Hirkan National Park

The Hyrcanian forests run along the southern Caspian in a narrow belt, and they are old: broadleaf woodland whose lineage goes back tens of millions of years, sheltered from the glaciations that stripped the equivalent forest from the rest of Europe. Hirkan protects the Azerbaijani end of that belt and was inscribed as part of the transboundary Hyrcanian Forests World Heritage property in the 2023 extension. Ironwood, chestnut-leaved oak, Caucasian zelkova and silk acacia grow here, several of them found nowhere else, and the forest is dense, humid and full of moss.

What you actually see

• The ironwood - Parrotia persica, with mottled bark and branches that graft into each other.
• The relict species - chestnut-leaved oak, zelkova and silk acacia, survivors of a much older forest.
• The forest structure - closed humid broadleaf woodland with heavy undergrowth and moss.
• The Talysh slopes - the hills the forest climbs, from near sea level up into cloud.

When to go

April to June is green and full, and September to November brings the colour, which in this forest is exceptional. Summer is hot and humid at low altitude. Rain is possible at any time of year and the tracks turn heavy.

Honest expectations

Trails are limited and poorly marked, and a guide from the park is the practical way to see anything beyond the entrance area. The Persian leopard is present in the wider area but is effectively never seen. Facilities are minimal and the access road is rough.

Nearby

Lankaran is half an hour east, and the road to Lerik climbs through the park.