Guba and Khinalig Tour
Description
Nestled at an impressive altitude of 2,100 meters above sea level, the remote Khinalug village will be the highlight and final destination of this tour. Here, you’ll not only admire the ancient architecture of the village but also take in breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding peaks. The adventure includes an exciting safari through the stunning Gudiolchay Gorge in iconic Soviet-era off-road vehicles, leading to the village of Khinalug. Along the way, you might spot majestic eagles soaring in the skies, wild horses racing along the rocky riverbanks, and clouds so low they seem close enough to touch.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Pink Lake (Masazir) — the most unique lake in Azerbaijan, renowned for its unusual hue. There are only eight pink lakes in the world, and one of them is right here in Azerbaijan. Note: During the winter period (from December 1 to March 31), visits to the Pink Lake Masazyr are temporarily suspended, as due to natural conditions the lake loses its characteristic pink shade. This allows more time to be spent at other key locations of the itinerary, including the Shahdag Mountain Resort, which makes the tour even more rich and comfortable. Not visited from December 1 to April 30, as the lake loses its color during this period.
Driving along the M1 motorway connecting the capital of Azerbaijan with the largest cities of Russia, you will see the mountain Beshbarmak, located near the coast of the Caspian Sea. Beshbarmak is a place of pilgrimage for the local population and thanks to its height and shape has been an excellent reference point for sailors since ancient times. The holy place “Pir Hydyr Zundzha” is located at the foot of the Beshbarmag Mountain, where the travelers stop to perform prayers and worship. Your professional guide will tell you the mythical stories associated with this place.
After lunch, you will head to the village of Khinalug in legendary Soviet off-road vehicles. On the way to this hidden settlement, you will pass through the Gudialchay Gorge, a historic route that has been traveled for centuries by people from all over the world. Local shepherds guiding their flocks to the river of the same name and warriors from the greatest empires of the East have all walked this path.
Isolated from the Wolrd, Khinalug village is located at an altitude of 2100 meters above sea level and will be the last point to visit during this tour. You will see not only the ancient architecture of this village, you will also enjoy a breathtaking panorama of the peaks surrounding this village. And on the way to Khinalig, you can often see eagles flying overhead, wild horses galloping along the banks of stony rivers and clouds descending so low that sometimes they can even be touched.
Where the land of the Absheron peninsula passes into the continent, the massif of the foothills of the North Caucasus, the mountains of Khizi, begins. Daghlis live here. Daghli is a sub-ethnos of the Iranian nation, Azerbaijanis of Persian origin, one of the few European Persian tribes. There is a section in Khizi where the mountains are unique in their appearance. Candy Cane Mountains (also called Colored Mountains, Agate Mountains and Rainbow Mountains) are popularly called for their similarity in color to sugar candies in purple stains. A picturesque asphalt road winding like a mountain river running between the Colored Mountains for several kilometers is an indescribable positive emotion and an invaluable experience even for a sophisticated traveler.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pick up from central hotels in Baku exept Hotels that aresituated in the Old City and near by. That guests are coming to the Azerbaijan avenue 1
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(230)
Perfect tour, guide Ruslan was so comunicable and his story was so interesting to listen, even we woke up at 6am, we didn’t want to sleep at all because of his speech. Beautiful places with amazing story and culture. 100% worth visit. You will see one of the rarest people on planet, that lives in the Khinalig. I was amazed, amazing nature of Azerbaijan. Tour started at 7:35am, in very convenient place for us, in the Baku center, we also stopped in the market and we had lunch in the Quba city Forest park.
This is a wonderful tour where you can see such stunning scenery that takes your breath away. Nazir is an excellent tour guide who is ready to talk for hours about the history and beauty of Azerbaijan interestingly with humor, his attitude to events, which is very valuable.
Very good tour. The tour guide, Seyidağa was very informative and pleasant.
Today I joined a wonderful tour from Baku to Quba and Khinalig, including stops at the Pink Lake and several other beautiful locations. We were a small group of around 12 people, which made the experience very enjoyable and personal. Our two guides, Nuray and Nazir, were absolutely outstanding. They explained every stop with great knowledge, enthusiasm, and attention to detail, while making sure that every member of the group felt welcome and included. What impressed me the most was that everyone could follow the tour, regardless of their language. The explanations were given in Azerbaijani, English, Russian, and even partly in German. I would especially like to thank Nazir, who made the effort to explain many things in German. That was a wonderful surprise and made the experience even more enjoyable for me. It was clear that both guides truly love what they do. Their fascinating stories, warm personalities, and excellent organization made this tour an unforgettable experience. A big thank you to Nuray and Nazir! I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Azerbaijan.
The Guba-Hynalik tour on July 24th, 2026 was super! 👍Guide Rafael presents the material perfectly: with humor and deep knowledge in a wide variety of fields. Would love to get to him on other excursions 🥰 Locations - just WOW!!!🎉🎉🎉 Especially the mountains 🤩🤩🤩 Azerbaijan in my heart is now forever 🥰🥰🥰🥰, Special Thank you to the driver (don't know my name, unfortunately...)
Excellently organized excursion to the mountains of northern Azerbaijan. We went to see the change of landscape and nature compared to the Caspian coast. The experience is amazing! Highlands, nature, marble mountains - delight, beautiful photos! Special thanks to our guide Ruslan! With what passion and affection he spoke about the country, customs, traditions. Positive, kind, humorous. The road is not close, but there were many locations, viewpoints and technical stops. The driver was a pro, safely and quickly navigating the mountain serpentine, adding a local flavor to Ruslan's story. The group is small - 12 people, minibus with air conditioning. Dining at a restaurant in a beautiful spot by a mountain river, menu order. Prices as in Baku: 6-7 manats of soup, hot from 20 manats. The village of Khanalyg is in a beautiful disintegration, as if it had gone back a couple of centuries. Dilapidated houses of stone and what you will have to on the slope, domestic animals walk along grassy streets - paths, dry squid, lambs and horses graze on alpine meadows. Back in town around 9 p.m., tired but very pleased!
I advise everyone to be very interesting and professional. Especially the guide who didn't let you get bored.
The tour is good. Especially her second part is the mountains! They're delicious! But the pink lake is not pink at all, the usual with a little shade. The agate mountains aren't agate mountains either, just plain colored sand. But the photos are great! Bright, colorful! The forest wasn't impressed either. But for the beauty of the mountains and the flavors of the mountain flowers, it is worth going! But most importantly, our tour guide Ruslan! The guy's good! Educated, literate, delicate. Pure Russian speech, answer to every question. Ruslan is very interesting to listen to. You forget you wanted to sleep on the road. More tour guides like this! Overall, the organization is at the top! Meet/accompany on time. Comfortable bus, support before and after the tour! Thank you.
It's a great tour. Super guide. Driver class. Everything was very interesting.
It was an excellent trip. Emilia the tour guide had a very good knowledge about the whole trip. She had very comprehensive history knowledge. Trip was value for money. We loved every minute of the trip.
