We were a family of three, travelling to Azerbaijan for the first time and I was given the reference of a guide - Mr Valeh of VLA Tourism, through a Facebook group in Dubai. From the start, Mr Valeh was very professional in planning the entire 3-day itinerary that covered most of the prominent sites for our short trip. From the pickup at the airport, the entire touring and the drop off, Valeh and his safe driver were flawless, everything was perfectly arranged with water bottles in the vehicle at your disposal, plus he is very flexible to accommodate any of your requirements. Ours was a private tour to all the sites and the vehicle was spacious, clean with a lot of leg space. I must say, in this short visit, Valeh managed to cover most of the sites, including Baku city tour of the old town, the modern sites - Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center that has an amazing car museum, a must visit, palace of the Shirvanshahs and of course the panoramic views the beautiful city, Baku has to offer. The second day we visited the Gobustan rock art, that takes you back in history. The mud volcanoes is a must visit to experience the amazing mysteries of nature, and to end the day, Valeh took us to the Fire Temple in Surakhany, a suburb in Baku. Made completely from stone, the temple is a beautiful place of worship and has an interesting history which was well explained by Valeh, who is an archaeologist too, and explains the entire temple history in detail. We also visited the Yanardag fire mountain, and Valeh steps in again to give you information on how the fire blazes naturally at the foot of the mountains. His knowledge about the history of Azerbaijan is simply commendable. You won't miss out on any of wonders that this beautiful country has to offer. Lastly, we ended our trip by visiting a beautiful snow-covered mountain resort in Gabala, where we took a cable car ride up the slopes, experienced snow. Our trip back from Gabala was equally enjoyable as we stopped at a local market (also recommended by our guide) to buy some local sweets and souvenirs. It is very reasonable to buy here than the city. He also recommended good restaurants for our trip and also treated us for dinner at a local restaurant offering Azerbaijani cuisine. Overall a very enjoyable trip and I would definitely recommend VLA tourism, especially Valeh, if you want to experience more of Azerbaijan history and beautiful views. Thank you Valeh for making our trip safe, comfortable and memorable.
syhungtourguide
02 Nov 2022
We booked the tour from this company as our friend advised me this. We saw better than expected. Tour with well educated guide, professional driver flows like water and you enjoy your time. Gobustan mud Volcanoes are real Mars of Azerbaijan. Museum and Rock caves make you feel in old times. Lunch was amazing. Especially sea foods and local barbecue of Azerbaijan irreplaceable. You should try tandir bread hot and fresh baked. On the way we passed by Bibiheybat historical masjid, first drilled economical oil well, flag square, Baku Eye so called devil eye, Deniz mall, carpet museum boulrvard area, old city etc. Guide Valih provided us with broad information about all of them.
Fire temple has another kind of enjoyment. This mystical place takes you to the medieval period. In Yanardag Fire Mountain you understand why this country is called Land of Fire. Amazing fire blazing.
We only did the tour one day with this company. I would stay more days to spend in Azerbaijan with this company under Valih's guiding. When I return again I will. They also organize multi days tours with all inclusive and without for a reasonable price.
Strongly reccomend this tour and with this guide.