Lankaran & Lerik Day Trip: Tea Plantations & Mountain Views

Tea, waterfalls and a museum dedicated to living long

A guided day trip from Baku to Lankaran and Lerik takes you through Azerbaijan's tea-growing region and into the Talish Mountains, with stops at a working tea plantation, the Lankaran Lighthouse on the Caspian coast, waterfalls, and Lerik's Longevity Museum. The tour runs 10 to 11 hours with a professional English- or Russian-speaking guide, air-conditioned transport, and a traditional breakfast stop on the way down; lunch and museum entry are optional add-ons.

Step-by-step itinerary

Lankaran and Lerik Day Trip

• Meet guide and depart from Baku
• Breakfast at Haji-oglu caravanserai
• Visit tea culture sculpture
• Tour Longevity Museum in Lerik
• Explore Buzeyir Caves
• Visit Lerik observation deck
• Lunch and tea in Lerik forest restaurant
• See Boy and Girl waterfalls
• Tour local Khan's residence museum
• View Round Tower and walk pedestrian bridge
• Walk along Caspian Sea shore near railway station
• Tea party at Khanbulan lake in Talish Mountains
• Return to Baku with stop at Haji-oglu caravanserai

The Experience

The day starts with a pickup from your Baku hotel and a drive south across the Mugan Plain on a modern highway that itself is part of Azerbaijan's cultural landscape. Halfway to Lankaran, you stop at the Haji-oglu caravanserai, a roadside oasis restaurant where breakfast arrives in Azerbaijani tradition—tea, bread, cheese and fresh herbs. From there the road opens onto Lankaran, a coastal city where the first landmark is a sculptural composition of a samovar and an armudu glass, a monument to the region's tea culture that has run since the Silk Road.

The Lankaran stops cluster around the Railway Station Square near the Caspian shore. You walk past the Lankaran Lighthouse, built in the first half of the 18th century as part of a fortress now mostly gone, and still in use as an active beacon. The station itself sits steps from the water, so a walk along the Caspian coast closes the Lankaran leg. Between these landmarks stand a war memorial and the Round Tower—a prison called Zindan in Azerbaijani—where a short pedestrian bridge crosses the Lankaran River. The museum occupies the former residence of the local khan from the 18th and 19th centuries, where you learn about his family and their influence on the region.

The drive then climbs into the Talish Mountains and the Hyrkan National Park, where the tour stops at the Khanbulan mirror lake hidden in dense forest. Tea is brewed here with mountain herbs, and you sit in the shade of oaks and chestnuts before the return journey. On the way back to Baku, the route passes through Lerik, a mountain town at almost 1,200 meters where the air and water are so clean that locals in their seventies are considered middle-aged. The Longevity Museum, founded in 1991, is the only one of its kind in the world and documents this phenomenon. Nearby, the Boy and Girl waterfalls of the Talysh-Chay river cascade in succession a couple of kilometers apart—both are photo stops where you drink Lankaran tea with jam. An observation deck at the end of the day offers mountain views across the Lerik highlands before the drive back to Baku in the evening.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned vehicle and professional tour guide in English or Russian.
• a stop at the Haji-oglu caravanserai for traditional breakfast (optional, 10₼).
• entry to the Lankaran Museum, the Longevity Museum in Lerik, and access to the Khanbulan lake, tea plantation, waterfalls and observation deck.
• tea with mountain herbs and jam at the waterfalls.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendly

Operated by ATI

Is this one for you?Choose the shared group tour if you want to meet other travelers making the same loop, or book the private option if you prefer to move at your own pace with just your party and the guide. Either way, the fixed itinerary and included transport mean the day holds together without you building it—the guide handles the route, the timing and the stops.

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Top questions

What is the Lankaran Lighthouse and when was it built?

The Lankaran Lighthouse stands near the Railway Station Square on the Caspian coast and dates to the first half of the 18th century, when it was part of a fortress that has since been mostly destroyed. It remains in excellent condition and is still an active lighthouse today.

Where do we stop for breakfast on the way to Lankaran?

Breakfast is served at the Haji-oglu caravanserai, a restaurant located 130 kilometers from Baku between the Kura River and the Mugan Water Channel. The stop includes traditional Azerbaijani breakfast with tea and bread, and is optional; the cost is 10₼ if you choose to add it.

What is the Longevity Museum in Lerik?

The Longevity Museum in Lerik is a unique institution founded in 1991 that documents the exceptional health and longevity of local residents, many of whom are in their seventies but considered middle-aged by local standards. It is the only museum of its kind in the world and offers an insight into the region's healthy lifestyle and environment.

What are the Boy and Girl waterfalls?

The Boy and Girl waterfalls are two picturesque cascades of the Talysh-Chay river located in the Lerik region, spaced a couple of kilometers apart. Both are popular photo stops where the tour pauses for Lankaran tea with mountain herbs and jam.

Will I see tea plantations on this tour?

Yes. The tour includes a stop at a working tea plantation on the approaches to Hyrkan National Park, where you see how tea is grown in the Lankaran region—the only place in Azerbaijan where tea is cultivated commercially.

How long is the full day trip?

The tour runs 10 to 11 hours from Baku, including all stops, the drive to and from Lankaran and Lerik, and the return to the capital in the evening.