"Azerbaijan" Azerbaijan by Mittnic

Azerbaijan Travel Guide: 439 reviews and 1,323 photos

Not your average tourist destination...

...but Azerbaijan got plenty to offer its visitors. It's not all beautiful or scenic but always interesting and if you want to experience something different go there! And certainly Azerbaijan got its share of natural wonders, because it wouldn't be fair to judge its nature after a tour in the surroundings of Baku, an area my guidebook describes as "one of the most polluted places in the world" and "an unlikely accumulation of industrial waste".

As a tourist in Azerbaijan one can rest a sure not to be one in the crowd. Some how mass tourism hasn't found its way here. People are proud of their country and are generally very friendly and helpful. Crime is low and I always felt safe travelling in the country. Stay away from the front-line and avoid the police and you'll be fine.

"the great leader's" father Heydar Aliyev

Pictures of president Aliyev ("the great leader" according to the official web site http://www.president.az/) and his father ("the national leader") are all over and serve as a reminder that Azerbaijan is no more than a phoney democracy. The regime is however, a loyal ally in America's war on terror and in that position any dictator can feel confident to remain in power.

Azerbaijan has vast oil resources and the contrast between the chic shopping streets in central Baku and the poverty visible in much of the city, is a sad illustration how uneven the country's income is distributed.

Last visit to Azerbaijan: Sep 2006
Intro Updated Oct 16, 2006
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Reviews (6)

The nation's capital Things to Do (5)

Baku is maybe not the most exciting place but it's certainly worth to explore a day or two. more travel advice

One of the world's most polluted areas... (2) - Azerbaijan

One of the world's most polluted... Things to Do (5)

In some odd way I can see a beauty in this too more travel advice

One of the world's most polluted areas... (1) - Azerbaijan

One of the world's most polluted... Things to Do (5)

...is the Apsheron peninsula where Baku is situated. Why not spend a day checking out industrial waste? more travel advice

Pipe-line spotting Things to Do (5)

Take a minibus about 15 west of Baku and look at the pipe-lines more travel advice

Transportation (1)
Train

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Comments (3)

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Minashka Jun 28, 2007 at 4:10 AM

It was interesting to read about Azerbaijan from a point of view of a traveller... thanks! But I don't think I'd wanna go there if I had only read about it from your pages ;-) Minai from Azerbaijan
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iwys Mar 1, 2007 at 2:57 PM

Interesting page. I enjoyed reading it. I know two people who lived in Azerbaijan for a year and they both hated it.
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MalenaN Oct 16, 2006 at 8:36 AM

Sounds like you enjoyed Azerbaijan! Would very much like to hear more about your trip to Azerbaijan and Georgia.