Chernobyl tour

Overview

Our full day tour inside the 30km exclusion zone around Chernobyl affords a unique opportunity to see the remains of the nuclear power station which was the site of a terrible accident in 1986. Today, the nearby city of Pripyat lies abandoned. It’s safe to visit – the amount of radiation you’ll get is the equivalent to what you’d experience on a two hour flight and less than having an X-ray. On the tour, you’ll see apartments which still bear witness to this disaster that led to the hurried evacuation of over 50,000 residents. You will visit abandoned schools and experience the eerie silence of this ghost town. At the Red Forest stop, you’ll hear the crackling sounds of Geiger counters in the background and meet some of those who moved back to the area after their evacuation.
 

Price options

The price indicated above is for a group tour with an English speaking guide. Tour price includes guide services, transportation, permits, lunch. You will be travelling with other tourists (not only from our company). We can arrange the same tour on a private basis with a surcharge.

Your group size	Surcharge per person
1	$445
2	$195
3	$145
4 and more	$75

Detailed Itinerary

Departing Kiev, you’ll drive to Chernobyl making your first stop at the Dytyatky checkpoint which marks the border of the 30km exclusion zone. Your guide will point out the small abandoned village of Cherevach and the largest village in the Chernobyl area, Zalissya. On arrival in Chernobyl you’ll receive an introductory briefing on the Exclusion Zone Administrative Division and learn a little about the regulations which are in place there. Accompanied by your guide, you’ll see the sights of Chernobyl town: Wormwood Star memorial, St. Ilya Church, the memorial "To Those who Saved the World". There’ll also be a photo stop at the place where robots and vehicles were used to clean the radioactive fallout.
 
Passing the Leliv checkpoint, you’ll enter the 10km exclusion zone. On the way to the power plant we stop at the almost fully buried Kopachi village and have a look inside its abandoned kindergarten. At the plant, you’ll tour the ChNPP (uncompleted reactors #5 and #6, plus the unfinished cooling towers). From a safe distance (270m away) you’ll be able to look at the Chernobyl New Safe Confinement which encloses the existing sarcophagus of Reactor #4 that was constructed in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.
 
Leaving the plant, you’ll make a stop near the Red Forest and Pripyat road sign. From there, you’ll tour Pripyat town, the highlights of which include Lenin Street, the main square, the palace of culture, the Polissya hotel, a supermarket, the Ferris wheel, the stadium, school, swimming pool, hospital and more. Continuing on, the bus will drive through a tiny part of the western radioactive trace.
 
Exiting the Leliv checkpoint, tour participants will go through radiation control before lunch. Our meal will be taken at the Chernobyl canteen - all ingredients are brought in from the outside and ecologically clean. A vegetarian meal is available upon request. Afterwards, you’ll visit the village of Paryshiv, meeting the self-settlers (people who chose to come back to their homes after the evacuation). Duga 3 (the so called "Russian Woodpecker", a military radar system and its base Chernobyl 2) is open for visits once more and will form part of our regular tour.

We’ll round off the day with a final roll call at Dytyatki checkpoint, which has compulsory radiation control. From there we’ll drive back to Kiev, arriving anywhere between 6.30pm and 7.30pm. Please note that the above itinerary may change for unforeseen reasons, such as prohibitions put in place by the Chernobyl Management, the mobility of your group or other reasons.