A shortened version of the extended tour to the Pole of Cold with a unique visit to the mystical village of Sordonnookh — the source of the great Indigirka River. You will not only test yourself in real Yakut frosts but also participate in rituals with the “Mistress of the River,” learn to prepare stroganina in field conditions, and see a life where even cows wear bras. You will meet horse breeders, reindeer herders, and the spirits of the North.
✨ What’s Special?
- ❄️ Two points of attraction: Pole of Cold (Oymyakon) and the sacred place of power — the village of Sordonnookh at the source of the Indigirka.
- 🛣️ Unique way of life: Visiting a cow farm with “special clothing” (winter bras), reindeer sledding, and horseback riding on Yakut horses.
- 🏔️ Extreme beyond imagination: Find out which alcohol freezes faster, hammer nails with a banana, and watch boiling water turn into ice before your eyes.
- 🏡 Ice adit and GULAG: Descent into artificial ice caves and visiting memorials along the road where exiles built the highway (Tomporuk Pass).
- 👥 Live encounters with indigenous peoples of Russia, their traditions, and way of life
- 🍲 Master Chef in the frost: You will slice stroganina with a Yakut knife yourself and prepare the ritual soup “Uere Miine” in the Archy House.
- 🌌 Magic of rituals: Meeting the spirit of the Indigirka (Indigir-Khotun) and the cleansing ritual “Archy”.
📌 Tour Details
- 🗺️ Tour route: Yakutsk — Khandyga — Tomtor — Oymyakon — Orto-Balagan — Sordonnookh — Yakutsk.
- ⏱️ Duration: 5 days / 4 nights
- 👥 Number of participants: 4–18 people
- 📍 Start: Yakutsk
🏷️ 📅 Tour Cost and Dates
📅 Tour Dates
- 📅 December 13–17, 2026 — Discount: 10% until August 1, 2026, Seats available: 10
- 📅 December 22–26, 2026 — Discount: 10% until August 1, 2026, Seats available: 10
- 📅 December 30, 2026 – January 3, 2027 — Discount: 10% until August 1, 2026, Seats available: 10
- 📅 January 19–24, 2027 — Discount: 10% until August 1, 2026, Seats available: 10
- 📅 February 1–5, 2027 — Discount: 10% until August 1, 2026, Seats available: 10
- 📅 February 14–18, 2027 — Discount: 10% until August 1, 2026, Seats available: 10
- 📅 March 2027 (dates to be confirmed)— Discount: 10% until August 1, 2026, Seats available: 10
🏷️ Price per person:
With hotel in Yakutsk
check with operator
per person
(standard double room)
Without hotel in Yakutsk
140 000 RUB
per person
(accommodation not included)
- * prices for the 2026-2027 winter season will be adjusted in August 2026.
- Private tours – available on any dates, price upon request.
- PLEASE NOTE: discounts and promotions apply to individuals (Russian citizens only). They do not apply to the cost of the hotel.
⏱️ Tour Program
🌄 Day 1. Khandyga and the Kolyma Highway
08:00 Meeting in the hotel lobby.
Departure from Yakutsk towards Khandyga. Distance from Yakutsk to Khandyga: 365 km.
On the way we cross the great Siberian rivers Lena and Aldan via the winter road, driving over frozen channels and riverbeds for more than 25 km.
12:00 Lunch at the Tyungyulyu roadside cafe (average bill 500 RUB, not included in the tour price)
16:00 Visit to the Cherkekh Historical and Memorial Museum “Yakut Political Exile” in the village of Cherkekh, Tattinsky District, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)
Continuation of the journey
18:00 Dinner at the roadside cafe in the village of Ytyk-Kyuyol (not included in the tour price)
— Crossing the Aldan River
21:00 Late evening arrival in Khandyga.
Accommodation in an apartment-type hotel. Accommodation, basic comfort.
🌄 Day 2. On the Road to the Pole of Cold
8:00 Departure from the hotel (Khandyga – Kyubyume – Oymyakon) Distance from Khandyga to Oymyakon via the highway – 560 km.
9:30 Breakfast at the roadside cafe in the village of Teply Klyuch (not included in the tour price)
— Possible visit to the GULAG museum if it is open on that day.
On the way along the Kolyma federal highway there will be beautiful views of the Verkhoyansk Range and breathtaking sections of the road such as Yellow Cliff, Black Cliff, and Hare’s Loop — stretches that once made drivers tremble with their particular difficulty.
10:00 Photo session at Tomporuk Pass, at the memorial cross to the victims of the GULAG;
13:00 Stop at the unfrozen spring “Tonmot-Uu – Shaman Brook”. Collecting healing water from the source;
— Late lunch/dinner at the roadside cafe “Kuba” in the village of Kyubyume (average bill 500 RUB, not included in the tour price.)
21:00 We will be at the hotel late in the evening.
Accommodation in the village of Tomtor – in a private guest house. Accommodation, basic comfort.
