Lankaran and the South: Tea, Forest and Humidity

The south of Azerbaijan does not look like the rest of it. The dry plains around Baku give way to humidity, dense green forest and tea growing on hillsides.

Most visitors never get down here, which is both a shame and part of the appeal.

What makes it different

Climate. The south is subtropical, wetter and warmer, and the vegetation responds accordingly.

Where the north gives you bare mountains and orchards, the south gives you forest that closes over the road. It is the greenest part of the country and it feels furthest from the capital in character, not just in kilometres.

Tea

Azerbaijan grows tea, and it grows it here. Given how central tea is to daily life across the country, seeing where it comes from closes a loop that most visitors do not know is open.

Plantations are visible from the road and some accept visitors. Ask locally or ask us, because arrangements vary by season and by estate.

The forest

The forested slopes behind the coast are old and dense, and they are the reason to come here rather than the tea.

Walking is the way to experience it. Trails are not marked the way a European national park would be, so going with someone local is the difference between a walk and a wander.

The coast

The Caspian shore here is quiet, undeveloped and used mostly by people who live nearby.

Do not come for a beach holiday. Come for a coast that has not been arranged for visitors, which is increasingly rare anywhere.

Inland towards Lerik

The mountains inland climb quickly, and the villages up there are a different world again. Lerik is the usual base, and it has its own page here.

If you are coming this far south, plan for both. The coast and the mountains are two halves of the same trip and the drive between them is short by Azerbaijani standards.

When to go

Late spring and early autumn. Summer is hot and very humid, which is a different proposition to the dry heat of Baku.

Expect rain in any season. That is why it is green, and a waterproof layer belongs in the bag regardless of the forecast.

Getting there

By road, and it is a long one. This is not a day trip from Baku under any circumstances.

The sensible version is two or three nights, taking in Lankaran, the forest, and Lerik in the mountains. A car with a driver is the normal arrangement, both for the distance and because the mountain roads inland reward local knowledge.

Who this is for

Second-time visitors, people who like landscape over architecture, and anyone who has done the north and wants somewhere that feels genuinely different.

It is not the right choice for a four-day first trip. Baku and the north will serve you better in that time.

Practical notes

Bring insect repellent in summer. Forest and humidity produce what forest and humidity always produce.

Bring more cash than you would need in Baku. Card acceptance thins out quickly once you are away from the main towns.

Expect fewer people who speak English than in the capital. Russian goes further here, and pointing at a map goes furthest of all.

What to eat

The south has its own food, shaped by the climate. Fish from the Caspian, herbs that grow year round, and citrus that does not grow anywhere else in the country.

Ask what is local rather than what is popular. The answer is different here than it is in Baku, and it is the reason to eat outside your hotel.

Arranging it

Tell us how many nights you can give it. Below two, we will suggest something else, because the drive would eat the trip.