Gobustan & Mud Volcanoes Day Trip from Baku: 4 Ancient Sites

Stone carvings older than Chauvet, mud you can touch, two temples burning with ancient fire

A full-day small-group or private tour from Baku explores four sites across the suburbs: Gobustan Rock Art Museum's millennia-old petroglyphs, active mud volcanoes 20 minutes away, the Zoroastrian Ateshgah Fire Temple 30 km from the city, and Yanar Dagh's natural gas flames on a hillside. A local English-speaking guide leads the route, with lunch at a local restaurant and air-conditioned transport included. The tour ends with dropoff at your pickup point or central Baku.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape2h · entry included
2. Ateshgah Fire Temple1h · entry included
3. Yanar Dag30m · entry included

Explore Gobustan and nearby sites

• Visit Gobustan Rock Art Museum
• See prehistoric stone carvings
• Travel to mud volcanoes area
• Observe active mud volcanoes
• Lunch at local restaurant
• Visit Ateshgah Fire Temple
• Learn about natural gas flames
• Visit Yanar Dag burning hill
• Return to city or drop-off

The experience

The tour opens at Gobustan Rock Art Museum, where you stand in front of prehistoric engravings carved into stone thousands of years ago and left untouched until the 1930s. The petroglyphs rank alongside Chauvet Caves in archaeological importance, and the guide walks you through what the images show: figures that appear to be dancing, hunters, animals. The museum sits in a national park, so the landscape itself frames the history.

Twenty minutes away, the mud volcanoes are the rare part: Azerbaijan holds the world's highest concentration of them, with roughly 300 scattered across land, sea and islands. On this tour you approach them close enough to see the mud moving and, if you choose, to test it on your skin. Locals credit it with medicinal properties. After a lunch break at a local restaurant (included if you select that option at checkout), the route heads 30 km toward Ateshgah Fire Temple, a Zoroastrian site where natural gas outlets burn continuously. The guide explains the temple's history and the geology behind the eternal flame.

The day ends at Yanar Dagh, a hillside where natural gas has burned since ancient times: the most visited "eternal flame" site in Azerbaijan. From there, the driver takes you back to your original pickup point or to any central location in Baku you name. The full route takes eight hours, and the vehicle is air-conditioned throughout.

What’s included

• Bottled water throughout the day.
• guided tour led by a local English-speaking guide (German and Russian also available depending on the group).
• all site fees and taxes.
• air-conditioned vehicle for the full route.
• pickup from your hotel or a central Baku location and return dropoff to the same point or anywhere central you choose.

Options for this experience

3 options

Small Group TripGuide in English, German or Russian · 09:00, 10:00 and 12:00Includes pickup

Small-group trip that includes lunchGuide in English, German or Russian · 09:00, 10:00 and 12:00Pickup is included, and a lunch box is included

Private tour that includes lunchGuide in English, German or Russian · 09:00, 10:00 and 12:00Private tour with lunch included: a lunch break at a traditional restaurant. If you have any food preferences, feel free to let us know. Pickup is included.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 09:00, 10:00 and 12:00

Book up to10h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Child (6 to 17 years) · Infant (under 6)

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish, German and Russian

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 30 pickup points.

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

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Baku Explorer

Is this one for you?Choose the small-group option if you want to meet other travelers and share the cost. Pick the private tour if your group prefers to move at its own pace and have the guide's full attention. The lunch option works best if you'd rather not break the day to find food on your own. The restaurant stop is built into the schedule either way.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, German and Russian.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 17 years); Infant (under 6).

What exactly are the stone carvings at Gobustan, and how old are they?

Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape holds prehistoric petroglyphs carved into stone by ancient inhabitants and left untouched for millennia until their discovery in the 1930s. The engravings (figures dancing, hunters, animals) rank in archaeological significance alongside Chauvet Caves in France.

Can you actually touch the mud at the mud volcanoes, or is it just for looking?

The mud volcanoes are active and close enough to approach. Some visitors apply the mud to their skin, as locals believe it has medicinal benefits. Whether you do is your choice. Azerbaijan has roughly 300 mud volcanoes total, making it the world's leading location for them.

What is the difference between Ateshgah and Yanar Dagh if they both have burning flames?

Ateshgah Fire Temple is a Zoroastrian temple structure built around natural gas outlets that burn continuously, located about 30 km from Baku city center. Yanar Dagh is a hillside where natural gas flames emerge from the slope itself, with no built structure. It's the most famous eternal flame site in Azerbaijan and sits not far from the temple.

Do I see old oil derricks on the way, or is that just mentioned in passing?

On the drive to Gobustan and back to the city, you pass old oil derricks along the seashore. They're part of the landscape you travel through, not a scheduled stop, but they're visible from the vehicle.

Is lunch included, and what if I have dietary needs?

Lunch at a local restaurant is included only if you select the Small-Group Trip with Lunch or Private Tour with Lunch option at checkout. If you choose the Small Group Trip without lunch, you'll have a lunch break at the restaurant but won't have the meal included. You can arrange your own or ask the guide for recommendations.