explore Lankaran'snature reserves
Bordered by the Caspian Sea and the lush Talysh Mountains, Lankaran is ideally placed between two of Azerbaijan’s best nature reserves. The swamps of the Gizil Aghaj reserve on the Caspian coast just north of Lankaran city are famous for being home to a multitude of water birds, not least the flamingo which migrates here from Africa each winter. Meanwhile, the vast Hirkan National Park spreads throughout the Lankaran and Astara regions. It’s a botanist's paradise home to a huge variety of trees, including ancient iron trees that survived the last ice age as well as the very endangered Caucasian leopard. Over a dozen marked routes offer great hiking opportunities, some with lunch stops and tea breaks along the way in timeless local villages.
