When to go to Khinalug and what to bring

Khinalug sits above 2,300 metres in the Quba district. The road climbs from Quba up the Gudyalchay gorge, and the drive is half the trip: the walls of the gorge, small bridges and flocks of sheep on the slopes.

The season

We go from May to October. In winter snow can close the road, and in early spring stones fall in the gorge. Summer days are warm, but the evenings are cool: bring something warm even in August.

What to bring

• Comfortable trainers: the village streets are stony, and a path leads to the Laza waterfalls.
• A warm layer and a rain jacket.
• Cash: few places in the village take cards.
• Your ID card.

In the village

Khinalug people have a language of their own. Ask before you photograph houses or people. Meals at the guesthouse are home cooking: the cheese, meat and bread often come from the same yard.