Highlights of Azerbaijan

Welcome to Baku, the national capital of Azerbaijan. Upon arrival, you will be met by your local guide and driver and transferred to your hotel for check-in. The remainder of the day is free to relax after your long-haul flight.

Start your fresh morning at Ateshgah, often called the "Fire Temple of Baku". According to some inscriptions, the temple served as a Hindu, Sikh, and Zoroastrian place of worship. Explore the castle-like religious temple and feel the ancient fire worship culture. Continue your "tour of fire" to the "burning mountain" Yanar Dag. Natural gas has been feeding the blaze for ages and you may better understand why Azerbaijan got the name "the Land of Fire" on site.

Return to the Inner City and visit the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, a pearl of Azerbaijan's traditional architecture built in the 15th century. Stop at a Caravanserai, and imagine the bustling scenes of the ancient roadside inn in its heyday. Next to it is the Maiden Tower, a unique monument in Baku for its rare architectural and constructive structure. Then meet the new Baku by exploring the centrally located Nizami Street and Fountain Square.

After breakfast, leave Baku and drive to Sheki via Shamakhi. On the way, have a visit to the Diri Baba Mausoleum, built into a cliff off the beaten track. Head to Shamakhi to explore the stunning Juma Mosque. Dating from the 8th century, this historical masterpiece has been restored several times for the damages suffered in battles and earthquakes. If weather permits, drive through Girdimanchay River Canyon to Lahij, a quaint corner high in the Caucasus mountains with its authentic handicraft traditions, particularly related to copper.

Reach Sheki in the evening and stay overnight in the pleasant medieval town set in a lush mountainous area.

Without a doubt, a top sight you cannot miss in Sheki is the Fortress guarding Sheki Khan's Palace. The exquisite complex was built in the 18th century and served as Sheki Khan's summer residence. The symmetrical structure and unique decoration of the palace combined with the surroundings certainly will impress you. Continue to discover the ancient and modern times meet at Sheki Caravanserai. This roadside inn along the Silk Road is currently engaged in a hotel, historical monument, restaurant, and other activities. Enjoy some leisure time at handicrafts workshops and the local bazaar.

In the afternoon, depart Sheki and drive forward to Ganja town. A stopover at the Church of Kish will be arranged en route. Said to have been initially built in the 1st century AD - which makes it possibly the oldest one in the Caucasus, the church is still very well preserved.

Enjoy a full-day tour in Ganja, historically an important city in the South Caucasus. You will explore the Nizami Ganjavi Mausoleum, built in honor of one of the greatest Azeri poets Nizami Ganjavi. Take off your shoes and enter the Goy Imam Mosque, where Imamzadeh Mausoleum is located inside. You can find people come here to pray and pay their respect to Ibrahim Ibn Muhammad Al Bakir - the son of the fifth Shia Imam. Learn more history about Azerbaijan by visiting the Mausoleum of Javad Khan. Change your tempo to the Bottle House, an unusual private residence in Ganja built from 48,000 glass bottles of different shapes and sizes. Round off the day by strolling in the Heydar Aliyev Park, the largest urban park in Ganja at present.

Depart from Ganja in the morning and take a scenic road transfer back to Baku. En route, pay a visit to the Gobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve and the Petroglyph Museum, and be amazed at an astonishing collection of over 6,000 petroglyphs charting ways of life on the average dating back to 5,000-20,000 years. Also, marvel at the bubbling Mud Volcanoes in Gobustan Reserve, home to almost half of its kind.

Bid farewell to Azerbaijan. After breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel and transferred to the airport for your flight to the next destination.