Shahdag National Park

Entering the territory of Shahdag National Park from the road out of Guba, the landscape change happens slowly but unmistakably: the apple and pomegranate orchards of the lowlands gradually give way to dense beech forests where light barely penetrates, then to open meadows where the air smells of keklikotu —wild thyme— and wet earth. The Shahdag ski resort lies within the park boundaries, creating a somewhat contradictory coexistence between the marked pistes and the protected territory surrounding them.

The park covers more than 130,000 hectares and includes Azerbaijan's highest peaks: Shahdag (4,243 m) and Tufandag (4,191 m), as well as the riparian forests of the Qudyalchay river. Hiking infrastructure is developing: there are marked paths but without the systematic signage of European parks, so it is advisable to go with a local guide or at least with a loaded GPS. Ranger services have improved in recent years but remain sparse outside the areas near the resort.

Villages of Lezgians and other peoples of northern Azerbaijan dot the interior valleys. In Laza, the most visited, you can sleep in rural guesthouses and eat homemade dushbara —small dumplings in broth— by a wood stove when the cold bites, which at these altitudes happens even in September. Permits to access remote areas of the park are processed in Baku or through an agency; without one the rangers can block entry.

The area of the Greater Caucasus that today forms Shahdag National Park was for centuries the territory of Lezgian, Udi and Azerbaijani communities who moved their livestock to the high-altitude meadows each summer. The Russian presence from the 19th century introduced military posts and supply routes into the Guba-Khachmaz region, and uncontrolled hunting decimated the local fauna, especially the Caucasian leopard. The park was created in 2006 with the explicit aim of halting that deterioration and protecting the habitat of this species, of which very few individuals are documented in the country. Since then the Azerbaijani government has invested in mountain tourism as an economic driver for the region, with Shahdag resort as the spearhead of that strategy.

• Laza Valley Lezgian village surrounded by peaks over 3,000 metres; the usual base for trekking routes towards Shahdag and Tufandag, and the place where the rhythm of mountain life in northern Azerbaijan is most palpable.
• Laza Waterfall A waterfall of about 70 metres accessible on foot from the village in less than an hour. Flow is greatest in May and June with snowmelt; by August it can reduce considerably.
• Shahdag summit The highest point in Azerbaijan (4,243 m), accessible to mountaineers with high-altitude experience. The classic ascent starts from Laza and requires two days with a bivouac.
• Qudyalchay river It runs through the park from north to south; in the lower stretches its densely vegetated banks are good spots for watching raptors and other birds of the Greater Caucasus.
• Beech and oak forests Between 1,200 and 2,000 metres altitude, the slopes of Shahdag National Park are covered in beech forests; in October yellow and orange extend for kilometres and the smell of wet leaf litter permeates everything.

Photo gallery

The main access is by road from Guba, about 25 km north of the park. From Baku, Guba is 170 km via the M1 motorway; buses from Baku central station run frequently and the journey takes about 2.5 hours. From Guba there is shared transport to the village of Laza during high season. To access remote areas of the park a prior permit from the administration is required; it is worth arranging this in advance in Baku or through a local agency.

June and July are the most comfortable months for hiking in Shahdag National Park: the alpine meadows are in bloom and the summits are accessible without snow gear. September offers autumn colours in the forests and fewer people than August. In winter snow closes the high mountain passes; only the resort area remains operational. Spring, with the May snowmelt, can turn paths into quagmires without a four-wheel-drive vehicle.