Two Hours from Baku, a World Away from the Ordinary
Most tourists who come to Azerbaijan spend their days in Baku, perhaps make it to Sheki or Gabala, and leave without ever discovering what sits two hours north of the capital.
Guba is one of Azerbaijan's most ancient and culturally diverse towns, a place where Jews, Lezgins, Tats, Russians, and Azerbaijanis have lived side by side for centuries without incident. It sits in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus, surrounded by forests, apple orchards, and mountains that look, in certain light, like they were painted by someone who had never been told to be subtle.
And on the road there, if you know where to turn, you will find one of the most visually surreal landscapes in the entire Caucasus striped, colorful rock formations that travelers have started calling the Candy Cane Mountains.
This is a day trip that rewards the curious. Here is how to do it properly.
Book your Guba day trip with Luxline → https://www.luxline.az/en/booking
Getting There: Baku to Guba
Distance: 170 kilometers
Driving time: Approximately 2 hours
Road condition: Excellent throughout
There are two highway options for the drive from Baku to Guba, and the choice comes down to your priorities.
The first is a paid toll road slightly longer in kilometers but with a higher speed limit that makes the total journey faster and more comfortable. For travelers who want to maximize time at the destination, this is the better choice.
The second highway is free, in good condition, and perfectly fine for the journey with only a few minor surface imperfections that are genuinely not worth mentioning. Either road is easy, relaxed driving with no mountain passes or difficult terrain between Baku and the town itself.
Any standard car handles both routes without difficulty. The road to Guba itself requires no special vehicle save the 4x4 for Khinalig, which is a different journey entirely.
Book your tours or rides with us: https://www.luxline.az/en
Stop One: The Candy Cane Mountains
The Candy Cane Mountains are located approximately 85 kilometers from Baku, meaning you encounter them on the way to Guba, roughly 30 minutes off the main road. This is an important practical point: the stop adds almost nothing to your overall journey time and costs you nothing in terms of the day's itinerary. It is simply a turn you make, a short drive, and then suddenly the landscape in front of you looks like it belongs on another planet.
The rock formations are layered in bands of red, orange, pink, cream, and brown, colors so distinct and so clearly defined that the "candy cane" comparison is not an exaggeration. The stripes run horizontally across the hillsides in patterns that seem too deliberate to be natural.
They are, in fact, entirely natural. British traveler and writer Mark Elliott, who has documented the region extensively, explains that the extraordinary colors are caused by groundwater that has altered the oxidation state of iron compounds within the rock over geological time. Different oxidation states produce different colors what you are looking at is essentially a mineral timeline written in stone.
A group of six couples we brought here spent their half hour climbing steadily up the hillsides, and made an observation worth passing on: the higher you go, the more intense and varied the colors become. The view from the road is impressive. The view from twenty minutes up the slope is something else entirely.
One of our Indian travelers captured it simply: "A very wonderful experience. Really love it. About 85 kilometers from Baku and absolutely worth every minute."
Half an hour is enough for photos and exploration at road level. Budget 45 minutes to an hour if you want to climb and see the upper formations.
Book your tours or rides with us: https://www.luxline.az/en
Stop Two: Red Village: The Only Jewish Town in the Muslim World
Across the Gudyalchay River from Guba town sits Qırmızı Qəsəbə Red Village. And it is, by any measure, one of the most quietly remarkable places in Azerbaijan.
Red Village is home to the Mountain Jews an ancient Jewish community that has lived in this corner of the Caucasus for centuries. What makes it extraordinary is not simply that a Jewish community exists here, but the conditions under which it exists: peacefully, openly, and without any of the tensions that have historically accompanied Jewish communities in other parts of the world.
The village has its own synagogue, its own Jewish cemetery, its own holy sites, and its own distinct cultural identity all maintained continuously and without interruption in a country where the overwhelming majority of the population is Muslim. Visitors who arrive expecting something complicated leave having witnessed something simple and profound: neighbors who have been neighbors for a very long time, getting on with their lives.
Regarding to the safety level in Azerbaijan, read our below blogpost:
https://www.luxline.az/en/blog/is-azerbaijan-safe-to-visit-2025
Book your tours or rides with us: https://www.luxline.az/en
Jewish visitors from across the world travel specifically to Red Village some to trace family history, others simply to see something that history suggests should not exist but does. Two billionaires originally from this village, both now based in Moscow, return regularly. The community they came from is still here, still intact, still functioning.
The most common reaction from tourists is not what they expected to feel. They arrive with questions and leave with a different set of questions better ones, about coexistence and history and what is actually possible when communities are left to work things out for themselves.
