_1482495065.jpg "Expedition to the Pole of Cold")
Accommodation during the trip
Languages
Accommodation during the trip
Languages
Experiences you'll have
For a few days you will see a completely different reality and become a member of ethno-expedition to one of the coldest places of our planet.
The main feature of this expedition is a visit to the Pole of Cold — the place where the lowest temperatures in Russia and the world are recorded: -71,2 °C (−96.16 °F )
It is not easy to reach Oymyakon: you will have been travelling by car for 8-10 hours a day. You should be ready to get up early, but you will manage to see a lot of interesting and unusual things:
We accept bookings for groups of 6 or more
Note: for your group of two or more people, we can organize this expedition on any other dates, see details in the "Common question" section.
Photos by Sergey Dolya
Itinerary
The journey begins in Yakutsk, where you should travel to on your own. We are ready to assist with the purchase of tickets. If necessary, leave a comment in the application.
Day 1 Kingdom of permafrost
You will be met at the airport of Yakutsk and taken to the hotel. Here you will check in and have breakfast. Next you will go to the ethnographic complex "Us Kut", where you will take part in the pagan purification rite called Algys. It includes a pray to the Supreme deities, as well as mystical rituals of lighting and feeding the fire.
Then you will visit the ethnographic complex "Chochur-Muran". Here you will meet with the Yakutian Laika and have a dog sledding tour on the lake Ytyk Kuel. Lunch will be served in a restaurant in "Chochur-Muran" complex.
In the afternoon you will visit an underground ice gallery "Kingdom of Permafrost". It is a tourist complex set inside the mountain where the throne-room of Chyskhaan — the Yakut Lord of Cold is located. Also you can see here the residence of Father Frost from Veliky Ustyug and chamber of Lord of the North, as well as a unique showroom of ice sculptures called "Planet Yakutia".
In the evening you will come back to the hotel, have dinner and rest.
Day 2 Lena pillars
After breakfast you will go to one of the most famous natural places of interest in Yakutia — Lena pillars. This is a complex of steep bizarre shaped rocks, the height of which reaches 220 meters.
You will have a light snack on the way, and then you will go up of the pillars.
Then you will have lunch in a cafe and go back to Yakutsk. In the evening you will have dinner and relax in the hotel.
Day 3 The route to Oymyakon
After breakfast, you will visit the exhibition "Treasury of Yakutia". Large gold nuggets, diamonds, rare precious stones and works by Yakut craftsmen are presented here.
After the tour, you will take a minibus from Yakutsk in the direction of Oymyakon. The distance is 950 km, you will have an intermediate stop for the night in the village of Khandyga.
You will drive through mountain passes and river valleys surrounded by larch taiga. During the trip, you will stop to take pictures of landscapes, monuments, and steles. The first stop will be at the Lena River winter crossing, where the river is 10 km wide.
On the way, you will have lunch at a cafe (extra charge), and upon arrival in the village, stop at a private hotel and have dinner at a cafe (at your own expense).
The length of the car route is 410 km. Travel time: 8-10 hours.
Important: the exhibition "Treasury of Yakutia" is closed in Yakutsk during the January holidays. You will visit the local history museum.
Day 4 Arrival in Oymyakon
Today you will have breakfast and continue driving to Oymyakon along the Kolyma Highway, which was named the "road on bones" because it was built by GULAG prisoners during the Stalinist repressions. The road passes through the Verkhoyansky ridge — during a short stop you can admire the breathtaking views of the mountain peaks and take beautiful photos.
You will have lunch on the way, and arrive in Oymyakon late in the evening. Have dinner and check into the guest house.
Car route length: 530 km. Travel time: 12-14 hours.
Day 5 The coldest place of the planet
After breakfast, you will go to the horse farm, where you will get acquainted with the Yakut horses. You will learn about the peculiarities of their habitat and the life of horse breeders. If desired, you can go horseback riding.
Then you will have an excursion to the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere. An extreme temperature of -71.2 °C was recorded here. Lunch will be served at the guest house.
After lunch, you will visit the ice photo gallery and the Yakut carnival. In the administration of Oymyakon, watch the performance of the children's ethnographic dance ensemble, and then all participants of the expedition will be awarded certificates of visiting the pole of cold. You will also taste tea made from Yakut herbs.
In the evening, you will enjoy the entertainment program "Chips of cold", dinner at the guest house and a sauna.
Car route length: 30-40 km.
On your New Year's trip, a festive dinner awaits you on this day.
Day 6 A visit to the ethnographic museum of Tomtor
After an early breakfast, you will depart from Oymyakon to the village of Tomtor, where you will visit the Ebe-Hai cave and an ice gallery in the permafrost. Then you will continue to the village of Khandyga and have lunch at a cafe on your own.
On the way to Khandyga, you will stop at a reindeer herders' camp and ride reindeer sleds, as well as get acquainted with the life of reindeer herders (not included in the price).
Upon arrival in the village, you will stay in a private hotel, have dinner at a cafe (extra charge) and relax.
Car route length: 530 km. Travel time: 12-14 hours.
Day 7 Free time in Yakutsk
After an early breakfast you will go back to Yakutsk and stop for lunch at a cafe on the way. You will arrive to the city approximately at 4 pm, check in at the hotel and get some rest.
