Visit Yakutia, Oymyakon, the World's Coldest Inhabited Spot
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Visit Yakutia, Oymyakon, the World’s Coldest Inhabited Spot Day of Arrival in Yakutsk. Meeting at the airport, transfer to hotel. A short city tour and shopping for additional warm clothes & travel accessaries. Day 1: Yakutsk – Khandyga We start our journey from hotel at 09:00 am. This day’s activity: – Crossing Lena River on the ice road. Stop for group photo. – Stop on the opposite bank of Lena River to overlook the river landscape with Yakutsk in background. – See traditional Sakha villages. Photo stops. – Stop on the bank of Aldan River and crossing of Aldan River. Meals: breakfast in hotel in Yakutsk. Lunch and dinner at road cafes en route. Overnight in “Angara” apartment-based hotel in Khandyga. Driving distance: 432 km, 10 hours w/ meal & photo stops. Day 2: Khandyga – Kyubyume – Oymyakon We start journey at 08:00 am and arrive in Oymyakon late at night. We’ll do stops: – Before approaching Verkhoyansk Mountains for lunch and photo shoot. – At the memorial with the big Cross on the rock dedicated to the victims of the Gulag system. – Chernyj Prizhim (literally it means the Black Narrow Pass with the highest bridge on the ridge). – Kyubyume Fuel Station with the “Cuba” road cafe and the tube where all adventurers attach their own expedition sticks. – Tomtor village for re-fuel at a gas station. And many other stops. Meals: Breakfast in the “Angara” appartment in Khandyga. Early lunch at a road cafe 100 km off Khandyga. Dinner at a road cafe in Kyubyume. Late dinner in Oymyakon. Accommodation at a family home in Oymyakon. www.dubbed-adventourer.com Distance ~514 km, ~12 hours w/ meal stops and photo shoots. Day 3: Oymyakon Activities: – Visit to the “The Pole of Cold” stella with meeting Chyskhaan, Keeper of the Cold, and receiving the Pole of Cold Certificate from his hands. – Visit to school and its heating station. – Experiments with the cold in the family’s backyard. – Ice fishing on the Indigirka River. You’ll see the traditional net fishing method and try to catch a fish with a rod yourself. – the Sakha culture Evening in the House of Archy. Meal time: Breakfast, lunch, dinner at family home. Accommodation at a family home in Oymyakon. Day 4: Oymyakon – Tomtor – Oymyakon This day we travel to the town of Tomtor. During the day trip we visit: – the farm of Yakutian cows, original Siberian breed (small and steady, and accustomed to live outdoor in the extremely cold conditions); – the farm of Yakutian horses, also unique Siberian breed; – the ice tunnel (former food storage) with giant ice crystals on walls and ceiling; – go on the top of the highest hill in Tomtor to see the amazing winter mountain landscape. We’ll also walk around Tomtor, which used to be the administrative center of the Oymyakonsky District. Actually, it is the very place where the lowest temperature was registered. Meal time: Breakfast and dinner at family home. Lunch from meal boxes prepared by our host. Accommodation at family home in Oymyakon. Driving distance ~40 km one-way. Day 5: Oymyakon – Reindeer Herders’ Winter Camp – Khandyga According to the GPS tracks: – Oymyakon (guest house) to Tomtor (gas station) – 41.2 km at speed of 40 km/h. – Tomtor (gas station) to Reindeer Herders’ Winter Camp – 131 km at speed of 50- 60 km/h – Reindeer Herders’ Winter Camp to Kyubyume (gas station & road café) – 22 km at speed of 60 km/h. – Kyubyume (road café) to Khandyga (private hotel) – 319 km at speed of 60 km/h. www.dubbed-adventourer.com This day’s most exciting part is your visit to the winter camp of reindeer herders, where we’ll try the authentic nomadic food, of course, with reindeer meat and do the 1-hr reindeer sledding. You will also need to help herders to prepare sleds… just a little bit. Arrival in Khandyga late night. Meal time: Breakfast at family home in Oymyakon. Lunch at Reindeer Herders’ Winter Camp. Dinner in Kyubyume Road Cafe. Late Dinner after the mountain range, 100 km before Khandyga. Overnight in the “Angara” private hotel in Khandyga. Driving distance: ~514 km (according to our GPS track). Day 6: Khandyga – Yakutsk Quick drive to Yakutsk. Stops for lunch and dinner at road cafes en route. Arrival in Yakutsk in the evening. In the evening, all participants are welcome to the farewell dinner in the restaurant of the “Chochur Muran” ethnographic complex. Day of departure from Yakutsk. Before departure, it’s always good to spend a day in Yakutsk… for shopping souvenirs and any other gift. Price per person: 1 492 USD Included: Visa support, if necessary Group transfer from airport to hotel in Yakutsk City tour on the Day of Arrival English/German/French/Spanish-speaking guide Transport and all transport-related expenses for the road trip Yakutsk – Oymyakon – Yakutsk Accommodation in private hotels in Khandyga (twin rooms with shared facilities); accommodation at family home in a wooden house in Oymyakon Entertainment in Oymyakon, including the Keeper of the Cold Chyskhaan’s welcome and photo session, visits to Yakutian cow & Yakutian horse farms, traditional ice-fishing on the Indigirka River, Sakha Culture Evening; entertainment in Tomtor, i.e. visits to History Museum (with Gulag section), Ice Tunnel www.dubbed-adventourer.com Satellite phone connection with the Russian Emergency Service Excluded: Air tickets to/from Yakutsk Accommodation in Yakutsk Food in Yakutsk Meals at roadside cafes en route Yakutsk – Oymyakon Personal travel insurance www.dubbed-adventourer.com .