National parks & Wildlife in Azerbaijan

Not many associate Azerbaijan with wildlife, but the country actually has many national parks protecting precious flora and fauna, animals and marine life. We have mentioned below some of the best national parks worth your time. 

Disclaimer: Do keep in mind the infrastructure for visiting these national parks is not the best and some of these are remote and best visited with a local who speaks the language. Do not expect an Africa style safari, these national parks are for those who truly love nature and have the patience to view rare species of birds and animals, not if you want to spot panthers, tigers lions etc!

Shrivan National Park:

This national park is best for viewing goitered gazelles (a type of deer) and rare birds. The landscape is semi-desert with sand dunes and a chain of hills carved by the wind. 

Hirkan National Park:

‍More for hiking than wildlife as they donot have proper roads or even paths. It’s a beautiful green park but difficult to access so go only if you are an experienced hiker or find a guide. The park is said to also have lynx, wild cat, boar, raccoon, sika deer and many more.

Gobustan National Park:

This park of many stones, rocks, mud volcanoes and ancient drawing some as old as 40000 years is accessed by an off road jeep safari. Every Azerbaijan itinerary visits this National Park as a daytrip from Baku and we definitely recommend it. Infact we even do a beautiful sit down picnic meal for bigger groups here and it’s a magical experience. 

State Goygol National Park:

Best accessed from Ganja this national park has the famous Goygol Lake. The park is beautiful with views of the mountains and many other serene lakes besides Goygol Lake.