After that you will have free time for a walk, souvenir and jewelry shopping. In the evening, you will have a farewell dinner in the restaurant of national cuisine.
Day 8 End of journey
After breakfast you will be taken to the airport, from where you will have a flight back home.
Accommodation during the trip
Languages
Accommodation during the trip
In Yakutsk you will be accommodated in standard double rooms in Alaas hotel. You will live in double rooms styled like a Yakut yurt, with double or 2 single beds, bathroom, TV, safe, work area and air conditioning. There is a restaurant on site, there is a mobile connection and Wi-Fi is available.
In Khandyga village and Oymyakon village you will accomodate at private guest houses (accommodation up to 2-3 persons in the room).
Common questions
One guide and one driver accompany a group of tourists. Instructors with great experience will help traverse the route safely and comfortably. They are ready for any unexpected situation: they finished first aid Red Cross courses. The guide has a satellite phone for communication with the Emergency department in case of force majeure, as well as a first aid kit with necessary medicines.
The cost of the tour includes three meals per day, except for lunches and dinners in Yakutsk restaurants (guests order from the menu and pay for themselves, +25-35 EURO per person for lunch/dinner). There are also light snacks during long journeys (hot tea and coffee, sandwiches with cheese/sausage/fish, fruit, sweets).
If you are a vegetarian, please inform the manager when booking the tour.
You can take children over 14 years of age on this trip.
There are frosts from -30 to -40°C in Yakutsk, and extremely low temperatures up to -65°C may occur in Oymyakon. As a rule, there are no strong winds, the weather is usually sunny.
Taking into account the severe weather conditions, the travel route is composed in such a way that you will not have to spend a lot of time outside. You will always have a car nearby, where you can warm up and drink hot tea or coffee. After climbing the Lena pillars, you can warm up and have lunch in a warm cafe. While fishing in Oymyakon, a tent with a stove will be set up nearby.
The cost include a health insurance, which will also cover the costs of emergency evacuation to a medical facility and payment for treatment. Medical expenses are compensated within the insurance coverage of 3 000 USD, accident and evacuation – within 5 000 USD.
The cost of the tour depends on the size of the group and the dates of the trip:
On New Year's dates, December 27 — January 3:
for a group of 4-14 people — 2280 EUR/person.
for a group of 2-3 people — 3355 EUR/person.
On other dates:
for a group of 4-14 people — 1940 EUR/person.
for a group of 2-3 people — 3015 EUR/person.
All transfers along the route will be organized on a comfortable Toyota Hiace minibus (with capacity of 11 people). The car is of 2013 year of manufacture and undergoes a technical inspection before each departure.
Mobile communication will only be available while your staying at the towns and villages. In Yakutsk, there is mobile Internet and Wi-Fi in the hotel. In the villages of Teply Klyuch and Oymyakon, mobile communication of the Beeline mobile operator works well, there is no mobile Internet.
In Yakutsk, you can pay with a bank card everywhere (except for markets). Only cash (Russian rubles) is accepted on the route to Oymyakon and in the village itself.
Booking
Accommodation during the trip
Languages
double/twin accommodation in Alaas hotel
accommodation in private hotels in Oymyakon and Khandyga villages
meals as per program
meeting/sending off at the Yakutsk airport
transfers according to the program
excursions according to the program
guides' service
insurance
satellite communications
airfare to Yakutsk (starting at 400 EURO for a rouns-trip ticket)
single accommodation in Alaas hotel (+120 EURO per person), optional
lunches and dinners on days 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7
an interpreter's service (+1325 EURO in case you are the only foreign tourist in the group)
rental of a set of warm clothing (jacket and pants that can withstand temperatures up to -50°C): + 40 EURO per person, optional
double/twin accommodation in Alaas hotel
accommodation in private hotels in Oymyakon and Khandyga villages
meals as per program
meeting/sending off at the Yakutsk airport
transfers according to the program
excursions according to the program
guides' service
insurance
satellite communications
airfare to Yakutsk (starting at 400 EURO for a rouns-trip ticket)
single accommodation in Alaas hotel (+120 EURO per person), optional
lunches and dinners on days 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7
an interpreter's service (+1325 EURO in case you are the only foreign tourist in the group)
rental of a set of warm clothing (jacket and pants that can withstand temperatures up to -50°C): + 40 EURO per person, optional
Testimonials
I arrived only a few hours ago, to stay on the safe side I had a very long connection in Moscow and then Istanbul and finally Rome! Anyway, it has been an amazing trip, thank you for assisting me all the way!
Great experience, I didn't learn any russian but have made new russian friends!
Let's stay in touch, I also would like to visit Kamchacka in a near future!
Thank you!
Expedition to the Pole of Cold
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I would like to thank you for all your help to organize my trip!!!
The visit to Yakutia was one of my best trips ever, it was an awesome experience!!!
People, landscape, culture, food and the experience of extreme cold, “all of them were fabulous”
Our guide “Vasily” was very competent and friendly. My English translator “Nariana” had a very good English level and was very attend and helpful to me. The two car drivers were also very friendly and competent.
I will definitely recommend this trip to my family and friends!!!