GHOST TOWNS, POLAR BEARS AND ICE ROADS
February 25 ⇾ March 07
In addition tour our group tours to Chukotka, we also offer bespoke services for private travel parties and lone wolves alike. As a traveller-oriented boutique operator, tailored trips and groundbreaking adventures are our bread and butter. Get in touch for more info on our customised journeys to Chukotka!
DAY 1 - Anadyr
Meet-and-greet at Anadyr International Airport and transfer to our hotel of choice in central Anadyr.
Jet-lag compensation, Soviet-themed city walk, and short drive out of town to Mount Verblyuzhka viewpoint.
Overnight in Anadyr.
DAY 2 - Egvekinot
Transfer by plane to the Soviet-planned town of Egvekinot.
Walking tour around Egvekinot and afternoon drive to enjoy the breathtakingly beautiful natural areas surrounding the settlement: high peaks, endless tundra, and the eerily fascinating shores of the Bering Sea.
Overnight in Egvekinot.
DAY 3 to DAY 5 - Iultin Highway
We'll start the day before sunrise and set off for a northbound journey along the legendary Iultin Highway, arguably one of the remotest roads in the former USSR.
The highway was built by the prisoners of the notorious Chukotlag and is dotted with abandoned barracks and crumbling tombstones, dark echoes of a somber age.
Major stops en route will include the out-of-the-world Soviet town of Ozyorny and the Soviet-era monument marking the exact meeting point between the Arctic Circle and the 180th Meridian.
In the evening we'll eventually reach Amguema, a traditional Chukchi village with more than 500 inhabitants and a major stopover for nomadic reindeer herders.
We'll then spend the following two days with Chukchi Reindeer Herders, sharing with them time, food and stories, while learning as much as possible about their endangered culture and traditional lifestyle.
Overnights in Amguema.
DAY 6 TO DAY 8 - Cape Schmidt
We’ll continue our journey along the Iultin Highway, crossing an otherworldly Arctic landscape of rare and surreal beauty.We’ll soon reach the captivating ghost town of Iultin, an abandoned mining settlement full of Soviet ruins awaiting to be explored.
In the evening we’ll then eventually arrive in the once thriving and now almost deserted Soviet town of Cape Schmidt, at the very northern end of the Iultin Highway.
We’ll spend the next two days in and around Cape Schmidt, visiting spirited Soviet outposts and traditional Chukchi hamlets, such as Ryrkaypiy, the perfect place to spot polar bears!
Our lust for Soviet relics notwithstanding, we shall not forget that we are in Chukotka and here, more than anywhere else in northern Russia, wildlife rules: be prepared to encounter arctic foxes, walruses, polar bears, a wide array of migratory birds, and (with a bit of luck) rare cetaceans such as grey whales, humpback whales, beluga whales and the almost mythical narwhal.
Overnights in Cape Schmidt.
DAY 9 - Ugolnye Kopi
In the morning we’ll transfer to Cape Schmidt Regional Airport and board a chartered helicopter flight back to Anadyr.
If time allows, we’ll crown our tour around Chukotka with an urbex trip to the former mining towns of Shakhtyorsky, Ugolnye Kopi and Gudym: forsaken urban loneliness on the northern shores of the Anadyr Estuary.
Overnight in Anadyr.
DAY 10 - Farewell to Chukotka
3690 €
INCLUSIONS
Double/twin-room accommodation (breakfast included), private transport in Chukotka (jeep/minivan/helicopter), all entrance fees, all excursions and activities as per itinerary, 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.
