The coloured mountains of Khizi: the nearest "other planet" to Baku

It is a two-hour drive from Baku to Khizi, but the landscape looks like an entirely different geography: slopes striped in red, grey and yellow layers.

The route

Beybeyim mountain is the highest point of the Varafta ridge — 935 metres. From the top you can see Beshbarmag mountain, the Caspian Sea and the town of Khizi.

• Distance: 10 km (there and back)
• Duration: 6 hours
• Difficulty: easy to moderate
• Meeting: 06:40 (Ganjlik metro, Badamli exit)

→ Khizi, Beybeyim mountain and the Coloured Mountains

Where the colours come from

Khizi's coloured slopes are formed of rock layers deposited in different eras. Iron compounds give the red and orange tones, other mineral layers the grey and yellow bands. Erosion exposed those layers — so the stripes you see are a cross-section of millions of years.

When to go

Best: April–May. After the spring rain the colours deepen, the surroundings turn green and the contrast peaks.

Good: October–November. Cool air, soft light.

Worst: a July or August midday. No shade, high heat.

Photography

The best light for the coloured mountains is the first 1–2 hours after sunrise and the last 1–2 hours before sunset. Midday light washes the colours out and flattens the slope.

Keep a person in the frame — without scale these slopes look small in a photo.

With children

10 km is a lot for a child, but part of the route is doable. The coloured mountains are among the landscapes children react to most — a good chance to answer the question "why is it like that?".

Other one-day routes nearby

See the list of one-day escapes from Baku.