Gobustan by Soviet Lada: the 1966 Reserve, the Mud Craters and Yanardag

Seven to eight hours, leaving at 9:00 from the Baku City Tours office. The first stop is Bibi-Heybat, where the world's first industrial oil well was sunk, and the mosque of the same name stands. Gobustan State Reserve is about 40 miles south west of central Baku. It was established in 1966, when the area was declared a national historical landmark to protect the carvings, the mud volcanoes and the gas-stones. The petroglyphs there date from the Stone Age, and the site is on the UNESCO list. Getting to the mud volcanoes means changing vehicles: the group transfers into a Soviet Lada SUV, because the track does not take anything else. Azerbaijan has the largest concentration of mud volcanoes in the world. Lunch is a buffet. Ateshgah, in the Surakhani suburb, is the castle-shaped fire temple, and Yanar Dag is the natural fire that has burned on the hillside for centuries. One thing to check before booking: if you take the version without tickets, bring cash for the entrance fees at each site. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.