THE TRANSCAUCASIAN TRAIL AGAIN?

I was about to buy a ticket to Slovenia when an email arrived from the TransCausasian Trail organization - the same NFP that I did the Armenia hike with. They were announcing a new hiking trail they just opened in Azerbijan and another through the Svaneti in Georgia. I had to go!

• The Azerbaijan hike was 64 miles and 18,000 feet of climbing. The trail went through mostly treeless open pasture land with stunning views. The route hiked is in dark blue.

• The Georgia hike was 42 miles with 11,550 feet of climbing. The landscape was dominated by ranges of snow covered mountains. A portion of the route hiked is showing and in purple.

BAKU

My flight from the U.S. delivered me to Baku, Azerbaijan. Before heading out to the hinterlands, I had time to explore this capital city, and it was a really pleasant surprise! Baku sits on the shore of the Caspian Sea and is framed with the Baku Boulevard. From this wide boulevard you can access museums, restaurants, tourist sites, old town, and look out over a dramatic skyline filled with contemporary architecture. I had no idea!

OLD TOWN

Old Town has narrow streets with lots of stone buildings. It’s well preserved with charming shops.

AROUND TOWN

Baku has a very sophisticated vibe with an ocean promenade and some pedestrian-only streets making it very easy to get around on foot.

FOOD EVERYWHERE!

The markets have everything! There is a baklava type filling in a fruit or spice roll up, fresh apples, cherries & berries, herbs & teas, nuts & dried fruit, and grains & seeds.

RESTAURANTS

It was easy to find vegan and vegetarian food. My favorite is an organic restaurant called Hope where they have buddha bowls and green drinks with nut balls. I also had a yogurt soup with greens and a traditional dish with eggs in a tomato sauce called Chirbuli.

Baku is so interesting that I am averaging 8-10 miles of walking each day without noticing!

City walking has been good prep for soft hiking surfaces ahead!