Baku to Gakh and Ilisu: How to Get There and What to See

Gakh is a small town in north-western Azerbaijan at the foot of the Greater Caucasus. It has the historic Icheribazar quarter, a history and ethnography museum and St George's, a working Georgian (Ingiloy) church. 12–15 km higher in the mountains lies Ilisu, the former capital of the Ilisu Sultanate (16th century – 1803), with stone houses, the Sumug-gala tower, an old bridge and a mosque, and the Ram-Rama waterfall above the village. It is a place for an unhurried day in the mountains and for hiking; the peak season is summer.

How to get there from Baku

• By car: Baku to Gakh is 330–345 km depending on the source, about 4 h 48 min. From Sheki it is 35 km, about an hour, on the Sheki–Gakh–Zagatala road opened on 4 November 2015. Gakh to Ilisu is 12–15 km.
• By train: the Baku–Balakan night train (ADY) stops at Gakh station. As of January 2025 it left Baku at 23:50 and reached Balakan at 08:10; the return left Balakan at 22:10 and arrived in Baku at 06:50. Fares Baku–Gakh: from 14.8 AZN (Standard), 23.9 AZN (Standard+), 63.3 AZN (Business). An APA headline of 30 October 2026 says the service will resume on 20 November, so check ticket.ady.az before travelling.
• By bus: daily buses to Gakh leave from the Baku International Bus Terminal (Avtovağzal) and take about 6 hours; timetables are on avtovagzal.az and bakubus.az. From Sheki a minibus takes about 40 minutes and costs 1 AZN, with the first departures at 8:00, 10:00 and 11:30 (as of August 2022). Gakh to Ilisu: azerbaijan.travel lists a bus 5 times a day; Wikipedia mentions a daily bus.

What to see

• Icheribazar — the old quarter of Gakh: walls, gates, houses with balconies, woodcarving and weaving workshops, and summer concerts in the open-air theatre. Sources date it to the 15th, 16th or 18th century. About 45 min; it is an open street.
• Gakh History and Ethnography Museum — founded in 1981, about 11,500 items: archaeology, household utensils, textiles and clothing. 1 Uzeyir Hajibeyov Street. About 45 min.
• St George's Church — a working 19th-century Georgian Orthodox church (1855 according to one source) with a bell tower and a painted interior; services are held all year. Sources place it either in Gakhbash village on Heydar Aliyev Avenue or in the town centre. About 30 min.
• Ulu Bridge, Ilisu — a stone bridge of about 15 m over the Kurmukchay at the entrance to Ilisu, closed to cars. About 15 min; open site.
• Sumug-gala Tower — a four-storey defensive tower (17th–18th century) with a small ethnographic display inside; the top is closed. About 30 min; a modest fee is charged.
• Ilisu village — the former capital of the Ilisu Sultanate at about 1,200–1,600 m, with stone houses and towers. 1–2 h; free.
• Ulu Mosque, Ilisu — an 18th-century Friday mosque, abandoned and partly ruined, listed as a monument of national importance. 15–20 min from outside.
• Ilisu (Ram-Rama) Waterfall — above the village. Cars are left in a clearing at the end of Ilisu; from there it is about an hour's steep climb on foot, or a local UAZ. 2–3 h including the way; entry is free; it freezes in winter.
• Ilisu – Gashgachay Trail — a marked, difficult 16 km trail, about 9 h 10 min, with 1,450 m of ascent and a high point of 2,280 m. A full day; free, no permit needed; May–September.
• Lekit Round Temple — ruins of a 5th–7th-century round temple of Caucasian Albania among hazelnut groves, 2 km north-east of Lekit village; hard to find without a local guide. About 1 h including the approach.

Kurmuk Church is closed to tourists for about a year from October 2026 for archaeological research and restoration.

One-day route

At 330 km (about 4 h 48 min) a day trip from Baku and back is a long way; it is more convenient to stay overnight in Sheki (35 km, about an hour) or in Ilisu. A day in Gakh and Ilisu:

• 09:00 — walk around Icheribazar; 10:00 — Gakh History and Ethnography Museum.
• 11:00 — St George's Church (Gakhbash).
• 11:45 — drive to Ilisu, 12–15 km; 12:15 — Ulu Bridge and the nearby Sumug-gala Tower, on foot.
• 13:00 — walk around Ilisu and the Ulu Mosque; lunch (the village has restaurants).
• 14:30 — Ram-Rama Waterfall: a UAZ from the clearing at the end of the village or about an hour's climb on foot. Alternatively, visit the Lekit Round Temple with a guide instead.
• 17:30 — back to Gakh (12–15 km), then on to Sheki (35 km) or Baku (about 330 km).

What to eat

• Sürhüllü — the signature dish of the district, especially of the mountain villages: pieces of dough with dried meat and ribs. Eurasia.travel describes it as small dumplings without filling, served with garlic and sour plum paste (turshu), and says the Gakh version resembles Dagestani khinkal. Azerbaijan.travel suggests trying it in Sarybash, the highest village of the district. Dried meat, the base of the dish, is what the mountain villages are known for.
• Honey — the House of Honey in Lekit village.

Where to stay

We do not have hotels in Gakh on our site yet. The nearest are in Sheki, 35 km away: Sheki Palace, Sheki Saray, Macara Sheki City, Marxal Resort & Spa, Kungut, Yukhari Karvansaray, Old Town Sheki, MinAli, Arena Sheki, Art Hotel by ABAD, Yaffle Inn, RUH Achari (Kish).

When to go

• Summer is the peak tourist season in Ilisu: the mountains are especially clear, and Icheribazar hosts concerts in the open-air theatre.
• May–September is the season for hiking, including the Ilisu – Gashgachay Trail; the waterfall is visited from spring to autumn.
• In spring and autumn the roads get muddy: after rain the way to the waterfall can be impassable, and heavy downpours make river crossings dangerous.
• In winter the waterfall freezes and tourism in Ilisu almost stops; there is snow at altitude.

Frequently asked questions

Updated 30 October 2026. Prices and timetables of other companies can change — please check before you travel.