backpack
Well, I definitely overpacked.
I also took camping equipment with me and had extra warmer baselayer clothes. The things I would use while camping. This time, I didn’t use more than half of my backpack.
It is a bit colder in the beginning in the higher elevations but gets warmer as soon as you get to 2nd day already. I was hiking just with a t-shirt on the 2nd and 3rd day. That being said, I used wind and rain shell a lot.
General feeling and closing remarks
Trailblazing this trail in southern Azerbaijan felt more like an adventure than a hike. Whenever I saw or passed somebody they put their hands in the air and tried to ask me “What the fuck are you doing here?”.
They rarely see tourists and don’t understand the term “hiking”.
This journey had its challenges (like the night in Dolu or muddy trails) but the more gratitude I feel for being able to embark on this adventure and finish it.
In general, in the Caucasus, I feel like having more knowledge of the local languages (or Russian at least) would have made the connections created even deeper.
Çox sağ ol Nazrin and the Transcaucasian Trail Azerbaijan for giving me this opportunity!
Tanel Tilk
Estonia
07.11.2022
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