Full-Day Baku Tour: Gobustan, Mud Volcanoes & Fire Temple

Four natural wonders and ancient sites in one route from Baku

A full-day tour of Baku covers Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape with its Mesolithic caves and 3,500 petroglyphs, the Mud Volcanoes, Ateshgah Fire Temple built in the 17th–18th centuries, and Yanar Dag, a hillside burning with natural gas for millennia. Hotel pickup, an air-conditioned vehicle, and a licensed guide in English, Arabic or Russian are included. Entrance fees are separate.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape2h
2. Bibi-Heybat Mosque15m
3. Ateshgah Fire Temple1h
4. Yanar Dag30m
5. Heydar Aliyev Center10m

Explore Gobustan and Absheron highlights

• Visit Gobustan Rock Carvings and Museum
• See Mud Volcanoes by Soviet Lada car
• Stop at Bibiheybat Mosque
• Visit Ateshgah Fire Temple
• Explore Yanar Dag Fire Mountain
• Photo stop at Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center

The experience

The day starts at Gobustan, 56 km from Baku, where rock carvings and human and animal paintings were first discovered in 1939–1940. You'll walk through the museum to understand the Mesolithic history, then drive to the Rock Mountain itself to see the actual petroglyphs carved into stone. The site holds more than 3,500 recorded markings and 20 shelters carved by primitive peoples into caves and rock faces.

From there, transport switches to Soviet Lada cars for the Mud Volcanoes. A short stop where you can collect mud in plastic bags if you bring them, since the mineral-rich mud is known for skin benefits. After about 10 minutes, you return to the main vehicle. On the way back toward the city, you'll stop at Bibi-Heybat Mosque, a 13th-century complex destroyed during the Soviet era and later restored. The mosque houses graves and tombs of revered figures, including Ukema khanum, a significant monument of Islamic architecture in Azerbaijan.

Ateshgah Fire Temple comes next, built in the 17th–18th centuries where natural gas flames emerge from the ground. The earliest structure dates to 1713. The central temple was completed in 1810. Zoroastrians, Hindus, and Sikhs have all sanctified the site at different times. The temple sits 30 km from Baku in the Surakhani settlement of the Absheron peninsula, in a landscape where burning gas outlets light up as underground gas reaches the surface and contacts oxygen.

The final stop is Yanar Dag, a hillside 25 km north of Baku that has burned continuously for approximately 4,000 years, even through rain and snow. The natural gas roots extend as far as the Caspian Sea. Since 2007 it has been a state-protected conservation area. On the return to your hotel, you'll pass the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center for exterior photos, including the "I LOVE BAKU" sign. The building, designed by architect Zaha Hadid, won the London Design Museum award in 2014 for its flowing, curved modernist style.

What’s included

• Professional licensed guide in English, Arabic or Russian.
• hotel pickup and drop-off.
• transport by air-conditioned vehicle.
• local taxes.
• visits to Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape with museum access, Mud Volcanoes, Bibi-Heybat Mosque, Ateshgah Fire Temple, and Yanar Dag.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (15 and older) · Child (4 to 14 years) · Infant (under 4)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Arabic and Russian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Guided Azerbaijan

Is this one for you?Choose this full-day tour if you want to cover Gobustan's rock carvings, the mud volcanoes, and both fire sites in one trip with a guide who knows the stories behind each stop.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Arabic and Russian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 14 years); Infant (under 4).

What are the rock carvings at Gobustan and how old are they?

Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape holds more than 3,500 human and animal petroglyphs and various markings discovered in 1939–1940, carved by Mesolithic peoples into caves, rocks and stone surfaces. The site includes 20 identified shelters and is located 56 km from Baku.

Why do the Mud Volcanoes require a different vehicle?

The Mud Volcanoes are accessed by Soviet Lada cars instead of the main air-conditioned vehicle because the terrain requires smaller, more maneuverable transport for the short stop around the volcano site.

What is Ateshgah Fire Temple and when was it built?

Ateshgah Fire Temple was built in the 17th–18th centuries at a site of natural gas flames. The earliest structure dates to 1713 and the central temple was completed in 1810 by merchant Kanchanagara. The temple sits 30 km from Baku and has been sanctified by Zoroastrians, Hindus, and Sikhs at different times.

How long has Yanar Dag been burning?

Yanar Dag, a hillside 25 km north of Baku, has burned continuously for approximately 4,000 years due to natural gas emerging at its foot. The flames persist even during rain and snow, and the site has been a state-protected conservation area since 2007.

What is included in the tour price?

The tour includes hotel pickup and drop-off, transport by air-conditioned vehicle, a professional licensed guide in English, Arabic or Russian, and local taxes. Entrance fees to the attractions, meals, drinks, and taxi fees to the Mud Volcanoes are not included.