Experience the best of Lankaran

Lankaran lies on the Caspian Sea near the border with Iran, on a low coastal plain backed by the forested Talysh Mountains. It is the wettest part of Azerbaijan, and the warm, damp air supports a landscape unlike the rest of the country: tea bushes, citrus groves, rice paddies and lush woodland.

The Talysh people, who have their own language, live in the hills and on the plain. Hirkan National Park, in the mountains behind, protects a relict broadleaf forest where the Persian ironwood grows among old oaks and hornbeams. The town itself has a bazaar and low streets, and the Caspian coast to the north has long, quiet shores.

Lavangi, fish or chicken stuffed with walnuts, onion and herbs and baked until tender, is the dish most linked to Lankaran, and the local tea is served with fruit jams. Rain falls through much of the year, and the winters are mild by Azerbaijani standards.