Illustrative image: two older visitors in naftalan oil treatment baths, with a nurse attending

Naftalan oil baths

Naftalan: the oil baths, arranged from arrival to return

A resort with its own medical centre, your transport, and one person looking after your journey. Choose a short visit or a longer programme stay.

  • Reception at Baku airport, ALVERA vehicles throughout
  • Three established resorts to choose from
  • One package price, paid to ALVERA on arrival
Request your Naftalan package

A written programme and quotation, with no obligation.

The visit is simple. Arranging it alone is not.

Naftalan is four to five hours by road from Baku, its resorts differ, and programme lengths vary. We take those decisions off your hands.

  • Which resort, which room

    We match the resort and room to your group, your budget and the programme you are interested in.

  • How long to stay

    A short visit to rest and see the resort, or a programme stay of a week or more. We plan the one you choose.

  • Getting there

    We meet you at Baku airport, you spend your first night in Baku, then we drive you to Naftalan in our own vehicles, with planned breaks.

  • Language and appointments

    Your coordinator works with you in English and arranges your appointment with the resort physician.

Who Naftalan may suit

Visitors come to Naftalan to rest, and to take part in the resorts' programmes.

  • Travellers looking for a quiet resort stay among pine woods
  • People interested in the resorts' programmes for joints, spine, muscles or skin
  • Couples and families, with rooms side by side or a suite
  • Companions who come along to rest, without a programme

Whether a programme suits you is decided by the resort physician after an assessment.

Illustrative image: two visitors in bathrobes listening to a nurse beside a prepared oil treatment bath

What a Naftalan stay involves

Naftalan's resorts are built around naftalan, a crude oil from the local field used for bathing for generations.

  1. An assessment first

    The resort physician examines you and may order tests before setting any programme.

  2. Oil bath sessions

    The oil is warmed to 36–38 °C. A session lasts 8–12 minutes, with rest days between, as the doctor sets.

  3. Supporting procedures

    Physiotherapy, other baths, paraffin and massage, depending on the programme.

  4. Time to rest

    Pools, spa and the pine park; Ganja and Lake Goygol are within reach for a day out.

Two ways to visit Naftalan

A short visit to rest and experience the resort, or a longer stay built around a resort programme.

Short visit

Five days and four nights via Baku

Your first night is in Baku after we meet you at the airport, then three nights at your Naftalan resort, then the transfer to Baku airport. We confirm the three resort nights with the resort before you travel. This is a visit to experience the resort, not a treatment course.

  • First night in Baku, then three nights at the resort
  • A physician's assessment can be arranged
  • Optional final night in Baku

Programme stay

A week or more at the resort

Built around the resort's own programme. The resorts publish packages of seven nights or more, and describe a full oil bath course of 18–20 days.

  • Met at Baku airport; first night in Baku
  • Assessment on day one; the physician sets the programme
  • Length agreed with the resort before you travel

Your itinerary

Every journey starts with airport reception and ends with your return transfer. Optional elements are marked.

Short visit: five days, four nights

  1. Day 1Arrival in BakuThe ALVERA team meets you at Baku airport and drives you to your accommodation. First night in Baku.
  2. Day 2To your Naftalan resortAbout four to five hours by road in an ALVERA vehicle, with breaks. First night at the resort.
  3. Day 3At the resortA day at the resort; any assessment we arranged takes place when the resort confirms. Second night at the resort.
  4. Day 4At the resortAnother day to rest and use what the resort offers. Third night at the resort.
  5. Day 5To Baku airportWe drive you to Baku airport, timed around your confirmed departure.
  6. OptionalA final night in BakuOptionalReturn to Baku the evening before your flight, so the long drive and the flight are not on the same day.

Road times are approximate and include breaks. We confirm the three resort nights with the resort before you travel.

