Gizilagac National Park

Gizilagac covers the shallow bays, reed beds and mudflats where the Caspian meets the southern lowlands, and it is one of the most significant wintering sites for waterbirds anywhere on this coast. Hundreds of thousands of birds use it in the cold months: flamingo, swans, geese, ducks, pelicans and waders in numbers that are hard to take in. Established as a reserve in the 1920s and upgraded to a national park, much of it is strictly protected and access to the core is controlled.

What you actually see

• The winter concentrations - flamingo, swans, geese and ducks in very large numbers.
• The reed beds - dense stands along the bay margins holding breeding and roosting birds.
• The shallow bays - open brackish water and mudflats stretching along the coast.
• The pelicans - both Dalmatian and great white using the reserve.

When to go

November to March is the season and the reason the park exists; outside it the numbers fall away sharply. Early morning is best. Visits to the core areas need arranging with the administration in advance.

Honest expectations

This is a strict reserve rather than a visitor attraction: access is restricted, a permit and a guide are needed for much of it, and there is no infrastructure for casual visitors. Roads around the margins are poor. Without binoculars or a scope there is little to see.

Nearby

Lankaran is south along the coast, and Hirkan National Park is inland from there.