One of Azerbaijan’s most beautiful stretches of road leads for about 40 kilometres from the Guba-Baku highway west towards the mountain village of Altiaghaj. Roughly mid-way between the two one passes through a dramatic valley flanked by rolling shale mountains whose astonishing red, orange, pink and chalk-coloured swirls led British travel writer Mark Elliott (author of the very popular 'Azerbaijan' guidebook) to dub them the Candy Cane Mountains, a name that’s stuck with travellers ever since. The astonishing colours are said to be due to groundwater that’s altered the oxidation state of iron compounds within the rock. If taking an organised hike here, which can be booked through tour companies in Baku and is preferably undertaken in autumn or spring, glance down beneath your feet: you may discover tiny fossils and perhaps even a squid-like belemnite from the cretaceous period.

Besh Barmag (Azerbaijani: Beşbarmaq) literally translated as Five Fingers, is in Siazan District of Azerbaijan, not far from the Caspian Sea. It rises to 382 m (1,253 ft) above the sea level overlooking the Baku-Quba Highway. The mountain is a solid rock and is one of the most famous mountains in the Caucasus, known for its mythical stories. It is a sacred place for regular visitation by pilgrims.[1] Tide marks on the mount attest to meltwater inundation from the northern glacial ice caps and date back to the end of the last ice age. The tidelines confirm the theory of a Holocene outflow of meltwater from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, rather than a direct incursion of sea water into the Black Sea as a result of global sea level rise. Estimates of the increase in Caspian Sea level height are between + 20 and 30 meters.[2

Qechresh Forest is one of the fabulous places to visit in Quba. Being the largest village in the Quba region, it attracts the attention of many nature-loving tourists. Qechresh Forest is a pleasing woodland with verdant greenery and spectacular landscapes. It is popular for its natural springs and plants. There are plenty of plants of different kinds, like cranberry, hawthorn, walnuts, pears, hips, apples, and pine trees. If you are a nature lover, Qechresh Forest is the best for hiking and picnicking amidst the serene surroundings.

Khinalig village, with its 5,000 years of magnificent history, is located 57 km from the city of Guba, surrounded by the towering peaks of Bazarduzu, Tufandag, Shahdag and Gizilgaya, at an altitude of 2,000 metres above sea-level. Khinalig is a legendary settlement with rich ethnographic aspects. Since the mountain slopes of the village are incredibly steep, the village houses are built remarkably close to one other, with the roof of one acting as a courtyard for another located higher up