Programme stay

  1. ArrivalReception at Baku airportWe drive you in an ALVERA vehicle to your accommodation in Baku for the first night.
  2. Next dayTo NaftalanAbout four to five hours by road in an ALVERA vehicle, then check-in at the resort.
  3. At the resortAssessment firstThe physician examines you and sets your programme.
  4. ProgrammeYour days at the resortBaths and procedures on the days the physician sets, with rest in between.
  5. OptionalA day outOptionalGanja or Lake Goygol, by ALVERA vehicle.
  6. ReturnTo Baku airportAfter your stay, timed around your confirmed departure.

Its length follows the resort's package and the physician's plan.

Where you stay

Three established resorts, each with naftalan treatment on site, three meals a day in their packages and an indoor pool all year.

  • View from a Chinar balcony over trees and distant hills

    Resort with its own Naftalan Therapy Center

    Chinar

    Where
    Naftalan; 20 hectares among pine woods
    The stay
    170 rooms from standard rooms to suites, a 400 m² spa with indoor pool, two restaurants, a children's centre
    Treatment or bathing
    On site: naftalan baths, iodine-bromine baths and physiotherapy

    Best for A large, green resort with a wide range of procedures

  • The entrance of Garabagh Resort & SPA in Naftalan

    Resort and spa with its own medical centre

    Garabagh

    Where
    Naftalan, about 50 km from Ganja
    The stay
    Rooms and suites of 30–65 m², indoor and outdoor pools, a 2,000 m² spa, buffet restaurant
    Treatment or bathing
    On site: naftalan baths, Naftovit procedures and physiotherapy

    Best for Guests who want a spa-led resort with outdoor pools

  • The grounds of Gashalti in Naftalan, with its pyramid-roofed building

    Health hotel with medical care on site

    Gashalti

    Where
    In the centre of Naftalan
    The stay
    Rooms and suites of 19–45 m² and a 200 m² villa for up to six, indoor pool, sauna, buffet restaurant
    Treatment or bathing
    On site: naftalan baths within its therapeutic packages

    Best for Families wanting a villa, and shorter stays

We confirm the resort, room category and meals for your dates in your quotation.

What ALVERA arranges

  1. Airport reception

    Our employee meets you on arrival.

  2. Your transport

    ALVERA vehicles and drivers for every journey in your itinerary.

  3. Your accommodation

    The resort and room confirmed in your package.

  4. The physician's appointment

    Requested with the resort and added to your plan.

  5. One coordinator

    In English, from your first message to your return.

What your package includes

One ALVERA price, set out in a written quotation for your dates and group.

Included in your package

  • Reception at Baku airport and the return transfer
  • Transport in ALVERA vehicles for your itinerary
  • Accommodation as quoted, including your first night in Baku
  • Meals as stated for each property
  • The resort programme, when you choose a programme stay
  • A coordinator working in English

Not included

  • International flights, unless you ask us to quote them
  • Visa fees and travel insurance
  • Personal expenses
  • Additional procedures you choose at the resort

Your price

The price depends on your dates, group, resort, room and the length of your stay.

You receive a personalised quotation before you decide.

Request your Naftalan package

One package, paid to ALVERA on arrival

You buy one package from ALVERA GLOBAL. We arrange your accommodation, drive you in our own vehicles and stay accountable for the journey. You pay us when you arrive at the airport, to our authorised receiving employee or driver.

  • Cash, or card through ALVERA's mobile payment terminal
  • One package price, with no separate coordination fee
  • Nothing to pay the hotel or resort for what your package includes
  • Your written quotation states the amount and the payment terms

Good to know

Season
The resorts work all year.
Getting there
Our package starts at Baku airport: we meet you, you spend your first night in Baku, and the next day we drive you to Naftalan, about four to five hours by road.
Meals
The resorts' packages include three meals a day; we ask about halal and dietary needs.
Before you travel
Bring any recent medical reports you have; the physician may ask to see them.

Programmes and suitability

Naftalan's resorts describe their programmes for the following conditions. The physician decides, after an assessment, whether a programme suits you.

