If you're in Astara, don't miss the curious Yanar Bulağ, in nearby Әrçivan village. Here, spring water gurgling from a metal stand-pipe is impregnated with methane. Put a lighter to it and it burns, giving a magical little display of the wet and the warm. It's shaded by a modest brick-domed pavilion, right beside the Lənkəran-Astara road, 6km north of central Astara.

The water's flammability is secondary to its remedial properties for locals, who collect it by the gallon and seem bemused by visitors' flaming antics.