Full Day Gobustan, Fire Temple & Fire Mountain Tour

Overview

After meeting at the agreed location in Baku, the tour begins with a 50-minute drive to Gobustan State Historical and Cultural Reserve.

Our first stop is the Gobustan Museum, officially known as the Gobustan National Park Museum. It was established to enhance the visitor experience of the nearby Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The museum showcases over 6,000 rock engravings dating back to the Stone Age, depicting scenes of hunting, rituals, and everyday life. Guests will spend approximately 40 minutes here, with explanations provided by a private guide.

Next, just a 3-minute drive from the museum, we visit the Gobustan Rock Shelters. These ancient caves contain thousands of petroglyphs dating back around 40,000 years. The rock art portrays various aspects of prehistoric life, such as hunting scenes, animals, and ritualistic activities. These shelters once served as homes, places of worship, and community gathering points for early humans. Guests will spend about 40 minutes here exploring the site with their guide.

The tour continues with a 20-minute drive to the Gobustan Mud Volcanoes. Azerbaijan is home to more than half of the world’s mud volcanoes, and Gobustan alone features around 50. Formed by underground gas pushing up mud and sediment, these unique geological structures create an almost alien-like landscape of bubbling mounds and cracked earth. This area offers excellent photo opportunities and fascinating natural scenery. Visitors will spend approximately 30 minutes at this site.

We then return to Baku, with a stop at the Bibi-Heybat Mosque, about 50 minutes away. Originally built in the 13th century and destroyed during the Soviet period, the mosque was reconstructed in the 1990s. It is one of Baku’s most important religious sites and a beautiful example of Islamic architecture. Visitors will spend about 15 minutes here with commentary from the guide.

The tour continues with a 40-minute drive to the Ateshgah Fire Temple, located in Surakhani. Also known as the Fire Temple of Baku, Ateshgah was built in the 17th and 18th centuries over a site used for fire worship for centuries. Historically, Zoroastrians used the naturally burning gas vents for ritual purposes. The complex features a central altar with a fire pit once fed by underground natural gas. Guests will spend around 40 minutes at Ateshgah, exploring the temple with their private guide.

Our final stop is the Yanardag (Burning Mountain), a 30-minute drive from Ateshgah. This natural wonder has been ablaze for centuries, fueled by continuously burning natural gas escaping from the sandstone hillside. Flames can rise up to 3 meters high and are especially impressive at night. Unlike mud volcanoes or other geothermal sites, Yanardag doesn’t erupt but burns steadily. Visitors will spend approximately 30 minutes here, taking in the scenery and listening to the guide’s explanation.

After the visit, we return to Baku. The drop-off point is 40 minutes from Yanardag, concluding a full day of exploration into Azerbaijan’s most mystical and fiery natural and historical attractions.