Gobustan & Absheron Tour: UNESCO Rock Carvings & Yanardag

Walk through 40,000 years of rock art, then stand before flames that have burned for centuries.

A private tour from Baku to three sites on the Absheron Peninsula: Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape with its UNESCO-listed collection of over 6,000 petroglyphs spanning the Upper Paleolithic to the Middle Ages; Ateshgah Fire Temple, a 17th-century shrine on the outskirts of Surakhani village; and Yanardag, a hillside where natural gas continuously ignites along the summit. Entry to all sites, a professional guide, hotel pickup and an air-conditioned minivan are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Azerbaijan National Carpet Museumpassing by
2. Bibi-Heybat Mosque15m
3. Ateshgah Fire Temple30m · entry included
4. Yanar Dag20m · entry included

Explore Gobustan and Absheron highlights

• Pick up from Baku accommodation
• Pass Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum
• Pass National Flag Square
• Visit Bibi-Heybat Mosque
• Change to Soviet SUV Lada
• Visit Mud volcanoes
• Tour Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape
• Explore Gobustan museum exhibits
• See restored first mechanical oil well
• Stop for buffet lunch
• Visit Ateshgah Fire Temple
• Visit Yanar Dag burning mountain
• Return to starting point

The experience

The tour picks you up from your Baku hotel around 9 a.m. and starts at the Double Gates of Old City before heading out to the Absheron Peninsula. You'll pass the Bibi-Heybat Mosque, built between 1267 and 1300 and known locally as the mosque of Fatima, then switch to a Soviet SUV Lada for the drive to the mud volcanoes: a change that signals the shift from city to landscape. The terrain itself becomes part of the journey.

Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape is the centerpiece. The site holds more than 6,000 rock engravings created over 40,000 years, with remains of inhabited caves, settlements and burials that show how people lived after the last Ice Age through the Middle Ages. You'll visit both the outdoor reserve and a modern interactive museum complex with over 100,000 archaeological artifacts, touchscreen displays in multiple languages, and exhibits of tools from the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. The museum entrance features petroglyphs resembling the Azerbaijani Yalli round dance.

After lunch at a buffet restaurant, you'll visit Ateshgah Fire Temple on the Surakhani outskirts, 30 kilometers from central Baku. The current complex dates to the 17th century and forms a pentagonal structure with an open courtyard and central altar. It served as a shrine for Zoroastrians, Hindus and Sikhs at different times and now functions as a museum. The final stop is Yanardag, the "Burning Mountain" located 23 kilometers north of the Old Town. Natural gas leaks from rocks due to tectonic shifts and volcanic material below the surface, creating a wall of flames along the hillside's foot. Marco Polo documented these fires during his travels. The area was declared a historical, cultural and natural reserve in 2007. You'll return to your hotel after eight hours.

What’s included

• Entry to Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape and its interactive museum complex.
• entry to Ateshgah Fire Temple.
• entry to Yanardag Burning Mountain.
• professional guide service in English, Arabic, Russian or Japanese.
• round-trip hotel pickup and drop-off in Baku.
• transport by air-conditioned minivan and Soviet SUV.
• onboard Wi-Fi.

Before you book

Days and timesWednesday to FridayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to5h before

AgesAdult (11 and older) · Child (3 to 9 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Arabic, Japanese, Russian and Turkish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

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

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by AZP Travel company

Is this one for you?A private tour means your guide adjusts the pace and can answer questions in English, Arabic, Russian or Japanese: useful if you want deeper context on the rock art chronology or the geological forces behind the burning mountain, rather than moving through stops on a fixed group schedule.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Arabic, Russian, Japanese and Turkish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 9 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What are the 6,000 rock carvings at Gobustan and how old are they?

Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape holds petroglyphs created over 40,000 years, from the Upper Paleolithic period through the Middle Ages. They document hunting, fauna, flora and the lifestyles of people who lived in the region after the last Ice Age, showing cultural continuity across millennia through the images carved into stone.

Why does Yanardag's mountain continuously burn?

Yanardag's flames result from natural gas leaking from rocks due to tectonic shifts and volcanic material beneath the earth's surface. The fire line burns along the foot of the summit and has been documented for centuries: Marco Polo even mentioned the flames during his travels to Baku.

What is Ateshgah Fire Temple and who worshipped there?

Ateshgah Fire Temple, located 30 kilometers from central Baku on the Absheron Peninsula, is a 17th-century pentagonal complex with an open courtyard and central altar. It served as a shrine for Zoroastrians, Hindus and Sikhs at different times and now operates as a museum.

What's included in the tour price?

Entry to Gobustan Rock Art and its museum, Ateshgah Fire Temple and Yanardag; hotel pickup and drop-off in Baku; an air-conditioned minivan and a Soviet SUV for the mud volcano section; a professional guide in English, Arabic, Russian or Japanese; and onboard Wi-Fi. Lunch is not included.

How long is the tour and when does it start?

The tour runs eight hours and begins around 9 a.m. at the Double Gates of Old City Baku, with pickup from your accommodation beforehand.