Novruz is Azerbaijan’s traditional celebration of the arrival of spring, a joyful welcoming of Earth’s reawakening after winter and the fertile promise of the coming months. Its focus on the elements - water, fire, wind and earth - encourages us all to reconnect to our physical home - planet Earth - with all its life-giving wonder and mystery. For those of you who have not been to Azerbaijan during Novruz season, we fervently recommend you take the time to visit and experience this springtime festival in person. To further tempt you, below we have put together a guide to the top activities to dive into during this Novruz in Azerbaijan, with enough action, relaxation and interest to keep a healthy balance. Birdwatching No appreciation of spring is complete without the sweet sound of birds in song that signals a warming up of the wind and the arrival of longer days and relaxation in the sun. Azerbaijan happens to be a perfect place to catch hundreds of species of rare migratory birds in the Novruz holidays. For more details, check out our separate brochure and articles, but if you want a quick tip for where to start, try Mount Beshbarmag, a striking rocky outcrop by the Caspian Sea, a short distance from Baku. Spot a steppe eagle or pallid harrier from a host of many species. Paragliding While you are there, why not go a step further and become a bird yourself? Mount Beshbarmag is also one of the best spots in Azerbaijan to try paragliding, along with Shahdag Mountain Resort. Join the flocks of circling birds with the Caspian Sea or the snow of the Greater Caucasus Mountains glistening below. Get a little taste of what it is like to be airborne and feel the freedom of gliding and swooping through clear Novruz skies. Local Crafts A trip to the mountains in Novruz must include seeing one of Azerbaijan’s ancient craft centres, whether it be the historic sites of Sheki, Basgal’s silk kelaghayi headscarves or the copper creations of Lahij. For a fascinating introduction to carpets, pay a visit to the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum in Baku. These are only the most notable crafts, so if you have time there really is a lot more to explore. Azerbaijani Cuisine Culture and cuisine go hand-in-hand, and you will not have a problem sampling the staggering variations of national dishes as you travel around Azerbaijan in full spring bloom. One aspect of Novruz is a celebration of earth and what it produces for us, so having had a taste of all our mouth-watering culinary treats, why not go to the next level and learn how to make them? We recommend joining sweet pakhlava masterclasses in Sheki or an Azerbaijani cuisine masterclass in Icherisheher, Baku’s UNESCO-listed Old City. National Wines You will find that many of our national dishes really go well with particular wines, although they do also taste just fine by themselves! Sipping on a delicious glass of Azerbaijani wine in a sleek Baku wine bar should definitely be on your Novruz to-do list. The last twenty years has seen a bewildering redevelopment in Azerbaijani wines, including the rediscovery of viniculture using unique native grapes, such as madrasa. If you have time, head into the countryside to taste the local wines of Meysari, SAVALAN-ASPI, Chabiant and Azgranata wineries, among others. Golf We left a little surprise for last. You may not associate golf with Azerbaijan, but it is developing fast, already with two world-class golf courses at Dreamland, near Baku, and the National Azerbaijan Golf Course, not far from Guba. Novruz is a time of reawakening for the land, so why not reconnect with an interest in golf, or a desire to try it for the first time. We think that every Novruz should bring new experiences.

We hiked for 4 days in the mountains and 2 days in Beko. Everywhere we went we met welcoming people. The guidnes was very successful. Nurlan and Tural are very nice and professional. Recommend to everyone.

We did a one day hike in Durca. It was awesome!!!! We had a wonderful time. Our guide Mehman was fantastic! Very caring and sharing lots of interesting information. He took very good care of us from beginning to end. He really made our experience unique and memorable.

A unique and amazing 5 days trek from village to village in the azeric Caucasus (6 people). Best views of green vast mountain range and nice hospitality of locals in their homes. The agency of Nurlan and Tural is a real travel agency for trekking tour. They are dedicated, professional and always the service come with a smile. Their Mountain guide, Zeid, is a real "goat", knows every curve in the mountains even in heavy fog. Truly recommend to explore this relatively unspoiled jem with that agency.

I booked my entire one week trip with Tural. He was so marvellous, patient, knowledgeable , polite. He gave us a very nice itinerary for 7 days and good driver Anar and guide for required days. Baku city tour with guide Shahriyar was very nice. We did guba, shahdag, sheki, gabala, nij village and every trip was beautiful. Our driver Anar was kind, helpful and like a family member. Azerbaijan is a fairy tale land blessed by God. The food is divine, the culture and people are outstanding. The history, natural beauty and all locations are remarkable. Tural remained there for us whenever we needed him, and fulfilled all his commitments and this remains like a fairytale tour for us because of him. Thank you

Wonderful program, mountain is very beautiful and not too difficult to walk. Visiting the local house was the highlight of the day and food tasted amazing, i gained a good memory from this trip. Before arrival, staff checked and informed us about the weather and gave a good advice. The mountain guide “Zeyd” is so friendly, kind and very helpful. He’s well prepared and had everything in his backpack. Would love to visit and have him as our guide again.

We sincerely would like to express our deep gratitude for the well-organized tour and for your support and care during the hike! Everything was very clear and understandable. The tour guide Tural provided feeling being taken care of, giving us the opportunity, space and time to enjoy the hike and not violating our boundaries. He is very attentive to the details that were not even mentioned in the tour description - meeting and drinking tea with the guide in the village of Lagich and dinner after completing the entire route in the second village. It gives a great feeling that leaves a special after taste and amazing memories. Our group of 3 had very different skill levels and we are grateful that the tour guide Tural waited some members with patience and showed the understanding for the youngest and slowest participants. We sincerely wish you new, interesting routes and friendly and easy clients!

