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(CNN) — Within the coronary heart of northeastern Azerbaijan, a cluster of centuries-old stone dwellings cling to a hilltop surrounded by among the South Caucasus nation’s highest mountains.
Steeped in historical past and legend, Khinalig is populated by a tiny ethnic group talking their very own language and tracing their ancestry again to the prophet Noah. The village is scattered with monuments and spectacular viewpoints.
It additionally occurs to be considered one of Azerbaijan’s climbing scorching spots, with quite a few routes snaking off into the Higher Caucasus Mountains. That is why CNN Journey ventured right here final fall to check out a traditional 25-kilometer path linking three of the nation’s highest villages, all sitting greater than 2,000 meters (about 6,560 ft) above sea degree.
Till comparatively just lately, such remoted villages had been inaccessible to something however the sturdiest of Soviet SUVs, which has helped them protect a singular semi-nomadic way of life. For a lot of the yr nearly all of villagers are away guiding flocks of sheep between summer time and winter pastures.
With new roads, expertise and a potential inflow of vacationers, change is on the horizon, however for the current, venturing to such distant mountainous components of Azerbaijan nonetheless appears like time journey.
From Khinalig to Griz
Our journey begins on a disused jeep observe alongside a broad valley lower by the Gudiyalchay River, accompanied by gorgeous scenes of pyramidal mountains crisscrossed with long-abandoned agricultural terraces and the plateau-peak of Mount Gizilgaya, rising to greater than 3,720 meters (about 12,200 ft).
Quickly after passing via the agricultural settlement of Galakhudat, the path involves the sting of an unlimited canyon, the place we pause to admire an imperious vulture gliding shut sufficient to not require binoculars. 4 completely different vulture species inhabit this high-mountain a part of Azerbaijan’s Guba area, alongside a bunch of different birds of prey and regional rarities just like the Güldenstädt’s redstart.
Having crossed the canyon, a number of extra hours of simple strolling observe via merely breathtaking surroundings — deep valleys, forested foothills and mile upon mile of mountains — till we arrive in Griz, one other rustic mountain village populated by a definite ethno-linguistic neighborhood.
In truth, so dramatic is the terrain within the neighborhood of Mount Shahdag, Azerbaijan’s second highest mountain (4,243 meters or about 13,920 ft), that about half a dozen villages talking mutually unintelligible languages exist right here inside kilometers of one another, separated by deep valleys and towering mountains.
Beloved by ecotourists, Griz harbors the traces of a medieval fortress and an Eighth-century mosque, numerous historic gravestones and comfortable, hobbit-like properties, along with its gorgeous setting atop a plateau backed by tall cliffs and exhilarating valley views forward.
A hiker’s information
Being over 50% mountainous, lots of Azerbaijan’s quaintest villages and most monumental landscapes are finest accessed by climbing, which is a comparatively new exercise in Azerbaijan.
Nevertheless it’s catching on quick because the nation begins to essentially faucet into its nature tourism potential. There are three main ranges masking huge swathes of the nation: the Higher and Lesser Caucasus throughout the north and south-west and the Talysh Mountains within the south.
All of them present ample alternatives for climbing, which differ from area to area because of the abundance of local weather zones discovered within the nation positioned at a geographical crossroads. Highlights vary from the excessive peaks and culturally numerous villages of the Higher Caucasus, to the quite a few crumbling castles and church buildings of the Lesser Caucasus, and the Tolkienesque forests of the Talysh Mountains.
Two additional distinctive experiences are climbing via the otherworldly pink-and-white landscapes of the aptly nicknamed Sweet Cane Mountains close to the capital Baku. And Nakhchivan, the enigmatic autonomous area separated from the remainder of Azerbaijan by a slither of Armenia, is dwelling to arid, rocky ranges of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains largely untrodden by vacationers and inhabited by a totally completely different set of wildlife, together with the virtually legendary Caucasian leopard.
As demand has risen lately, the variety of native mountain tourism corporations and their choices have expanded. Each day journeys from Baku and multi-day jaunts could be loved, with meals and lodging more and more out there at village homestays and guesthouses alongside established vacationer trails.
Path improvement has additionally improved, with lots of the finest villages, viewpoints, waterfalls and varied different factors of curiosity now linked by signposted trails. Nevertheless, there are nonetheless numerous unmarked paths and unexpected obstacles — from river crossings to linguistic limitations — to problem even probably the most skilled hikers.
“For climbing, Azerbaijan’s a spot that is little recognized however stuffed with potential, particularly on routes between the timeless mountain villages of the Caucasian foothills. Nevertheless, you may should be pretty confident as hikers stay uncommon and whereas homestays are eminently potential in distant hamlets, you’ll be able to’t depend on native villagers talking English,” Mark Elliott, creator of quite a few guides to Azerbaijan, tells CNN Journey.
The Transcaucasian Path
One other latest increase to the native climbing scene has been Azerbaijan’s inclusion on the Transcaucasian Path, a venture began in 2015 to construct two long-distance climbing routes via the South Caucasus, with the intention of opening up its numerous communities and landscapes to energetic, culturally curious vacationers.
The one via Azerbaijan will ultimately span all the Higher Caucasus Mountains, from the Black Sea to the Caspian. And far of the Azerbaijan part is already walkable because of the 2022 launch of two new roughly 100-kilometer phases within the northwest (Sheki-Zagatala) and northeast (Guba-Gusar) areas of the nation.
“Mountaineering these two sections in Azerbaijan, and the Transcaucasian Path normally, creates a singular alternative for hikers to traverse between mountains and villages whereas experiencing native hospitality, stumbling upon previous fortresses and spiritual websites, and witnessing an unlimited number of landscapes, which change dramatically and quickly,” TCT Azerbaijan coordinator Nazrin Garibova, who mapped out many new trails, tells CNN Journey.
To Grizdehne from Griz
At a homestay in Griz, we fortify ourselves with buttery pilaf adopted by copious quantities of refreshing black tea and candy white cherry protect. Seated cross-legged on regionally woven carpets, a magical silence reigns past the small window, which beams via an uplifting ray of sunshine. The distinction between this mountain tranquility and bustling Baku, solely three hours’ drive away, might hardly be starker.
The ultimate leg of the route follows a footpath lengthy utilized by the Griz individuals to go to their ethnic kin in Grizdehne, a village on the foot of the mountain. In entrance, a community of shepherd trails followers out throughout the slope like a ginormous spider’s net, whereas to the precise the silvery crack of the Gudiyalchay River wends via an unlimited valley overhung with fast-moving wisps of cloud.
After which hastily the panorama adjustments dramatically. On the tip of a grassy ridge, we drop right into a slim, steep-sided canyon the place the trail descends precipitously for lots of of meters to a thick forest under. On prime of this, it is coated with free stones and alongside them is a gentle path of bear excrement.
“They’re attracted by the dustbins down under,” our information Togrul stated. In fact, bears are an extremely uncommon sighting and extra care must be taken round overly aggressive shepherd canines.
One final impediment stays — a slippery part of scree slope — earlier than the path lastly flattens out upon reaching the forest line. And from there it is a soothing 45-minute wander via peaceable deciduous woodland shaped of hornbeam and oak — a becoming strategy to finish this transient encounter with the fascinating cultural and pure variety of the Caucasus Mountains.
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