How to Visit the Gobustan Mud Volcanoes in Azerbaijan

If you’re heading to Baku and want to experience something truly unique, the mud volcanoes in Gobustan, Azerbaijan, should be at the top of your list. Located just outside of the capital, this otherworldly landscape looks like it belongs on another planet.

With bubbling craters, cracked earth, and mini eruptions of cool, grey mud, it’s one of the qildest and most fascinating natural sights in the country. The best part is that it’s completely different from anything you’ve probably seen before, and you can go inside!

When we tried finding information about the Gobustan Mud Volcanoes we felt everything was all a bit vague - well, in this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about visiting, from how to get there and what to expect, to a few tips that will make your visit way smoother (and a little less muddy).

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Gobustan Mud Volcanoes, Azerbaijan: Basic Info

Before diving into all of the details for visiting the mud volcanoes, let's talk a bit about what mud volcanoes are and where exactly you can find them.

 What is a Mud Volcano?

Mud volcanoes are geological formations where a mixture of mud, gas, and water is pushed up from underground. Unlike regular volcanoes, they don’t produce lava or molten rock. Instead, they slowly ooze cold or warm mud, often creating dome-shaped mounds or bubbling pools on the surface.

 Do Mud Volcanoes Erupt?

Yes, but not in the fiery, dramatic way you might imagine. Mud volcanoes can erupt when pressure from underground gas builds up and causes a sudden release. This can shoot mud several meters into the air. Most of the time, though, they bubble gently or release mud in slow, steady flows.

The mud volcanoes of Gobustan have a lot of bubbling, but they are very calm and don't have big explosions by any means.

Why Does Azerbaijan Have So Many Mud Volcanoes?

Azerbaijan has more than half of the world’s mud volcanoes. This is thanks to its location along tectonic fault lines and its rich underground reserves of natural gas and oil. The combination of gas pressure, sediment buildup, and water creates the perfect conditions for mud volcanoes to form.

What are the Benefits of the Mud Volcanoes in Azerbaijan?

Many people believe the mud has natural healing properties. It’s rich in minerals and is said to help with skin conditions, joint pain, and inflammation. While it’s not a proven medical treatment, visitors enjoy the fun and therapeutic experience of covering themselves in the mineral-rich mud.

We gave ourselves a full mud bath, and definitely recommend you to do the same!

Where are the Mud Volcanoes in Azerbaijan?

The most famous cluster of mud volcanoes is near the town of Gobustan, about an hour south west of Baku. You’ll also find others scattered around the country, including on the Absheron Peninsula, the Caspian coast, and some offshore islands. 

Gobustan is the most popular and easiest to visit though, and this article will cover all the details for visiting the Gobustan mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan!

Gobustan Mud Volcanoes, Azerbaijan: Price & Timetable

Now that you know how to get to Gobustan mud volcanoes, it's important to know when you can visit each area, and how much visiting the volcanoes costs.

 How Much Do the Gobustan Mud Volcanoes Cost?

The Gobustan mud volcanoes have always been completely free of charge to visit for tourists. However, now there is a large part of the area that has been blocked off for tourism.

There is a museum that gives information about the Gobustan mud volcanoes, and has a ticketed entrance. This area has a lot of mud volcanoes and provides valuable insight into historical and geological information about the mud volcanoes, but is highly regulated, not allowing visitors to get that close to them.

The tickets to enter the museum are 15 AZN for foreigners, and 5 AZN for locals. If you're looking for the area where you can swim in the mud volcanoes, this area is free to visit. If you're in the area and also want to see the Gobustan Rock Art, then those tickets are 10 AZN for foreigners, and 4 for locals.

Gobustan Mud Volcano Opening Hours

There is a large area of the mud volcanoes that is open 24/7 to visit. The mud volcanoes that you can swim in can be visited at any time, and there is also an entire region you can off-road to explore mud volcanoes outside the official museum entrance.

The museum itself, and the area behind it can only be accessed from 10 am-7 pm, and even at 5 am there was a security guard that made sure we got nowhere close to the paid area outside of the opening hours.

Gobustan Rock Art open from 10 am to 5 pm during the week, and 9 am-5 pm on the weekends. There is also security patrolling that area, so you won't be able to see anything around it outside of opening hours.

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Gobustan Mud Volcanoes, Azerbaijan: The Full Experience & What to Expect

When reading most articles about the Gobustan mud volcanoes, writers will focus on one area. There are actually so many incredible places to experience in and near Gobustan though! They include:

• Gobustan Mud Volcano Museum
• Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape
• The Gobustan Mud Volcano Off-Road Area
• The Gobustan Mud Volcanoes You Can Swim in

The Gobustan Mud Volcano Museum

The museum is the main touristic area of the mud volcanoes. It is a tickets area, best for those that just want to learn about the mud volcanoes without getting into them. It's highly regulated, but provides a lot of information.

The Gobustan Mud Volcano Museum is the furthest point from Baku, and takes about an hour and 20-30 minutes to reach. The road is paved, and there is a parking area which is very accessible.

The Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape

This is another ticketed area, which features an archaeological site that has natural and manmade caves with over 6,000 ancient rock engravings.

It's located closer to the town of Gobustan, right off of a paved road, and is about an hour in car. It can also be reached by a short taxi ride from the town of Gobustan.

The Gobustan Mud Volcano Off-Road Area

This is the area of the Gobustan Mud Volcanoes that has the least information. It's a vast area that can only be accessed with a 4x4, and the only signs are numbers, which we guess are for the different volcanoes.

We drove this are and simply were using our intuition to reach it to a high point to enjoy the sunrise from.

The drive was pretty rough, but we were able to experience awesome moon-like landscapes and watch the sun rising behind them. Nothing is available in Google Maps, and it's a bit of a guessing game, but a fun area to explore if you have time and an adventurous soul.

The Gobustan Mud Volcanoes You Can Swim in

This is honestly the main highlight of experiencing the Gobustan mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan, and yet, was a bit hard for us to find from the information posted across the web.

On the map it is "Gobustan Mud Volcano" and the pin is closer to the town of Qarakosa, not near the Gobustan Mud Volcano Museum. It's about an hour and 15 minutes from Baku, but you also find a bit of a detour going from Gobustan rather than passing through Qarakosa.

We were led by a tour guide when leaving, so unless you find one, we'd recommend simply spending a few more minutes to go the safe route.

 Swimming in the Gobustan Mud Volcanoes, Azerbaijan

As soon as we entered the area, we were greeted with quie a few mud volcanoes. We flew our drone, and enjoyed this unique landscape.

Another minute or two driving further, you'll then come across the mud volcano that is meant to be swam in. It's located on the left, and the muddy pool on the right is the one you'll be "washing off" in.

You can park your car and walk right up the volcano. You'll see the thick mud bubbling at the top, and can dip right in. Because of the thickness, you'll be able to simply float at the top! It's silky, slightly warm, and really a truly bizarre feeling.

We spent a few minutes taking pictures and swimming around, and then walked over to the big muddy pool to wash off. First, we made sure to keep a thin layer of mud on us, and gave ourselves a healing mud mask. We basked in the sun for 5-10 minutes until it dried (and was super itchy), before diving into the pool.

The pool itself has a ton of mud, but if you swim into the center and scrub, you'll be able to remove the thick layers of mud that are on your body.

After that, we took our own massive jug of water to wash the remaining mud off, and has a bit of soap to get ourselves really clean, as we had already checked out of our hotel and had a flight later on.

Finally, it's fun to know that there are natural gases leaving the volcanoes, so you can actually light them up! We didn't dare do it ourselves, but a lcoal guide came and called us over to show us along with his group. After that, he showed us an awesome shortcut to make it back to town.

The Gobustan mud volcanoes were one of the most incredibly unique and fun things to experience in Azerbaijan, and we were so glad that we left our whole morning open to experience them to the fullest!

Gobustan Mud Volcanoes, Azerbaijan: Other Things to Keep in Mind

Now you know almost everything you need to know for visiting the Gobustan mud volcanoes, Azerbaijan! But don't go just yet - we have a few more things to share with you that may help.

 Weather in Gobustan 

The weather around Gobustan is hot and dry during the day in summer, with slightly cooler nights. Winters get cold, but typically don't experience snow. The sun can be intense though, so make sure to keep this in mind when preparing yourself for a visit!

The Best Time to Visit the Mud Volcanoes in Azerbaijan

The best time to visit the mud volcanoes in Gobustan are in the early morning or late afternoon, as the sun can be really strong, without much shade in sight.

We experienced sunrise at the mud volcanoes, and it was truly magical. If you're not an early rise though, we'd recommend going in the afternoon to see everything and finish with the sunset.

Is Gobustan Worth Visiting?

The Gobustan mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan are one of the most unique experiences in the world! They're an absolute must when visiting Baku or Azerbaijan, and we'd highly recommend exploring with a 4x4 or swimming in the mud volcanoes, which is definitely the best part!

 How Much Time Do You Need to Visit the Gobustan Mud Volcanoes in Azerbaijan?

If you're just visiting the museum area, an hour is sufficient, but if you plan on visiting the Gobustan Rock Art, the off-road area, and the mud volcanoes that you can swim in, you can easily spend several hours here! 

We arrived for sunrise (around 5 am) and didn't leave until 10:30 am - that didn't even include either of the museum areas! If we were to do everything we could have easily spend a couple of more hours.

 What's Next?

Now that you know about one of the most unique experiences in Azerbaijan, you'll probably want to learn more about visiting the country! Right now we have a guide about the Naftalan oil baths, which is another wildly weird thing for your bucket list. We're going to be having more new articles each week as well, so stay tuned!

So are you ready to experience the incredible Gobustan mud volcanoes in Azerbaijan? It truly is one of the coolest things to experience in the country, and one for the bucket list.

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