Sheki Nature Reserve Mountain Forest Trekking
Trek through the Sheki Nature Reserve in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus where dense forests of oak, hornbeam, and chestnut cover the mountain slopes above the city, with trails leading to waterfalls, alpine meadows, and views deep into the Caucasus range.
- 1
Reserve Trailhead
Begin at the nature reserve trailhead above Sheki where the urban environment gives way immediately to dense Caucasian forest, the transition from city to wilderness happening within minutes as the trail climbs into the oak and hornbeam forests of the mountain slopes.
- 2
Forest Stream Crossing
Cross one of the clear mountain streams fed by snowmelt from the Greater Caucasus peaks above, the water rushing over limestone rocks through the forest creating the sound environment — birdsong and water — that defines the sensory experience of trekking in these mountains.
- 3
Waterfall Viewpoint
Reach one of the mountain waterfalls where the snowmelt streams drop over cliff faces in seasonal cascades, the falls particularly impressive in spring when the snowpack above is melting rapidly and the streams run at maximum volume through the forested gorges.
- 4
Forest Canopy Walk
Walk through the mature forest canopy where the trees reach impressive sizes, the protected nature reserve allowing the Caucasian forest to approach its natural state with large old trees, fallen logs hosting fungi and mosses, and the biodiversity of an intact forest ecosystem.
- 5
Mountain Meadow
Emerge from the forest into an alpine meadow where wildflowers in season create carpets of color, the open ground offering views back down to Sheki below and across to the mountain ridges that mark the political border with Russia's Dagestan region to the north.
- 6
Summit Views
Reach a summit or high ridge for the full panoramic view over the region — Sheki below with its distinctive roofscape, the Kura River valley stretching west toward Ganja, and the Greater Caucasus range rising to the north in snow-capped ridges that mark the edge of the Azerbaijani world.