Late dinner at the hotel, rest
🌄 Day 3. Oymyakon — Pole of Cold
8:00 Breakfast, departure for an excursion to the village of Oymyakon (40 km from Tomtor village.)
10:00 Farm of the Yakut breed of cows (Bereg-Yurdya area). A special local breed adapted to extreme living conditions that uses special bras in winter
11:00 Arrival in the village of Oymyakon. Visit to the “Pole of Cold” Stele with the Bull of Winter, where we will meet the fairy-tale character of Yakut mythology, Chyskhaan (Keeper of the Cold), and receive Certificates of visiting the coldest inhabited place on Earth;
12:30 The world’s coldest photo exhibition “Chyskhaan Gallery”. Here we will visit the estate of Semen Sivtsev – a new solid little house, a Yakut balagan, built in the old style.
13:00 Lunch at the guest house;
14:00 Cultural program by Oymyakon youth at the cultural center. Folklore,
sports competitions;
15:30 Tasting of Oymyakon tea varieties. Tea ceremony.
16:30 Departure from the village of Oymyakon;
18:00 Arrival in the village of Tomtor. Tomtor Local History Museum named after N. Zabolotsky – Chyskhaan;
19:00 Ice adit;
20:00 Dinner at the hotel.
In the evening you can go to the river and plunge into the unfrozen stream. Afterwards — order a banya.
🌄 Day 4. Source of the Indigirka in the Village of Sordonnookh
Here, at the extreme cold exhibition, tourists will have to prepare the main dish of the North themselves – Stroganina from local fish. We will visit a private horse breeding base where we will be shown and told about the Yakut breed of horses. There will be an opportunity to ride a horse. Also in this village you can meet the Mistress of the Indigirka River — Indigir-Khotun (The great Siberian river Indigirka begins here, so its spirit lives here, greeting guests and blessing them for a long happy life). Also, in the local Archy House, we will take a master class on cooking the national soup of the Oymyakon Yakuts “Uere Miine”. In the evening we will visit the Chyskhaan Cultural House in the village of Tomtor, where the Yakut ritual “Archy” — a ritual of spiritual cleansing — is performed.
8:00 Wake up. Breakfast at the hotel;
9:00 Departure to Sordonnookh settlement;
10:00 Departure to the horse base. Photo session with horses and a hearty lunch;
11:00 We go to the village of Orto-Balagan;
11:10 Arrival in the village. In winter it gets dark early, so we will immediately go by snowmobile on the hunter’s route, where we will check traps, snares, and deadfalls. On the way we will meet the Mistress of the Indigirka River — Indigir-Khotun.
— Extreme cold exhibition by the Indigirka River. Opportunity to prepare stroganina with your own hands using a Yakut knife from local fish.
— Visit to a hunting tent. Tea drinking – tea with Yakut herbs.
12:30 Master class on cooking the national soup of the Oymyakon Yakuts “Uere Miine” in the Archy House — Lunch;
14:00 We head back to Tomtor;
15:00 Arrival in the village of Tomtor.
15:30 GULAG museum at Tomtor Secondary School.
17:00 We visit the Chyskhaan Cultural House — a spacious Yakut balagan where the “Archy” ritual is performed, dinner of traditional Yakut dishes;19:00 Dinner at the hotel. Free time..
🌄 Day 5. Return to Yakutsk
07:00 Breakfast;
08:00 Departure from the village of Tomtor;
11:30 Stop at a reindeer herders’ camp. Reindeer sledding. Photo sessions with reindeer. Terrain excursion. Meeting the reindeer herders.
12:30 Departure from the camp;
13:30 Lunch in the mountains, at the “Odo” cafe (not included in the tour price, average bill 500 RUB)
18:00 Dinner in the village of Ytyk-Kyuyol;
22:00 Arrival in Yakutsk.
✅ ❌ What’s Included and What’s Not
✅ Included
- Accommodation according to the program: guest house in Tomtor village, guest house in Khandyga
- Transport according to the program
- Visits and excursions according to the program,
- Guide and driver services
- Meals according to the program, at guest houses (home cooking)
❌ Not Included
- Accommodation in Yakutsk
- Airfare to/from Yakutsk;
- Meals outside the program
- Meals at roadside cafes during transfers to/from Oymyakon (average bill 300-500 RUB per meal per person);
- Personal warm clothing.
- Personal expenses of tourists
- Souvenirs
🔔 Important Information and Conditions:
📌 Note:
- Time marks in the program are APPROXIMATE and depend on weather and other factors.
- The program may be adjusted depending on the date and time of arrival of tourists, and the tour operator reserves the right to change the object of visit (museums and cultural sites), accommodation places, and insignificantly adjust the travel schedule at its discretion.
- Copying, distribution, or other use of the tour program without the written permission of the author is not allowed.
💳 Booking and Payment Terms:
- The tour is considered booked upon payment of a deposit of 30% of the tour cost by bank transfer to the account of LLC “Chuchuna” on the basis of a contract.
- The balance of payment by bank transfer no later than 28 calendar days before the start of the tour, unless other terms or forms of payment are agreed additionally.
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