Lankaran-Astara-Lerik 2 Days, 1 Night Tour

The Lankaran Lerik tour begins with a warm welcome from an expert guide from Azerbaijan Travel International. After everyone is gathered, the journey to Lankaran kicks off in a comfortable car.
Traveling along a modern highway through the Mugan Plain, which itself is a part of the national culture, you'll notice the enduring influence of the East, which becomes quite evident with each passing sight. About 130 km from Baku, between the Kura River and the Mugan Water Channel, you'll arrive at the picturesque oasis restaurant, "Haji-oglu." Here, guests will enjoy a delightful breakfast in the best Azerbaijani traditions, setting the perfect tone for the Lankaran cultural tour. After a breakfast we will get on the road again to finally reach our first sight – Samovar Circle.

The first day of our tour ends at the Lankaran Railway Station Square near the coast of the Caspian Sea. Here guests get acquainted with several attractions of Lankaran at once.
In front of the railway station in the park there is a monument to the hero of the Second World War, Major General Azi Aslanov, a native of these places.

Nearby stands a historical monument of architecture – the Lankaran Lighthouse. The years of its construction date back to the first half of the XVIII century. At one time it was part of the destroyed Lankaran fortress. It is in excellent condition and is an active lighthouse.

The station itself and the railway are located near the seashore, so a walk along the shore of the Caspian Sea, the largest lake on the planet, will be a worthy end to the Lankaran adventure.

The most delicious food of Azerbaijan is in the south. Hearty, with a delicate taste that satisfies the most capricious gourmet and an aroma from which you want to interrupt all diets, the dishes are distinguished by their authentic component – Lankaran Levengi. Levengi is a fruit–nut-vegetable paste, which is used as a filling for most South Azerbaijani dishes. The author is not even going to convey the unique taste in these lines, but strongly recommends coming to Lankaran with the tour operator Azerbaijan Travel International and having lunch at the Khan Lankaran restaurant. With the coming pleasant appetite!
The menu of your lunch includes an appetizer of cold eggplant Levengi, the main course is hot Lyavyangi from rustic chicken, vegetable salad, bread, soft drinks.

Azerbaijanis have a profound love for tea. Whether alone or with friends, they drink tea at any time of day, for any reason, or simply because the act of drinking tea itself is a special occasion. For the average Azerbaijani, tea is almost as essential as air, ranking just after it and before water. Tea in Azerbaijan is uniquely cultivated in Lankaran. Visitors on the Lankaran Lerik tour will have the chance to see firsthand how and where this tea is grown, especially as they explore the beautiful tea plantations near the Hirkan National Park. This experience is a highlight of any Azerbaijan southern tour.

It's time for a tea party beside the majestic mountain lake! Even though we left the city’s borders, we’re still sightseeing Lankaran’s beauty. Nestled within the Talish Mountains, a range in the South Caucasus, lies the serene mirror lake of Khanbulan, surrounded by the lush forests of Hyrkan National Park. Here, near the lake's edge, in the shade of majestic oaks and chestnuts, guests can enjoy a delightful tea break. A stroll along the shores of Khanbulan adds an unforgettable touch to the Lankaran Lerik tour.

"Yanar Bulaq" or The Burning Spring is a natural spring located in the Astara region of Azerbaijan. The name "Yanar Bulaq" translates to "burning spring" in English. It is known for its unique feature of the water catching fire, attributed to the high concentration of sulfur and methane gases present in the water. The flames occur when the gas released from the water ignites upon contact with a flame.

The spring has been a local attraction for its medicinal properties and has been used by the community for many years. It is believed by the locals that drinking the water from Yanar Bulaq can provide healing benefits, especially for gastrointestinal ailments. The spring also holds historical significance and is considered a protected historical monument.

After the walk, tourists are accommodated in the five-star Khazar Palace hotel and have free time until the next morning. At the hotel, guests can use the services of a fitness center, spa, swim in the pools located both inside the hotel and outside, and for an additional fee they can use massage services, play bowling and use other amenities.

The next morning in the guest breakfast at the hotel in Lankaran, after which, together with the guide of our company, they go on a Lerik Tour by car.
The road to Lerik is quite long and amazes with the magnificence of nature, as it passes in a serpentine through the Talysh mountains. You have to drive through the Hirkan National Park. At one of the turns of this road, among the thickets of the forest, there is a historical mausoleum of the 15th century, where you can visit the grave of Amir Shahsever, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, the great commander and preacher, who lived in this place in the 11th century. A professional English-speaking guide will tell you a detailed history of this sacred place.
The Bobogil mausoleum in Lerik is revered as a sanctuary visited by pilgrims not only from local residents, but also from all over Azerbaijan and neighboring Muslim countries.

The administrative center of the Lerik region is the city of Lerik, one of the highest mountainous cities in Azerbaijan. At an altitude of almost 1200 meters above sea level, the cleanest air, water, and food contribute to the excellent health of the locals. Next stop we’re driving to there, while taking in breathtaking landscapes of Lerik, is the Longevity Museum.
For people of Lerik, the borders of age are very blurry. Seventy-year-olds in Lerik can be considered middle-aged people in their prime. A healthy lifestyle ensures longevity, which led to the founding of a unique museum in 1991. This one-of-a-kind place, the Longevity Museum, offers an intriguing tour for visitors, showcasing the secrets of a long and healthy life.

The turbulent mountain river Talysh-chay originates in Iran and flows through the Hirkan National Park through two countries. The most beautiful rapids of this river are located in the Lerik region.
In the dense thickets of the forest near the village of Guneshli, one after the other, with an interval of a couple of kilometers, two picturesque waterfalls rumble, reminiscent of miniature variations of the legendary Niagara. These are the waterfalls of "Boy" and "Girl".
Both waterfalls are great places for photos and videos as a memento of the Lerik Tour. And near one of them, our guests drink fragrant Lankaran tea brewed with mountain herbs and eat jam. Tea with jam, oxygen-rich forest air against the background of tons of falling river water! In such an environment, all sorrows are forgotten.

At the restaurant "Janub," located by a mountain river in the lush forest of the Talysh Mountains, our guests enjoy a lunch of Chicken Lyavyangi, eggplant Lyavyangi, walnut omelet, fresh vegetables, rustic tendir bread, and wild berry compote. This gastronomic experience is a part of our cultural Lankaran Lerik tour, an essential element of exploring southern Azerbaijan. It’s also crucial to mention, that Talysh Lyavyangi is the highlight of southern Azerbaijani cuisine. This dish features a blend of walnuts, onions, and fruit pastilles stuffed into a rustic chicken, which is then baked to perfection. Guests of our ATI company are treated to this delightful dish.

Talysh cuisine, recognized by UNESCO as part of the Intangible Heritage List, combines health benefits with rich flavors. Enjoying these culinary delights while surrounded by the natural beauty of the Talysh Mountains enhances the overall experience of our Lerik nature tour.

The rich landscapes of Lerik and the delicious food served at Janub helps every person truly understand the beauty of Azerbaijan’s southern regions.

After a rest in the protected areas during the Lerik Tour, we go back to Baku by semi-express with a short halt on the way in the already familiar oasis of the Haji-oglu Restaurant.