Things to Do in Qusar and Shahdag: 8 Ideas Beyond the Ski Slopes

Qusar and Shahdag at a Glance

1. Shahdag in Summer: Cable Cars and Meadows

From late spring the resort’s cable cars keep running for walkers and sightseers, lifting you from the 1,435 m base into alpine meadows with views of Mount Shahdag. Walking trails lead off across the slopes, and the hotels at the base serve lunch on their terraces. On a hot July day in Baku, the air up here is noticeably cooler.

2. The Shahdag Coaster

The resort’s alpine coaster runs on a 1,670 m track with nine turns at up to 42 km/h, and it operates in both summer and winter. Children over three can ride, which makes it the favourite stop for families. Tickets are sold at the resort hotels.

3. Zipline, Quads and Jeep Tours

In the warm months the resort adds a zipline, quad biking, off-road jeep tours, mountain biking, horse riding and paintball. What is open depends on the season and the weather, so ask at your hotel or the resort’s activity desk on the day.

4. Laza Village and Its Waterfalls

Just beyond the resort, at about 1,300 m at the foot of Mount Shahdag, is Laza — a small Lezgin village of stone houses surrounded by cliffs streaked with waterfalls. From the resort the falls are reached by special off-road vehicles, in about 20–30 minutes. The falls are at their fullest from late March into early summer, when the snow melts; from the village, short hikes of a few kilometres lead up the valley.

5. Skiing and Snow in Winter

From about mid-December to March Shahdag is a full ski resort, and even non-skiers come for the snow, the cable car rides and sledging. Our winter guide covers season dates, ski passes and how Shahdag compares with Tufandag.

6. Qusar Town

Qusar, half an hour below the resort, is the centre of Azerbaijan’s Lezgin community. It is a quiet market town rather than a tourist sight, but worth a short stop for its 19th-century red-brick Juma Mosque and the local history museum, which displays manuscripts, household objects and the story of the region.

7. The Sheikh Juneyd Mausoleum

In the village of Hazra, in the Qusar district near the border with Dagestan, stands the tiled mausoleum of Sheikh Juneyd, the grandfather of Shah Ismail I, founder of the Safavid dynasty. Juneyd was killed in battle in 1456; the building over his grave was probably raised later, in the 16th century. Its glazed tilework and carved decoration make it the most important historic monument in the district.

8. Quba, Just Down the Road

Quba is only about 15 km from Qusar, so it is easy to combine the two: the Red Settlement, the Juma Mosque and Quba’s carpets on the way up or down. See things to do in Quba.

How to Plan Your Trip

• One day from Baku. Leave around 8:00, ride the cable cars and the coaster at Shahdag, have lunch at the resort and stop in Quba on the way back. About six hours of driving in total.
• Two days (our recommendation). Day one: Quba on the way, then an afternoon at Shahdag and a night at a resort hotel. Day two: Laza and its waterfalls in the morning, Qusar on the way down, back in Baku in the evening.
• Winter. Treat it as a ski trip: several nights at the resort, with Quba as a half-day break.

Getting to Shahdag and Qusar

Buses from Baku stop in Qusar town, and the last climb to the resort needs a separate local ride — easy in summer, harder with luggage or in snow. A private transfer takes you door to door, and the same driver can take you to Quba; Laza is reached from the resort by off-road vehicle. Our fixed prices, per car:

A same-day trip there and back costs the same as one way. If you stay overnight, choose in the booking form whether the driver stays with you (each night adds a driver day) or you book two separate transfers. For several days around the north, see private driver hire.

Updated: October 2026