Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

Read more

A total of 28,979 people purchased tickets to visit Azerbaijan’s Mud Volcanoes Tourism Complex in the first eight months of 2026, with foreign tourists accounting for the vast majority of visitors.

Murad Agabayli, Chairman of the Board of the State Tourism Agency’s Reserve Management Center, told journalists that 26,235 of the visitors were foreigners, while 2,744 were domestic tourists. Another 798 people visited the complex free of charge.

According to Agabayli, the foreign visitors represented more than 150 countries. Tourists from China, Russia, Türkiye, Israel, India, Poland, Germany, Italy, Bahrain and the United States were among the largest groups.

The Mud Volcanoes Tourism Complex, which opened on June 13, 2024, has become one of the destinations most frequently visited by tourists coming to Baku, according to the official.

The complex offers several attractions designed to provide visitors with information about Azerbaijan’s distinctive natural environment. These include a Tourism Information Center, an exhibition hall dedicated to mud volcanoes and minerals, and workshops where visitors can participate in pottery and oil-painting master classes.

A natural history exhibition also displays nearly 1,000 specimens representing the fauna of Azerbaijan and other parts of the world.

Visitors can observe the mud volcanoes in the complex’s open area, including the Gilyanch mud volcano, consisting of eight cones arranged in a row, as well as a volcano that emits oil. The complex also provides an opportunity to observe Toraghay, described as Azerbaijan’s and the world’s largest mud volcano. The volcano is 402 meters high and has a diameter of 150 meters.

Agabayli also addressed transportation to the complex, noting that organizing dedicated public transport is challenging.

The complex is located approximately 100 kilometers from Baku. Agabayli said the site can be reached by leaving the main tourism route by about 20 kilometers and noted its proximity to the Gobustan Reserve, another major tourist destination.

He acknowledged that there is currently no dedicated public transportation service to the complex, but said the site remains accessible to tourists who want to visit.