Red Village is not a heavily touristic destination in the conventional sense. There are no large visitor centers or guided tour packages. It is simply a village that you walk through, observe, and think about. For travelers interested in history, cultural diversity, and the kind of story that does not make headlines because nothing went wrong it is essential.
Guba Town: More Than a Stopping Point
Guba itself is small, unhurried, and genuinely charming in the way that towns are when they have not been designed for tourism.
The town and surrounding region are famous across the Caucasus for their apples and cherries fruit grown at altitude in clean mountain air and supplied to the Russian market for centuries. If you visit between late summer and autumn, roadside stalls selling fresh fruit are everywhere, and the quality is exceptional.
Macara Lake
One of the most pleasant stops in the Guba area is Macara Lake a calm mountain lake with paddleboats and boat tours available on the water, a hiking trail around the perimeter, and a tea and coffee spot on the shore where you can sit and do very little for a while. After the drive and the mountain stops, this is exactly the right pace.
Mountain Breeze — Zipline at the Top
For travelers with energy to spare, Mountain Breeze is the last accessible point up the mountain road above Guba and at the summit, between two hills, there is a zipline. It is not a casual attraction. This one is for people who genuinely enjoy the sensation of speed and height. If that describes you, it is a highlight of the entire day.
Book your tours or rides with us: https://www.luxline.az/en
Qecresh Forest
One of Guba's most undervisited and most beautiful natural features is the road through Qecresh Forest a stretch of mountain road enclosed on both sides by dense, ancient trees that arch overhead and filter the light into something almost theatrical.
You can stop here, walk, and breathe. Or you can rent a horse and ride through the forest on trails that have been used for centuries. ATVs are also available for rent if you prefer something mechanical. The forest is the kind of place that reminds urban travelers what silence actually sounds like.
Khinalig Village
Khinalig one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements on Earth falls within the Guba district, but reaching it requires an additional 1 hour and 40 minutes of driving from the town. If you are planning a dedicated Khinalig visit, we recommend treating it as a separate day trip rather than combining it with Guba. The village deserves its own time, and trying to do both in a single day means doing neither properly.
If you do plan to visit Khinalig, always hire a local guide. The terrain is complex and the village history is deep enough that going without context means missing most of what makes it significant.
For more information about Khinalig, read another blogpost:
https://www.luxline.az/en/blog/khinalig-village-azerbaijan-travel-guide
Book your tours or rides with us: https://www.luxline.az/en
Where to Eat: Aynur Gala Restaurant
For lunch in Guba, there is one clear recommendation: Aynur Gala.
The restaurant sits directly within the forest not near the forest, not beside it, but inside it. The setting alone is worth the visit. The food is traditional Azerbaijani cuisine prepared with ingredients from the surrounding region, and the quality is consistently high.
After a morning of mountains, a Jewish village, and a forest road, sitting down to a proper lunch in the trees is the natural conclusion to the day's first half.
Practical Information
Best time to visit: March through November. The region is accessible and beautiful throughout the warmer months. Winter brings snow to Guba and the surrounding mountains the landscape becomes genuinely beautiful in a completely different way, though some mountain roads become harder to navigate.
Read our article - https://www.luxline.az/en/blog/how-to-plan-7-days-in-azerbaijan
Book your tours or rides with us: https://www.luxline.az/en
Vehicle required: Any standard car handles the Baku to Guba highway and the town itself without difficulty. No 4x4 needed for this itinerary. The road to Khinalig is the exception that requires a proper 4x4.
How long to spend: A full day from Baku is comfortable for the Candy Cane Mountains, Red Village, Macara Lake, Qecresh Forest, and lunch at Aynur Gala. Leave Baku by 8:00 AM to make the most of daylight and avoid rushing.
Candy Cane Mountains timing: Visit in the morning when the light is direct on the colored rock faces. The colors photograph best in clear conditions with good sun.
Getting There with Luxline
Luxline operates private day trips from Baku to Guba, with flexible itineraries that can include the Candy Cane Mountains, Red Village, Macara Lake, Qecresh Forest, and lunch all in a single comfortable day with a professional driver who knows every stop.
Book your Guba day trip with Luxline → https://www.luxline.az/en/booking
Final Thoughts
Guba does not ask for your attention. It simply exists ancient, diverse, and quietly extraordinary two hours north of a capital that most visitors never leave.
The mountains will surprise you with their color. The village will surprise you with its story. The forest will surprise you with its silence.
Go before the crowds figure it out.