High above the city, a plateau of summer pastures known as Xan Yaylağı offers truly superb viewpoints back over the valley and northwards towards high Caucasian peaks.
The easiest access is by 4WD using a 7km switchback forest track that zigzags up from Marxal Resort. If you'd prefer to walk, there's an alternative path that starts from the terminus of marshrutka 17 in Şәki's Birinci Rayon district, taking around 3½ hours up, two hours back. However, at the time of writing, this route was officially closed, if not actually guarded. Even if/when it does reopen, note that bears live in the forest so hiking alone isn't recommended, especially in spring.
