Candy Cane Mountains, Azerbaijan: Where to See the Striped Hills

The Candy Cane Mountains of Azerbaijan are exactly what the nickname suggests: bare hills banded in red and cream, striped like sticks of rock, rising straight out of dry country about an hour and a half north of Baku near the town of Khizi. They are the most photographed landscape on the northern road, and among the easiest sights in the country to reach — you see them from the roadside.

Where they are

The hills sit beside the Baku–Guba highway near Khizi, on the way north towards Guba, Khinalig and the Shahdag mountains. There is no hike involved and no entrance to pay: the viewpoint is a roadside stop, which is why almost every day trip heading north builds one in.

When they look best

The banding is strongest in flat, bright light, and the colour deepens when the ground is dry. Low sun early or late in the day exaggerates the ridges; midday flattens them. There is no shade at the viewpoint, so in high summer it is a stop rather than a place to linger.

What else is on the same road

• Beshbarmag Mountain — the “Five Finger” rock beside the same highway.
• Masazir Pink Lake — a rose-coloured salt lake just outside Baku, on the Shahdag route.
• Gachrash Forest — beech and pine woods outside Guba, where most day trips stop for lunch.
• Khinalig village — the UNESCO-listed stone village above 2,300 m, at the far end of the same road.

Seeing them from Baku

Because the Candy Cane Mountains are a roadside stop rather than a destination, the sensible way to see them is on a day that goes somewhere else too. Both of ours do:

• Shahdag, Guba & Khizi day tour — Masazir pink lake, the Candy Cane Mountains, Gechresh forest and the Shahdag mountain resort. About 12 hours, from ₼59 per person.
• Guba & Khinalig day tour — the same striped hills on the way to the canyon road and Khinalig village. About 12 hours, from ₼89 per person.

Both include hotel pickup in Baku and a guide for the day; lunch is paid at the restaurant.