URBAN UTOPIAS AND traditional settlements
March 01 ⇾ March 13
In addition to our regular group departures to Yakutia, we also offer tour services for private travel parties and lone wolves alike. As a traveller-oriented boutique operator, tailored trips and bespoke adventures are our bread and butter. Get in touch for more info on our customised journeys to Yakutia!
DAY 1 - YAKUTSK
Meet-and-greet at Yakutsk International Airport and transfer to our hotel of choice in central Yakutsk.
Yakutsk City Tour: Lenin Avenue, Permafrost Museum, State Drama Theatre, Transfiguration Cathedral, WWII Memorials and plenty of USSR-era architecture and monuments.
Overnight in Yakutsk.
DAY 2 - LENA PILLARS
Today we'll enjoy a long day trip to the majestic Lena Pillars, the world-famous rock formations towering over the Lena river just a couple of hours south of Yakutsk.
In summer the trip will be done by speedboat, whereas in winter you will travel by jeep on the so called "winter road" (that is the frozen surface of the river).
The excursion will last between 10 and 12 hours and includes a short ascension hike to the panorama deck and some free exploration time in the park, which you can spend either wandering along one of the many trails crisscrossing the surrounding forest or simply enjoying a Yakut-style picnic at the camping area.
Along the way to the pillars, if time permits, we will also stop in Bulgunnyakhtakh, a traditional Yakut village with an impossible-to-pronounce toponymic.
Overnight in Yakutsk.
DAY 3 - Khandyga
We'll leave Yakutsk early in the morning and embark on an epic journey along the Kolyma Highway, also known as the Road of Bones, because the skeletons of the forced laborers who died during its construction were used in many of its foundations.
Right after Yakutsk, we will cross the Lena River: in winter time we'll drive on the frozen surface of the river.
We’ll also pass through Nizhny Bestyakh, an important transport hub where two federal roads – the Amur-Yakutsk Highway from the southern town of Neryungri and the Kolyma Highway to Magadan – meet each other.
We'll then head east-northeast to semi-abandoned Khandyga, a Soviet-made town that used to be quite busy and prosperous back in the good old days, as the area was intensively mined for coal and gold and its airport served as one of the main hubs for the Alaska-Siberia Air Route during WWII.
Besides the routine pauses for food, toilet and random landscape pictures, we'll break the long journey to Khandyga in several traditional Yakut settlements, such as Cherkyokh, where we'll visit the local open-air museum.
Along the road, it’s also possible to see roaming Yakut horses, a native breed adapted to dwell in the extreme cold climate, and able to locate and graze on vegetation hidden under the deep snow cover.
Dinner and overnight in Khandyga.
DAY 4 - Oymyakon
We'll drive to the Soviet outpost of Teply Klyuch and then continue onto the village of Kyubyume through the mountain passes of the Verkhoyansk Range.
We'll stop en route to visit some truly stunning natural sights such as the Tomporuk Pass and the Zayachya Petlya.
After an early dinner in Kyubyume and fuel and photo stop in Tomtor, we'll eventually reach Oyamyakon, the notorious Pole of Cold.
Overnight in Oymyakon.
DAY 5 - Oymyakon
We'll devote the entire day to Oymyakon, the coldest inhabited place on Earth.
Average winter temperatures here regularly reach –55°C with a record of –67.7°C (−89.9 °F) registered in 1933.
We'll pay a visit to the Soviet-era Pole of Cold Stele and meet the local Chyskhaan, the Yakut "Keeper of the Cold".
You'll also enjoy some extreme temperature experiments (such as making snow out of boiling water) and participate in a traditional ice-fishing session.
During our time in Oymyakon we will of course have the chance to meet with local Yakut hunters and herders, who will share with us their food, their home and compelling stories from their harsh life.
Lunch, dinner and overnight in Oymyakon.
DAY 6 - Teply Klyuch
Today we'll slowly head back to Teply Klyuch crossing again the wonderful mountain Taiga around Tomtor.
We'll reach Teply Klyuch in the late afternoon and enjoy some well deserved rest and tea time at our hotel.
Dinner and overnight in Teply Klyuch.
DAY 7 - Topolinoye
In the morning we'll visit the GULAG Museum in Teply Klyuch and then head north for the traditional Yakut village of Topolinoye, mostly inhabited by reindeer herders.
En route to Topolinoye we'll have the chance to comb the eerie remains of the vast GULAG network of Yakutia.
We'll eventually reach Topolinoye in the evening, just in time for a warm and restoring dinner with a local family.
Dinner and overnight in Topolinoye.
DAY 8 - Emandja
We'll start the day early and continue our journey to the Great North heading to the winter-fairytale lake of Emandja, where we'll camp surrounded by magical atmospheres of eternal silence and endless white.
Dinner and overnight at the lake.
DAY 9 - Batagay
After some last dreamlike moments at the lake we'll continue our trip to the northern town of Batagay.
The road to Batagay we'll lead across end-of-the-world Yakut hamlets, abandoned Soviet towns and lost military outposts.
In the afternoon we'll eventually reach Batagay, where we'll enjoy the long craved for comfort of a proper hotel.
Dinner and overnight in Batagay.
DAY 10/11 - Verkhnoyansk
We'll spend two full days in the Batagay area, meeting the local inhabitants, taking short walks in the frozen nature and enjoying the reinvigorating influence of a proper Russian banya (sauna).
We'll also embark on a day trip further north to the village of Verkhnoyansk, the local contender against Oymyakon for the dubious honour of the coldest inhabited place on Earth and visit the local meteorological station.
Dinner and overnight in Batagay.
DAY 12 - Yakutsk
Morning flight back to Yakutsk.
Free afternoon in town for more Soviet urban exploration.
Dinner and overnight in Yakutsk.
DAY 13 - FAREWELL TO YAKUTIA
After sharing a last Yakut meal, we'll take care of your transfer to Yakutsk International Airport.
End of the tour.
Mirny Extension | 1200 €
A once-in-a-lifetime trip to Mirny, an otherworldly Soviet town home to the largest and deepest diamond mine on Earth. We'll visit several famous sights and offbeat attractions in and around Mirny, such as Holy Trinity Cathedral, the Kimberlite Museum and the Vyluysky Ring. Of course, the main reason to come here is the mine itself, which we'll extensively tour with a local geologist-guide.
Tiksi Extension | 1500 €
Morning flight to the polar city of Tiksi, a former Soviet secret military town and the northernmost large settlement in the world. Highlights of our sojourn in Tiksi will include deserted Soviet bases and installations, eerily photogenic concrete blocks rising amidst the vast Yakut tundra and stunning natural sights such as the Stolovaya Mountain.
4990 €
INCLUSIONS
Double/twin-room accommodation (breakfast included), private transport in Russia (car/minivan), all entrance fees, English-speaking guiding service, 24/7 on-site and remote assistance.
EXCLUSIONS
Single supplement, international flights, main meals (lunches and dinners), extra drinks, visa fees (if required), tips, travel insurance.
