Quba and Khinalug: a first-timer's guide to the northern mountains

Why go

Quba combines culture and wild scenery better than anywhere else in the country. In one trip you can visit a unique Jewish town, eat fresh apples from roadside stalls, walk to waterfalls and sleep in a mountain village where people speak a language found nowhere else.

Quba town

The town itself is small and pleasant, with an octagonal **Juma Mosque**, tea houses and a sobering **Genocide Memorial Complex** remembering the 1918 massacres. Quba's carpets are among the most famous in the Caucasus, and some workshops welcome visitors.

The Red Village

Across the Gudyalchay river, **Qirmizi Qasaba**, the Red Village, is one of the largest communities of mountain Jews in the world. It has synagogues, a museum of mountain Jewish history and quiet streets of large family houses. Visitors are welcome, but dress modestly and ask before photographing people.

Khinalug

The road to **Khinalug** climbs through the narrow **Tenghi Canyon** and up into treeless high country. The village sits at over two thousand metres, a cluster of stone houses stacked on a ridge with peaks on every side. It has its own language, Khinalug, spoken by only a few thousand people, a small museum and a fire temple shrine on the hills above. The road is paved now, but weather can close it in winter and spring. Stay overnight in a homestay if you can: evenings are quiet and the stars are extraordinary.

Waterfalls and villages

Near the road, **Afurja waterfall** drops from a cliff a short walk from the car park. In the Gusar district, the village of **Laza** sits beneath vertical cliffs and seasonal waterfalls, a favourite for hikers. On the way from Baku, the striped **Candy Cane Mountains** near Siyazan make a colourful photo stop.

Shahdag

**Shahdag Mountain Resort** is the country's main ski area, with modern lifts, hotels and slopes for all levels in winter. In summer, the cable cars carry hikers and mountain bikers up into meadows, and the surrounding **Shahdag National Park** has long trails and horse riding.

Food

Look for Quba **apples**, fruit preserves, honey, local cheeses, and **Quba kebab**. Mountain villages serve simple, hearty food: soup, bread, butter, cheese and tea.

Getting there and around

Buses and minibuses run from Baku to Quba. For Khinalug, Laza and the waterfalls, use a local taxi or a tour from Quba, as public transport is limited. Ask your hotel or guesthouse to recommend a driver and agree the price before you set off.

Where to stay

Quba town has simple hotels and some resort hotels in the forests. Shahdag has ski hotels. Khinalug and Laza have basic homestays with shared bathrooms, which most visitors find a highlight. Bring warm clothes: nights are cold even in summer.

A suggested two days

On day one, drive from Baku via the Candy Cane Mountains, visit the Red Village and the town centre, then continue up through Tenghi Canyon to Khinalug for the night. On day two, walk around Khinalug at sunrise, stop at Afurja waterfall on the way down and finish at Shahdag or Laza before returning to Baku. Weather in the high mountains changes quickly, so keep the plan flexible, and carry snacks and water because shops are few once you leave town. Roads beyond Quba are narrow and steep, so allow extra time for every stretch.