The Hirkan forest and Lake Khanbulan: 6 kilometres in a million-year-old forest

Azerbaijan's most valuable natural asset is not its mountains — it is the Hirkan forests at the foot of the Talysh range. These forests survived the ice age and preserve tree species that died out in the rest of Europe. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Hirkan forests stretch along the southern coast of the Caspian.

The route

Inside Hirkan National Park, 4 km of forest walking bring you to Lake Khanbulan, followed by a 2 km stroll around the lake. Six kilometres in total, easy difficulty.

→ Hirkan tour (Lake Khanbulan)

What to notice in this forest

Ironwood. A tree that sinks in water and that an ordinary saw will not cut. It is the symbol of Hirkan.

The thickness of the canopy. Look up: light barely reaches the ground. That tells you everything about the age and density of the forest.

Sound. Hirkan is rich in bird species. It is worth putting the phone away and standing still for five minutes.

An easy route, but...

Do not let 6 km and an "easy" grade fool you: the region is very humid. Even when the temperature is not high in summer, the humidity makes breathing harder. Do not cut down on water.

Other formats in the same region

• Mushroom foraging tour (one day)
• Mushroom foraging and camping tour (two days, with a mycologist)

We have a separate piece on the mushroom season: Mushroom foraging.