How to Cross the Land and Sea Border to Azerbaijan

What was the biggest obstacle in making our journey from Europe through Central Asia along the ancient Silk Route? Undoubtedly: Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan has kept its land and sea borders closed for entry since the Covid pandemic. At the moment, the only way to enter Azerbaijan is by flying. You can exit via land or sea, but you cannot enter that way, and this situation does not seem likely to change soon.

For overlanders, this creates a challenge: If you want your vehicle in Azerbaijan, you must find a workaround.

As we planned our journey, this was a major roadblock because we determined out of principle that we WILL NOT travel into or through Russia. And the options of transit through Iran presented similar concerns (although it is a country that we would love to see and experience - currently it's not an option). So we were faced with eithing postponing our Silk Road adventure, or finding a workaround. Which we finally did - it meant shipping our vehicle—our tall and heavy Giraffe—from Georgia to Azerbaijan, and later, doing a similar procedure on the way home.

Below is our full experience, both entering and exiting Azerbaijan with our vehicle.

From Tbilisi, Georgia to Baku, Azerbaijan: the journey east 

1. Find a Company to Transport Your Vehicle to Azerbaijan

Start by looking for logistics companies in Georgia that can transport vehicles across the Azerbaijani border.

We used @camaloglu_logistic, located in Marneuli, about 45 minutes from Tbilisi.

We brought powers of attorney from Germany authorizing the drivers to take our vehicle across the border—an essential step, as they will legally need permission to drive your vehicle.

2. Deliver Your Vehicle to the Logistics Company

When we arrived at the logistics yard in Marneuli, some of the cars there looked damaged, many had foreign license plates, and the whole place had a slightly forgotten, abandoned feel. Which had us feeling rather apprehensive about entrusting our prized Giraffe, just leaving it there and praying we'd get it safely and securely delivered to us again in Baku. Here's Jaimi's short video about that:

Because of the height and weight of our Giraffe, we needed a low flatbed truck rather than a standard car carrier.

The yard itself felt surreal: a parking lot full of cars, a tiny office housed in a shipping container, and staff who did not speak English. They called someone from the company who did, and after a short conversation they informed us that the flatbed had not arrived yet. But this was one of the only companies we found who could provide such service. So we didn't have much choiceor other options to revert to.

So we left the keys, the vehicle’s documents, the power of attorney and our beatiful Giraffe there in the lot, hoping everything would work out.

As we walked away, we couldn’t help thinking:

Will we ever see our Giraffe again?

3. Wait in Tbilisi, Then Fly to Baku

Back in Tbilisi, all we could do was wait. At least Georgia makes waiting a pleasure: flavorful food, wonderful hospitality, and in our case a memorable wine tasting. We enjoyed the comfort of a hotel while our Giraffe began its overland journey without us.

Normally, flights to Baku are inexpensive, but we got unlucky—the Mongol Rallye was underway and there were many rallyers embarking on a similar undertaking. More about the Mongol Rally, which is a really cool and crazy thing here.

Still, a few days later we made it to Baku and waited for the call. We sightseed and ate our way through the wonderful food of Baku, visited former business colleagues there, took a spontaneous overnight trip to Sheki (highly recommendable - especially to see the Caravanserei which we DON'T recommend spending the night in, the Sheki Khan's Palace, the Church in Kish and an amazing wine tasting with Vusal at Khan Wine House). In fact, if you're looking for a fantastic guide to Sheki, let yourself be inspired by Emily like we were.

Finally, after a full week, the call came: our Giraffe had arrived.

4. Pick Up Your Vehicle in Baku

Vehicle pickup takes place outside Baku, in a customs zone. Prepare for some paperwork, a few payments, and the usual bureaucratic rituals. But soon enough, we rolled out of customs—so incredibly happy to see our Giraffe again.

Our joy was slightly overshadowed, though, when we noticed black fingerprints throughout the cabin, and evidence that someone had laid on our bed and helped themselves to our wine. Apparently, our Giraffe hosted a small party without us. ^:(

Still, we drove away reunited—and relieved. We added an extra night at the Holiday Inn downtown, who not only provided a comfortable room, outstanding breakfast, nice gym but ALSO were graciously receptive and allowed us to park the Giraffe right in front of the hotel. The extra day gave us ample time to clean and disinfect our violated personal space.

The Return Journey – Crossing the Caspian Sea From Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan

To avoid traveling through Russia on our way home, we had to get our Giraffe from Kazakhstan across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan.

Here’s how that went.

1. Arrival at the Port of Kuryk (Kazakhstan)

I drove to the harbor of Kuryk, about one hour south of Aktau. At that point of time I was by myself as Jaimi flew to Poland for a gig (she's still doing some speaking and facilitation in the corporate space).

The entire process at this port is complex, multi-step, and frequently confusing, but fortunately it is very well described on iOverlander, which helped enormously.

There is no schedule for ferries. The Caspian Sea is often stormy, and ships simply depart whenever conditions allow.

I ended up waiting one week before a vessel arrived with room for the Giraffe.

2. Surviving the Harbor Wait

Bring plenty of supplies, entertainment, and patience. This cannot be overstated.

There is a small canteen with decent food and a few provisions for purchase, but the sanitary conditions are challenging due to the number of people waiting.

A silver lining: the many truck drivers have fascinating stories. Take time to talk with them—it makes the long wait much more bearable.

3. Loading the Vehicle Onto the Ferry

When a ship finally arrived, in the middle of the night, I drove the Giraffe onboard, handed over the keys, and received a paper confirmation.

Then I found someone at the port willing to give me a ride back to Aktau.

4. Waiting in Aktau, Visiting Mangystau, and Flying to Baku

I spent three days in a hotel in Aktau and used the opportunity to take a tour of the Bozhira area within the Mangystau region—beautiful, unusual, and absolutely worth the visit.

Afterward, I booked flights to Baku. Again, the cheaper flights were sold out.

To make matters worse, when I arrived at the airport, I was pulled out at immigration and into a special interview area. It turns out, that because of the unexpected week-long delay at the harbor, my 30-day visa-free stay expired, resulting in a $100 fine when leaving Kazakhstan. Which frankly, was annoying but still a relief to resolve without bigger issues - and in time to still step on my flight 10 seconds before they closed the door! Note: check your visa status before it becomes a problem!

5. Tracking the Ferry and Picking Up the Vehicle in Alat (Azerbaijan)

I tracked the ferry via:https://www.marinevesseltraffic.com/CASPIAN-SEA/ship-traffic-tracker

As soon as it neared Azerbaijan, I headed to the port of Alat, about 1 hour 15 minutes from Baku. Avoid overpaying for the ride—prices vary widely and a few Bolt drivers tried to rip me off; I finally found an honest one who agreed to the app-quoted fare and drove me there.

The recovery process in Alat was long, detailed, and bureaucratic: harbor fees, ferry fees, road tax, insurance, multiple offices, multiple stamps. It took nearly an entire day.

The good news: the entire process is also described on iOverlander, and the community contributions were incredibly helpful. A huge thanks to everyone who shared their experiences.

Finally, after countless steps, I could drive off—happily reunited with the Giraffe once again.