Even in the 21st century, some people still live in traditional tents, far from modern comforts. They travel by reindeer sled instead of cars and navigate using the wind and the stars rather than GPS. Join us for a few days and experience the unique life of the Yamal reindeer herders firsthand.
On this journey, you won’t just be an observer — you’ll take part in the daily life of nomads. For three days, you will live in a reindeer herder’s chum (traditional tent) and travel across the tundra by reindeer sleigh. You’ll experience their way of life firsthand and taste authentic local cuisine.
This expedition offers an inside look at the traditions and customs of a nomadic people. For three days, you’ll share life in the tundra with a reindeer herder’s family. Get ready for the realities of an autonomous expedition: there are no equipped washrooms, and due to the climate and logistics, it is impossible to provide portable toilets. Drinking water comes from melted snow and ice, and meals differ from what you may be used to. We recommend bringing digestive medicine, and you are welcome to bring bottled water with you.
Travel dozens of kilometers across the snowy tundra in a TREKOL vehicle
Discover what everyday life is like for the Yamal reindeer herders
Learn to harness reindeer to a sled and enjoy a ride across the winter landscape
Chase the Northern Lights and capture stunning photos, weather permitting
This tour can also be arranged for groups of two or more. Please contact our managers for details.
Private Tour Option
This is a general plan of the expedition. The actual route may vary depending on weather conditions and other unforeseen circumstances.
Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met and transferred by minibus to your hotel. On the way, you will stop at the “66th Parallel” monument. Salekhard, the regional capital, is the only city in the world located directly on the Arctic Circle. Upon arrival, you will check into your rooms, rest after your flight, and enjoy breakfast on your own.
In the afternoon, you will have lunch at a local café (payable locally) before setting out on a guided city tour of Salekhard.
You will visit the historic and architectural complex Obdorsky Ostrog, a 16th-century wooden fortress built without a single nail during the reign of the last tsar of the Rurik dynasty. You will see the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul, constructed in the 19th century, which is the only pre-revolutionary church still standing in the city. The tour also includes the open-air aviation museum, city landmarks, sites of the 501st construction project, and the Ivan Shemanovsky Museum.
In the evening, you will enjoy dinner on your own at a local café before returning to the hotel.
After breakfast, you will receive a safety briefing and set off across the tundra in all-terrain TREKOL vehicles (60–80 km) to the reindeer herders’ camp.
On arrival, you will meet the family and settle into a chum — the traditional dwelling of the nomadic peoples of the North. The hostess will welcome you with a lunch of national dishes.
You will learn about the unique design of the chum — simple, practical, and perfectly suited to a nomadic lifestyle. There are no separate rooms or extra furniture, since every item adds weight during seasonal moves. In winter, the chum is insulated with reindeer hides and heated by a wood stove, keeping it warm and cozy even when the temperature outside drops to –40 °C.
In the evening, you will enjoy dinner and rest. If the skies are clear, you may be lucky enough to capture the Northern Lights on camera.
In the morning, you will have breakfast and continue discovering the everyday life of the reindeer herders.
During winter, Yamal’s nomads move to a new location every 3–4 weeks, traveling several dozen kilometers across the tundra. The men tend to the herds, while the women manage all aspects of daily life. It is the women who prepare reindeer hides used to cover the chum in winter. The hides must be carefully treated and smoked before use. Another vital responsibility is sewing warm, practical clothing for the entire family.
Both lunch and dinner will be served in the chum.
After breakfast, you will ride a reindeer sleigh out to the herd. Today, you will immerse yourself in the daily life of the Nenets herders and witness one of their essential tasks — catching draft reindeer.
When the herd returns to the camp in the morning, a corral is quickly set up using sleds (narty) arranged in a semicircle and tied together with rope. First, the draft reindeer are driven inside. Then begins the catching: men step out of the corral, pressing down on the rope, while women pass the rope over their heads to help guide the animals.
The herders will demonstrate how to lasso a reindeer, harness it properly, and handle the sleigh. If you’d like, you’ll even have the chance to try your hand as a kaur — a reindeer sled driver.
After lunch, it’s time to say goodbye to your hosts. You will return to Salekhard by all-terrain vehicle, arriving around 19:00–20:00. Back in the city, you will settle into your familiar hotel and enjoy dinner at a café of your choice.
After breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred by minibus to the airport for your flight home, taking with you unforgettable memories of Yamal.
The cost of the tour depends on the group size:
Located in Salekhard, the hotel offers accommodation in standard twin rooms with two single beds, a private bathroom, TV, refrigerator, hairdryer, and wardrobe.
On site: a restaurant, sauna, laundry service, conference hall, mobile network coverage, and Wi-Fi.
You will stay six people to a chum (a traditional nomadic tent) together with a herder’s family. Sleeping arrangements are reindeer skins with sleeping bags rated to –20 °C (the stove is not heated at night). Sleeping bags can be rented on site.
In the chum: washbasin, generator. There is no mobile connection.
Passive relaxation and sightseeing — cruises for example. No physical activities. Good for older people.
From December to March, temperatures range from 0 to –35 °C, with heavy snowfalls and blizzards possible. In December, Yamal experiences the polar night, when daylight lasts just 2–3 hours. Starting in January, the days gradually get longer. Until the end of March, you’ll also have a chance to see the Northern Lights.
Documents
Clothing & Footwear
An experienced guide will be with you throughout the tour.
The program includes three meals a day with traditional cuisine at the reindeer herder camp, plus breakfast at the hotel in Salekhard on day 5. Extra costs: breakfast and lunch on day 1, dinners on days 1 and 4.
Transfers around Salekhard are by Mercedes-Benz Sprinter minibuses.
For traveling across the tundra to and from the reindeer herder camp, you’ll ride in Trekol all-terrain vehicles with low-pressure tires (the cabin is heated). In the camp and nearby areas, you’ll get around on reindeer sleds, seating up to 5 people per sled.
This trip doesn’t require special physical training, but it is expedition-style. You should be prepared for harsh weather conditions and limited comfort.
There is no mobile signal in the tundra. In Salekhard, mobile coverage and internet work well, and Wi-Fi is available at the hotel.
Review of a private tour to Yamal
I had the most wonderful once in a lifetime trip. in Yamal. What made it even more special was the seamless personalized service from Russia Discovery.
I would highly recommend to take a Russian trip through Russia Discovery.
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Nomadic Winter 5 days
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