Weekend from Baku to Quba and Khinalug in a Lada Xray

My name is Nikita Sorokin, I am from Riga, and I came to Azerbaijan for five days with one clear goal: to reach the mountain village of Khinalug, one of the highest inhabited places in the Caucasus.

For that route an ordinary city car would not do, so I arranged car rental in Baku and took a Lada Xray from Karavan Rent A Car in Baku. The ground clearance was the deciding factor.

The car was delivered to my apartment in the centre on Friday evening. The manager asked about my route and gave practical advice about the mountain road.

The drive from Baku to Quba is about one hundred and seventy kilometres of good highway, and the Xray covered it comfortably and quietly.

The road from Quba up to Khinalug is the real test: constant climbing, sharp bends and sections where the asphalt gives way. The crossover handled it calmly and I never once regretted the choice of car.

Khinalug itself is worth every kilometre. I spent the night there and came back down the next day, stopping at the Afurja waterfall on the way.

The fuel bill for the whole weekend was modest, and the rental cost far less than any organised tour to the same places.

For mountain routes I can fully recommend car rental in Baku with this model. The Lada Xray copes with the roads to Quba, Khinalug and Shahdag without any drama.