Gabala & Shamakhi Tour from Baku – Tufandag, Nohur Lake & Seven Beauties

Nohur Lake lies in a bowl of forested hills a few kilometres outside Gabala, its water an unusual green-turquoise against the trees. Dead trunks standing in the shallows give it a distinctive look that photographs well in any season. Boats and pedal craft can be hired at the shore, and there are cafés along the bank if you want a drink while the group takes photographs.

In Vandam village a narrow gorge holds the Seven Beauties Waterfall, named after the poem by Nizami Ganjavi. The falls come in tiers, and a staircase climbs alongside them so you can reach the higher levels — the upper platforms are the ones worth the effort, and the air in the gorge is noticeably cool even in August. The climb involves real steps, so this is the stop where comfortable shoes matter.

The day finishes at Tufandag Mountain Resort, the highlight for most guests. A cable car climbs in stages from the base station above Gabala to viewpoints high on the mountain, opening up the whole Caucasus ridge on one side and the plain toward the town on the other. In winter this is a ski resort; in summer it runs for the views, the walking and the alpine roller coaster. You have free time here to choose what you want to do.