Tufandağ
4,191 m
Azerbaijan
Also known as Tufandagh, ტუფანდაღი, +2Also known as
Tufandagh · ტუფანდაღი · Tufandağ 4187.4 metr · Туфандаг
- Elevation
- 4,191 m
- Prominence
- 883 m
- Difficulty
- 4/10
- Alpine hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
The start of this route could not be located, so the line begins partway up and parts of it are approximate. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 7 check notes
- 100% approximate geometry
- truncated: first waypoint unresolved
- DEM 25 m before the summit is 3142 m vs summit elevation 4191 m (DEM too coarse for the summit block?)
- DIN time up 14.28 h vs published 8.5 h (+68%)
- low confidence 0.4
- Tufan Lake → Tufandağ: dem (snap_failed, 2.5 km)
- unresolved waypoints: Shahyaylag, North-west ridge saddle
Sources differ: non-categorised (n/k) for the NW ridge descent to Tufan Lake (mountain.ru, E. Mamedov route collection (1995 traverse))
A non-technical but high and remote ascent, usually done in three days with a local operator: jeep from Khinalig to the shepherds' summer settlement of Shahyaylag (about 2,800 m), a 3–4 hour walk up the Tufanchay to a camp at Tufan Lake (3,277 m), then a summit day of 4–6 hours over scree and rock to 4,191 m.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 2.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +4,191 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 4,191 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 14h 17m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 8h 41m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Operators drive from Baku to Khinalig (about 5 hours), then by 4x4 through Shahdag National Park and a State Border Service checkpoint to Shahyaylag, a summer shepherds' settlement at about 2,700–2,800 m (18 km, 1–2 hours). From there it is about 7 km and 3–4 hours on foot, with horses available for loads, along the Tufanchay through streams, meadows and rocky ground to a camp beside Tufan Lake (Tufangöl, 3,277 m), Azerbaijan's highest mountain lake, which lies between Kurvedağ and Tufandağ on the main Caucasus watershed. Summit day starts around 05:00. The summit is about 2.3 km east of the lake and 900 m higher; operators give 4–6 hours up over rocky and scree slopes, 6 km round trip from camp, and 2–4 hours back down to camp, with no technical climbing. A 1995 Azerbaijani route collection describes the easy line between the summit and the lake: the north-west ridge from the top, bypassing its gendarmes on the west side, to a saddle (300–400 m at 30–35°), then a broad scree ridge down to the lake, graded non-categorised. Snow can lie on the upper slopes, and a small glacier occupies the north side, which this route avoids. On day three walk back to Shahyaylag and drive out. Tour sources do not describe the exact summit line in detail, and fog, strong wind and storms (from which the mountain takes its name) make navigation on the upper ridge difficult; go with a guide who knows it.
Start
Tufan Lake0 m
- None to the trailhead; operators provide transport from Baku via Quba to Khinalig and 4x4 to Shahyaylag
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tufan Lake → Tufandağ | 2.5 | 4,191 | 0 | 14h 17m |
Waypoints
- Bivouac: Tufan Lake0 m
Tented camp; no hut
- Summit: Tufandağ4,191 m
Key Passages
- Tufanchay valley to Tufan Lake
- Scree ridge from the lake to the north-west ridge
- Gendarmes on the north-west ridge, bypassed on the west
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 40%Overview
Azerbaijan's third-highest mountain (4,191 m), on the main Caucasus watershed where the Qusar, Quba and Qabala districts meet. A remote, non-technical ascent from a tented camp at Tufan Lake, the country's highest mountain lake, done with a local operator and a border-zone permit.
Tufandağ rises on the main watershed of the eastern Greater Caucasus, at the junction of the Qusar, Quba and Qabala districts, inside Shahdag National Park. It is the third-highest summit in Azerbaijan after Bazardüzü (4,466 m) and Shahdag (4,243 m). The name refers to its frequent storms and blizzards. A cirque and hanging glacier on the north side, the largest in the area, feeds the Mahmudchay; monitoring in recent years has found it shrinking and its tongue retreating. Tufan Lake (Tufangöl, 3,277 m) lies to the west, between Tufandağ and Kurvedağ.
The standard ascent is from the north-east: a 4x4 drive from the ancient mountain village of Khinalig to the shepherds' settlement of Shahyaylag, a walk to a camp at Tufan Lake, and a summit day over rock and scree with no technical climbing. It is high enough for altitude to matter, the weather turns fast and there are no huts or facilities beyond Khinalig.
It should not be confused with the Tufandag Mountain Resort near Qabala, a ski and cable-car resort on the southern foothills that does not lead to the summit. Harder routes from the glaciated north side were climbed by Azerbaijani alpinists in the 1990s.
Climbing Notes
Fitness for two or three days with a pack and a summit day of 7–10 hours at up to 4,191 m is the main requirement; the route itself is non-technical scree and rock. Acclimatise first: guided itineraries spend a night at about 2,150 m in Khinalig and do an acclimatisation walk, or climb Tufandağ after Shahdag or Bazardüzü. Sleep at 3,300 m before the summit.
Independent climbing is impractical: the mountain is in the border zone, and operators need a passport copy about 30 days in advance to obtain Shahdag National Park, State Border Service and Ministry of Emergency Situations permits. Operators supply 4x4 transport, tents and guides (about one per seven clients); horses can carry loads. Bring crampons and a helmet, warm and windproof clothing and category 4 sunglasses. Mobile coverage is patchy.
History
Local tradition in Khinalig holds that Noah's Ark came to rest on the mountain. Documented routes from the Mahmudchay glacier on the north side (Russian grades 1B to 3B) and a traverse with Tfan West and Kurvedağ were climbed by members of the Azerbaijan Republican Alpine Club in September 1994 and 1995; a south ridge route from the Goturyaylag pass on the Qabala side was recorded in 1988. No information on the first ascent was found.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter
- Apr
- Deep snow; access roads blocked
- May
- Snow on the approach; offered by some operators
- Jun
- More snow on the upper slopes; crampons
- Jul
- Main season; afternoon storms and fog
- Aug
- Main season
- Sep
- Colder; early snow possible
- Oct
- Short window; winter conditions arriving
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Permits
- State Border Service permit (border zone)Required
The upper Shahdag National Park lies in the border zone with Russia. Climbers need State Border Service clearance; operators ask for a passport copy at least 30 days in advance and pass the checkpoint on the drive from Khinalig.
mountainguide.az - Shahdag National Park entry permitRequired
National park entrance fee and entry permit, usually arranged by the operator.
mountainguide.az - Ministry of Emergency Situations registrationRequired
Operators register the group with the Ministry of Emergency Situations along with the other permits.
mountainguide.az
- Fees
- Guided 3-day trips from Baku are sold as packages including transport, 4x4, permits, guide and tents
- Rules
- Border zone: entry only with State Border Service clearance; carry your passport
- In practice a local operator or guide is needed to obtain the permits
- No huts: camping only; keep clear of shepherds' camps and their dogs
- Getting There
Quba; Khinalig is the trailhead village
Baku Heydar Aliyev (GYD)
- By road from Baku via Quba to Khinalig, about 5 hours
- 4x4 from Khinalig to Shahyaylag, 18 km and 1–2 hours, through a State Border Service checkpoint
- Horses can be hired to carry loads to the Tufan Lake camp
Hazards
- Altitude
- Weather
- Rockfall
- Remoteness