One-day escapes from Baku: leave in the morning, be home at night

The most frequent question we get: "My Saturday is free, where can I go?" Every route below can be done leaving Baku in the morning and returning at night.

The closest and gentlest

Khizi, Beybeyim mountain and the Coloured Mountains — 10 km, 6 hours.
The nearest "summit" feeling to Baku. From the 935-metre top you can see Beshbarmag mountain, the Caspian and Khizi. Meeting at 06:40, home in the evening.

Aghsu, Dilman waterfall — 4 km, easy.
The gentlest possible start for a first trek.

Shabran, Lake Ambil — 8 km, easy to moderate.
A quiet forest route.

A moderate day

Qusar, Kuzun–Laza — 9 km, four waterfalls.
Gabala, Soyugbulag waterfall — 9 km, a little-known forest route.
Ismayilli, Qalajiq — 10.6 km, forest and a waterfall.
Mikhtoken plateau — 9 km, alpine meadow.
Khalit waterfall, Green Lake and the caves — three sites in one day.

A long, serious day

Mucu–Lahij — 15 km, 1020 m of ascent.
Astara, Sim ➝ Siyov ➝ Bandasar — 17.5 km, meeting at 04:45.
Kapaz summit — a night departure and sunrise on the summit.
Qakh, Qochyataq waterfall — hard, with a mountain road by GAZ-66.

The arithmetic of a one-day route

Tours to distant regions (Astara, Lerik, Yardimli) spend 8–10 hours on the road. Which means:

• Meeting at 06:00–06:40
• Walking for 4–7 hours
• Back in Baku at 22:00–23:00

Bear that in mind and keep the following day free.

When the choice gets hard

When routes start to look alike, look at difficulty and distance — how to read difficulty grades.