Illustrative image: a doctor measuring an older visitor's blood pressure before the programme, his companion beside him

Joints, spine and muscles

  • Arthritis, including rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis
  • Arthrosis and osteoarthritis
  • Gout
  • Rheumatism
  • Osteochondrosis and spondylosis of the spine
  • Ankylosing spondylitis (Bekhterev's disease)
  • Muscle pain and myositis
  • Tendovaginitis and periarthritis

Nerves

  • Radiculitis
  • Neuritis and neuralgia
  • Plexitis
  • Polyneuropathy

Skin

  • Psoriasis
  • Eczema
  • Neurodermatitis
  • Seborrhoeic dermatitis
  • Scleroderma

Circulation

  • Varicose veins
  • Obliterating diseases of the leg arteries
  • Raynaud's disease
  • Post-thrombotic syndrome

Women's and men's health

  • Chronic inflammatory conditions of the female pelvic organs
  • Menstrual disorders and ovarian dysfunction
  • Primary and secondary infertility
  • Prostatitis

Ear, nose, throat and breathing

  • Allergic rhinitis and sinusitis
  • Chronic tonsillitis and pharyngitis
  • Chronic bronchitis
  • Bronchial asthma outside flare-ups

Recovery

  • After fractures, injuries and joint or spine surgery
  • After COVID-19
  • Stress, chronic fatigue and poor sleep

Pain and stiffness in joints or the back are common reasons to enquire; the physician assesses their cause.

When oil baths are not given
  • The acute phase of any illness
  • Tumours, benign or malignant
  • Tuberculosis
  • Serious heart or circulation conditions
  • Blood disorders and severe anaemia
  • Epilepsy and mental illness
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding
  • Children under six

This is a summary; the physician checks your full situation before any procedure.

The uses and programmes described here reflect information published by the Naftalan resorts' medical centres and official destination sources. Suitability and the programme offered are decided following a medical assessment.

Sources of the medical information
  • The medical centres of the Naftalan resorts: Chinar, Garabagh and Gashalti — their published naftalan treatment, indication and contraindication pages

Questions before you book

Is the short visit a treatment course?

No. It is a visit to rest and experience the resort: one night in Baku and three at the resort. A treatment programme needs a longer stay, set by the resort's package and the physician's assessment.

Which airport does the journey start from?

Baku. The ALVERA team meets you and drives you in our vehicle to your accommodation in Baku for the first night, then to your Naftalan resort the next day, and back to Baku airport after your stay, timed around your confirmed departure.

How long is a programme stay?

The resorts publish packages of seven nights or more, and a full oil bath course of 18–20 days. We agree the length with the resort before you travel.

Who do I pay, and when?

You pay ALVERA GLOBAL on arrival at the airport, in cash or by card on our mobile payment terminal. You do not pay the resort for what your package includes.

Can my family come without a programme?

Yes. Companions stay with you and use the resort's facilities; naftalan baths are not given to children under six.

Do I need to send medical records?

Not with your enquiry. If the resort asks to see reports before you arrive, we tell you exactly what it needs.

Which language will you speak with us?

Your ALVERA coordinator works with you in English. Resort staff may speak Azerbaijani or Russian; your coordinator is always the person to call.

Let us arrange your Naftalan journey

Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We reply with a written programme and quotation.

Request your Naftalan package

No obligation, and no medical details needed to ask.

  1. You receive a reference number straight away.
  2. Your coordinator replies on working days, in English.
  3. You receive a written programme and quotation, with no obligation to book.

Prefer to talk first?

Other experiences in the series

  • Springs of the green south

    Thermal water therapy

    Istisu thermal water in the green south, near the Caspian.

  • Salt caves

    Nights in the underground wards of the Duzdag salt mine.

ALVERA GLOBAL is a travel company registered in Azerbaijan. Medical assessment and treatment are the responsibility of the treating clinicians at each resort or centre; ALVERA does not diagnose or prescribe. The hotels, resorts and centres named are independent.

Photo credits
  • Chinar Hotel & Spa Naftalan, balcony view: chinarhotel.az
  • Garabagh Resort & SPA, Naftalan (2014): Presidential Press and Information Office of Azerbaijan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
  • Gashalti, Naftalan (2011): Presidential Press and Information Office of Azerbaijan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Choose whether we may use analytics. You can change your choice at any time from “Cookie settings” at the bottom of every page.