We did this hike with Heydar. He was brilliant. Interesting guy and a good safe guide. Sadly the weather wasn’t great on our hike with rain & fog. So we didn’t see any views. However I’d was t still a really fun experience getting on the mountain & meeting the local families.

The whole trip was organised professionally and the company was very helpful and flexible with the last minute changes of plan which we made due to the bad weather. Our guide was amazing. We spent the entire trip discussing history and culture of Azerbaijan and admiring breathtaking views. We have visited many places in Azerbaijan but this trip was definitely the most spectacular as regards the nature and landscape. If you hesitate between choosing a trip to Xinalig only and that one the later one is a much much better choice.

This review is on behalf of my wife and her 2 friends. I travelled with 2 of my friends to Baku. Nurlan and Tural were just Amazing. My entire correspondence with organizing our tour was with Nurlan. He was quick with his reply and also took care of our transportation to and from the airport. He arranged a tour for us to see the Mud volcanos and Gabala since we had only 1day for sightseeing and wanted to see the scenic side of Azerbaijan. Tural was our tour guide and took care of us 3 girls. He is very knowledgeable and was patient with all our requests especially when we wanted to stop during our trip and take pics. In Baku it was very windy and cold. It does rain off and on which makes it very very cold. But as you go further away into the mountains it's less windy but the temperature drops to 3 degrees. We didn't mind the cold weather at all Though this was a short trip it was totally awesome. Thanks to Nurlan and Tural they were simply amazing

I arranged for a 3-day private tour covering some diverse landscapes and culturally rich places in Azerbaijan. It included the absolutely gorgeous Sheki with its rich heritage of silk road and not-to-be-missed mountains in Azerbaijan. The trip to Sheki is quite long, but absolutely worth it! The guide was knowledgable and helpful My highlight and making the choice of going with outdoor caucasus is the hiking from Khinalig to Galeykhudat with a local lunch. I also managed to include a visit and short hike to Khizi mountains. This was the best part of the whole experience, not only because of the the jaw-dropping beauty of the mountains, but also due to Masud, a young enthusiastic and super friendly guide who was a great companion! I had loads of fun with folks, including Seymour, the driver. I appreciated the vegetarian lunch option offered at Galeykhudat. Overall, I am so thankful to outdoor Caucusus for creating some great memories of this beautiful country. get outdoorsy with them!

Amazing experience. We hiked in the beautiful mountains - very remote. Incredibly hospitable meal at a local family’s home. Such a memorable day. Our guide was fantastic.

We couldn't have asked for a better guide in Baku and then on our day trip up to the mountains. Tural was a knowledgeable, well organized and extremely kind guide. I felt like we saw a really authentic side of Azerbaijan and it was an unforgettable visit as a result. One tip: bring a warm layer to the mountains, it can get pretty windy! 10/10 recommend.

If you stay in Baku and like to experience the beautiful nature this is definitely the tour to do! And Outdoor Caucasus is defenitely the company to choose! Our guide Turlan and driver Jamil picked us up at our Baku hotel around 9am. The drive to the mountains takes 3-4 hours. Nevertheless as our friendly and competent guide gave us numerous interesting information the time passed quickly. As you leave glamorous Baku you drive through the suburbs, pass along smaller settelments and farms in the arid landscape. Reaching the small city of Quoba you turn towards the mountains and finally find yourself in the middle of a breathtaking scenery. The peaks here reach over 3000m, just short grasses and occasional shrubs grow here. Khinalig is the starting point of a 2-3h hike, which although it offers stunning views and experience of nature is easy to accomplish. It ends at Gleykhudat with admittance to the house of a local family and a good tasting homecooked lunch. What a difference between the modern life in Baku and these isolated villages. After a short hike back to the car it‘s another 3h back to Baku, reaching it around 9pm.Just expect driving in Azerbaijan to be a bit wilder than probably at your home. Great thanks to Turlan and Jamil! To repeat myself: a definite must do tour!

I can’t overstate the phenomenal experience we had on this tour. Nurlan and Jamal from Outdoor Caucuses provided us with what is without a doubt the best tour I have been on in almost 30 years of traveling around the world. Their natural charisma, knowledge and wonderfully amiable and good natured manner was the perfect fit for two guys in a very foreign country who had trepidations about touring Azerbaijan. What we thought might be a dreadful experience turned out to be one of the happiest experiences ever. I understand how hyperbolic I might sound, but there’s no other honest way to extoll the phenomenal experience Nurlan and Jamal provided us. And having one man solely in charge of driving and the other dedicated to talking and explaining everything added a sense of safety. Nurlan provided all the confidence we needed to make the 6 mile trek to Galakhudat towards the top and enjoy an authentic home cooked meal. From their gentle and easy-going friendliness to the food they provided us to their dedication to our safety, sightseeing enjoyment and their professionalism, we wish we never had to have different tour guides anywhere in the world. Yes, the scenery and cultural experience are breathtaking, but Nurlan and Jamal were truly the engine that made everything an unforgettable life experience. We want to come back! Please don’t just take my word for it.