• Mud Volcanoes - Upon arriving in the Gobustan area, the journey leads to the Mud Volcanoes.

Azerbaijan is home to nearly a third of the world’s mud volcanoes, offering a fascinating, bubbling, and occasionally explosive landscape. These mud volcanoes are closely linked to underground hydrocarbon and petrochemical reserves, which cause gas to escape to the surface. Some of these gas leaks are perpetually aflame, sending small, continuous flames into the air. It is believed that these eternal flames are closely tied to the emergence of the Zoroastrian religion in Azerbaijan around 2,000 years ago.

Approximately every 20 years, one of these mud/gas volcanoes ignites deep underground, resulting in a significant explosion. Although generally not hazardous to people, as they are located far from most city centers, it is believed that a mud volcano in Bozdagh, Azerbaijan, once claimed the lives of six shepherds and over 2,000 sheep.

• Gobustan Rock Art - After visiting the Mud Volcanoes, the next stop is the Gobustan museum, followed by the Gobustan Rock Art (an open-air museum).

Gobustan State Reserve, situated west of the Gobustan settlement, about 40 miles southwest of Baku’s center, was established in 1966 when the area was designated a national historical landmark of Azerbaijan to preserve the ancient carvings, mud volcanoes, and gas-stones in the region.

Gobustan State Reserve is rich in archaeological monuments, boasting over 6,000 rock carvings. These carvings depict primitive people, animals, battle scenes, ritual dances, bullfights, boats with armed oarsmen, warriors with lances, camel caravans, and images of the sun and stars, dating back approximately 5,000-20,000 years.

• Bibi-Heybat Mosque - On the return journey from the Gobustan area, there will be a stop at the Bibi-Heybat Mosque.
• Yanardag State Historical, Cultural and Natural Reserve - The next destination on the tour is Yanardag (Burning Mountain), where visitors will witness the natural fire burning continuously.

Yanar Dag (Azerbaijani: Yanar Dağ, meaning “burning mountain”) is a natural gas fire that burns continuously on a hillside on the Absheron Peninsula near the Caspian Sea, close to Baku. Unlike mud volcanoes, the Yanar Dag flame burns steadily due to a consistent seep of gas from below the surface. It is said that the Yanar Dag flame was only discovered when accidentally ignited by a shepherd in the 1950s.

• Ateshgah - Fire Temple - The Baku Ateshgah (from Persian: آتشگاه‎, Atashgāh, Azerbaijani: Atəşgah), often referred to as the “Fire Temple of Baku,” is a castle-like religious temple in Surakhani town, a suburb of Baku, Azerbaijan.

According to Persian inscriptions, the temple served as a place of worship for Hindus, Sikhs, and Zoroastrians. “Atash” (آتش) is the Persian word for fire. The pentagonal complex, featuring a courtyard surrounded by cells for monks and a tetrapillar-altar in the center, was constructed during the 17th and 18th centuries. It was abandoned in the late 19th century, likely due to the decline of the Indian population in the area. The natural eternal flame extinguished in 1969, following nearly a century of petroleum and gas exploitation in the region, but is now lit by gas piped from the nearby city.

• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• Comfortable car with English speaking driver

• Food and drinks
• Entrance fees to the museums (Mud Volcanoes, Gobustan, Fire Temple, Yanardag)
• Other expenses

The Gobustan, Mud Volcanoes and Absheron tour encompasses a full-day itinerary, focusing on the city’s most significant museums and heritage sites. Areas of interest you’ll explore throughout this excursion include:

• Gobustan National Museum & the Gobustan Rock Engravings
• The Mud Volcanoes
• The Temple of Fire
• The Flaming Mountain
• The site of the first oil well drilled industrially in the world
• The Bibi-Heybat Mosque
• The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.