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Guba sees rise in tourist flow

25 August 2015 11:42 (UTC+04:00)
Guba sees rise in tourist flow

By Amina Nazarli

One of Azerbaijan’s most beautiful regions, Guba, is an impressive corner of the country known for its rich flora and fauna. The northern region, located in 168 km from Baku, has become a favorite destination for many travelers.

Guba is the closest mountainous region to Baku, located about three hours from the Baku International Bus Terminal, where you can easily find yourself on an affordable vacation surrounded by a sea of green, broken up only by majestic mountains.

With fresh air, unique landscapes, and preserved traditions, Guba attracts thousands of local and foreign tourists every year. It’s cold winters and cool summer nights make the region even more attractive for tourists.

One of Guba’s most visited natural features is its unique waterfall in Pirbanovsha, where the flowing water creates graceful natural sculptures.

History enthusiasts will also find enticing places to visit, like settlements dating to the 12-13th centuries, a temple dating from the 9th century and several 19th-century buildings.

Guba is also known for its hydrogen sulfide sources, located near the Khashichay. Here, in the narrow gorge, hot water with healing properties flows from the rocks.

Nobody remembers exactly who constructed the sanatorium consisting of three bathrooms carved deep in the rock, but visitors gladly spend their time in these baths.

The region, famous for its apples, is a perfect place for lovers of fresh fruits. Considered as the motherland of Azerbaijani apples, Guba has more than 40 different varieties of apples. The smell of juicy and aromatic apple trees has spread into every stone and every house in this beautiful northern region.

The creation of modern tourist facilities and infrastructure attracts seekers of tranquil beauty to this beautiful land.

Guba’s Tourist Information Center, also operating online, provides visitors with interesting tours and all the necessary information to cater your stay to your needs.

This year, the Center reported a 20-30 percent rise in tourist flow to the region.

During the last six months of this year some 2,797 tourists including 323 foreigners came to familiarize themselves with the unique culture, traditions, and landscapes of the region.

Foreigners applied for the center’s vacation services online. However, only a few hundred tourists use these services, meaning that the number of local and foreign tourists is actually much higher.

According to records, the number of tourists arriving in Guba amounts to tens of thousands per year.

The region has 36 resort centers, all of which are trying to keep abreast with international standards on quality.

Currently, tourists have the opportunity to enjoy four exciting tourist destination options during their stay including the Guba-Khinalig, Guba-Afurja, Guba-Laza and Guba-Khanagah routes.

Statistics show that the most popular destination for tourists is the Guba-Khinalig tourism route.

Located at the peak of the Caucasus Mountains, 2,350 meters above the sea in Guba region, Khinalig is an area that has preserved its ancient lifestyle to this day.

Until 2006, the village, with a population of 3,000 people was inaccessible for nine months of the year, due to poor road conditions. However, the situation has changed and now more and more local and foreign tourists visit the isolated village.

Several tours to and guest houses in the village make trip to Khinalig more convenient for tourists. The trip offers an introduction to the culture and history of the village, a trip to the waterfalls on foot or horseback, an endemic birch forest, and visits to sacred places situated nearby.

The Guba-Afurja tourism route comes second according to tourist density.

Guba, with its fascinating landscape, is always ready to welcome anyone who wants to immerse him/herself in nature.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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