We found a route northeast through the Caucasus Mountains, avoiding having to return all the way to Baku and then set off again towards Quba. However, the journey was challenging, and at one point we completely lost sight of any road, having to rely on coordinates and satellite images to find our way out of the mountains.

Emerging from the mountains, we first found the small town of Altiagach and the national park of the same name, and beyond it, the small town of Xizi. Before returning completely to civilization, we stopped just beyond the town at a special highlight of Azerbaijan: the “Candy Cane Mountains“.

Conveniently, this highlight is right on the way. We’re not quite sure what to expect here. Is there a museum and a ticket office, like at Qobustan or Yanar Dag? Are there tour buses queuing up again? So far, we haven’t encountered any other tourists on the road.

According to Google Maps, the colorful mountains are still a few hundred meters ahead, but we notice red and white striped hills stretching far into a side valley well before we reach them. We turn the car off the road and drive wildly through the countryside.

Our breath catches in our throats because these colors look so unreal. In Baku, they tried to sell us tours that all included these mountains, but we’re the only ones here.

Like little children, we jump out of the car, take photos and touch the strange rock.

The overcast sky further enhances the fairytale scene. We happily continue driving on, further and further in our car.

The name “Candy Cane Mountains” makes sense. The rock looks like sugar mass in a candy store, just waiting to be turned into a lollipop.

We still haven’t seen the mountains where Google has marked the location of this natural phenomenon. We turn the car around and follow our own tire tracks back to the road. A few hundred meters away, we see the distinct colored structures right next to the road.

Only a small group of people are there, apparently taking wedding photos. We climb the colorful mounds and examine the stones. It’s pure, soft rock, clearly evidence of different layers of sediment that have been deposited here. Fossils of shells and snails lie scattered on the ground like pebbles.

It’s late again, our stomachs are screaming for food, and our limbs are longing for a bed. A shower wouldn’t be bad either.

We found both near the town of Sarvan. However, we were only moderately satisfied with the accommodation.

The “oasis” is located behind a large cowshed; we have to cross another riverbed because there’s no bridge or it’s broken, and the apartment itself isn’t particularly clean. Never mind, we’re tired.

We’re not sleeping very well. Once again, the accommodation is being marketed by someone sitting in Baku who leaves the work to his clueless elderly parents, who are doing their best to make us comfortable, but have no idea what their son has actually promised the customers.

Nobody seemed to have expected guests, so there was still a lot of clutter lying around and the kitchen and bathroom hadn’t been cleaned. Three beds were promised, but we only got extra beds. I much prefer Couchsurfing. We’re continuing on to Quba and into Azerbaijan in the rain.