Not what we expected
What to expect from this country? We really have no idea. Its name means ‘land of fire’. That sounds a bit scary. On our first evening we can hardly find a place to camp. We end up in a fresh smelling meadow, sheltered by a thick and high hedge. Soon it begins to rain cats and dogs, and the whole sky is… on fire. What a festive welcome!
The free music from the sky makes our day, after the deceitful trick of the car insurance seller at the border post. He had let us pay ten Euros too much. We had already left the border zone before it dawned on us.
The less you expect, the more you discover.
We soon find ourselves at ease in Azerbaijan. Along perfect roads we drive east, along the mighty Caucasus. That sounds big. And it is! The landscape is surprisingly green. From the Kakheti region in Georgia, the road is almost uninterruptedly bordered with endless double lines of big trees. Not what we expected.
Mud adventure
Heading to Baku, gradually the slopes of the Caucasus to the left of us quieten down. The landscape turns more barren. All trees have vanished. Time to go in search of a camping spot once more. In this vast and barren environment, we don’t have much hope of hiding ourselves from too curious eyes. Leaving the main road to Baku, we stumble upon a small track that steeply winds up over small edges into grassy hills. Upon reaching the top, before our eyes something shapeless is being thrown in the air. Our first reaction is that we think we have arrived at a quarry or something akin. To our great astonishment, we find ourselves on a wide and desolate plateau sorrounded by mud volcanoes in all sizes, forms and grades of activity. What a view! What a feeling! A vague smell of sulphur seasons the air. After this large and sole welcoming outburst of mud, all volcanoes seem to stay rather quiet. As if they are at ease that it are just two Belgian tourists that have arrived to hang around and go to sleep on their hidden plateau. And that’s what we do.
The next morning we decide not to return to the highway, but instead explore the plateau in the right direction and see where we will end up. It turns out to be the right decision.
Room on wheels with a view
Mud vulcano and lonely camping spot in the distance
Lovely pitch between fragrant shrubs.
Silk Road 2019 – Azerbaijan
Overlander’s tip: Border crossing Armenia via Georgia (Matsimi)-Azerbaijan
One can’t enter Azerbaijan directly from Armenia. Both countries are officially at war because of an ongoing dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. Anyone heading to Azerbaijan after visiting Armenia, must pass through Georgia or Iran. If Azerbaijani border police notice you have an Armenian stamp, they are likely to ask questions about your visit or might request to show them your maps of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Take care when buying car insurance at the Azerbaijani border post. Make a clear agreement on the price first and check what is written on the invoice.
As we will learn later, ‘good luck’ isn’t meant sarcastically. It’s a genuine and general wish for the best. The text also appears at other border crossings along the Silk Road.