Lankaran and the Astara border crossing

In southern Azerbaijan lies the sleepy town of Lankaran. Although it is the largest city in the south with a population of 80,000, life here is just a little slower. In the heart of the agricultural centre, the city itself has little to offer for the average tourist. However, a nice stroll through the city may be what the doctor ordered as most people pass through here coming from/going to Iran.

The soul of Lankaran is the Dosa Park (renamed Heydar Aliyev memorial Park) It is here that the locals come to pass the time, soaking up the sun and basking by the Statue of the Father of the Nation. The park is wonderfully well manicured and is a great place to chill out. A few minutes walk north of the park you'll find a well-done memorial to genocide victims. Azerbaijan has suffered greatly over the years. Largely at the hands of Armenia in times of war. There are a few quotes from the former and current presidents, surprisingly translated into English. But really, other than that, there isn't too much to see or do. There's a brick-barrel tower just east of the park where Stalin was held prisoner in his early revolutionary days. There's also a metal relief of a matriarch, remarkably similar to the one in Tbilisi (just on a much smaller scale). As Lankaran is on the Caspian coast there's also a working lighthouse. Which wisely is only turned on at night. Getting to Lankaran is super easy. 2 trains a day come from/go to the capital of Baku. I prefer the night train with "comfortable" sleeping berths. And for only $5 or $6 (depending on which class) it's a total bargain.

I recently came from a holiday in Iran, so the most logical re-entry point was the border crossing at Astara (same name both sides). Some guide books report this as a "challenging" or "heavily militarized" crossing, which is a bunch of crap! As only one of a handful of tourist that use this crossing I was given the VIP treatment, including being fast tracked in line. It's a rather odd crossing though as the Azeri passport control is set-up in an old bus! The town of Astara (on either side) is not worth hanging around in. Taxi drivers (on both sides) will try to tell you that the crossing is far from the centre, LIES!! Both the Iranian and Azerbaijani crossings are more or less in the centre of town. Getting to the Astara is also quite simple.

There are numerous buses (big and small) from Lankaran which cost 1 Manat. Although, I'd recommend taking a taxi (10 manat) and stopping of at the Yanar Bulag. It's a natural spring infused with methane that the locals swear is good to drink. But even more fun is taking a lighter to the flammable gas. Be careful as the first spark can nearly explode, as one poor man filling his bottle found out. Overall, neither city is really worth the trip here alone. There are some hiking opportunities near Lankaran, but they don't really compare to the northern Caucasus mountains. However, if in transit to/from Iran, these towns make for an interesting rest while waiting for the train to Baku.