Azerbaijan was one of the biggest surprises of my trip through Russia and the Caucasus. Sitting between Russia, Iran, Armenia, Georgia, and the Caspian Sea, the country felt completely different from what I had expected before arriving. Baku was modern, energetic, and full of restaurants and nightlife, while outside the capital I found strange landscapes, ancient rock carvings, mud volcanoes, and a much more rugged side of the country.
Azerbaijan spent much of the 20th century as part of the Soviet Union before becoming independent in 1991. Since then, oil and gas wealth has transformed parts of the country, especially Baku, where historic neighborhoods now sit beside modern towers and major waterfront developments. What surprised me most was how easy and enjoyable the country was to travel through. Of the four countries I visited on this trip through Russia and the Caucasus, Azerbaijan ended up being my favorite.
Explore Baku
Baku is a fascinating mix of old and new. The historic center is surrounded by ancient walls and filled with narrow streets, old stone buildings, and some of the city’s most important landmarks. Just outside it, modern Baku spreads along the Caspian Sea with new towers, parks, restaurants, cafes, and a long waterfront promenade.
The city also had some of the best nightlife I experienced anywhere in the Caucasus. I found Baku surprisingly relaxed and international, with plenty happening late into the evening and a completely different atmosphere from the more traditional image I had of Azerbaijan before visiting.
Explore Gobustan & the Mud Volcanoes
Gobustan shows a completely different side of Azerbaijan. The landscape is filled with rocky hills, enormous boulders, and ancient petroglyphs left behind by people who lived in the region thousands of years ago. The barren terrain near the Caspian Sea feels almost prehistoric in places and makes an easy contrast with modern Baku.
Nearby are some of Azerbaijan’s famous mud volcanoes. Instead of erupting lava, these strange little cones bubble and spit cold mud from beneath the ground. Azerbaijan has one of the largest concentrations of mud volcanoes anywhere in the world, and seeing them in the middle of the empty landscape was easily one of the strangest experiences of my trip.
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