Extended tour to Oymyakon (8 days/7 nights)

🌄 Day 1. Getting to know Yakutsk

9:30 Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby, departure for an excursion to the “Us Kut” ethno-complex, with a short city sightseeing tour along the way.

10:00-11:30 Excursion around the ethnographic complex “Us Kut”, performance of the ancient blessing ceremony “Algys”.

The tourist complex “Us-Kut”, located in the vicinity of Yakutsk, is famous for its good traditions and is based on the hospitality and hard work of the Atlasov family, who put their love for their native land into it. Tourists can get an idea of the ancient culture of the Sakha people: hear khomus and toyuk, see national rituals — spirit offerings, purification, greeting the sun. The center’s territory features typical Yakut household buildings.

11:45-12:30 Excursion to the underground complex “Kingdom of Permafrost”.

“Kingdom of Permafrost” is a complex in a glacier, located inside a mountain, featuring the residence of Yakut Winter, Chyskhaan – the Lord of Cold, a room of the Master of the North, exhibition halls of the Ice Sculpture Festival, a large paleontological exposition of mammoth fauna objects, an ice slide and an Ice Bar.

12:45-13:30 Ascent to the observation deck of the sacred mountain “Chochur Muran”, walk on the mountain.

From the mountain there is a beautiful view of the Tuymaada Valley, where Yakutsk — the capital of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) — is located.

Chochur Muran — from Yakut the name translates as “pointed hill”. The hill is revered as a sacred mountain. According to legend, the first ancestor of the Yakuts in the middle Lena River area, Elley Bootur, first organized Ysyakh (the national summer festival) here.

13:45-15:00 Lunch at the restaurant “Chochur Muran” (national and European cuisine, not included in the tour price).

“Chochur Muran” is an ecological and ethnographic complex built in honor of the Cossack pioneers who explored and annexed all the vast lands beyond the Ural Mountains into the Russian state. Inside there is a national restaurant which also serves as a museum. The walls are decorated with hunting trophies, a collection of antique weapons, and tableware.

15:30-16:30 Visit to the Yakutsk farmers’ market.

This is one of the exotic places of the city and a real landmark. It is home to the coldest outdoor market in the world. Moreover, not only freshly frozen products are sold here, but also in the covered part of the market you can buy souvenirs, various meat, fish, dairy local products and more.

16:30-17:30 Souvenir shop “Ilin Ener”.

17:30 Transfer to the hotel.

🌄 Day 2. Khandyga and the road of bones

08:00 Meet 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 an ice road (winter road), traveling over frozen channels and riverbeds for more than 25 km.

12:00 Lunch at the roadside café Tyungyulyu (average check 500 rub., not included).

16:00 Visit to the Cherkekh Historical and Memorial Museum “Yakut Political Exile” in the village of Cherkekh, Tattinsky ulus.

Continuation of the journey.

18:00 Dinner at the roadside café in the village of Ytyk-Kyuyel (not included).

— Crossing the Aldan River.

21:00 Arrival in Khandyga late in the evening.

Accommodation in an apartment-style hotel. Simple comfort.

🌄 Day 3. On the way to the Pole of Cold

8:00 Departure from the hotel (Khandyga – Kyubyume – Oymyakon). Distance from Khandyga to Oymyakon along the highway – 560 km.

9:30 Breakfast at the roadside café in the settlement of Teply Klyuch (not included).

— Possible visit to the GULAG museum, if the museum is open that day.

Along the way on the Kolyma federal highway there will be beautiful views against the backdrop of the Verkhoyansk Range and on road sections with the breathtaking views of Yellow, Black Pryzhim, Hare’s Loop; these sections once terrified motorists with their particular difficulty.

10:00 Photo session at the Tomporuk Pass, by the memorial cross to the victims of the GULAG.

13:00 Stop at the non-freezing stream “Tonmot-Uu – Shaman Brook”. Collecting healing water from the spring.

— Late lunch-dinner at the roadside café in Kyubyume village “Kuba” (average check 500 rub., not included).

21:00 At the hotel late in the evening.

Accommodation in Tomtor village – in a private guest house. Simple comfort.

Late dinner at the hotel, rest.

🌄 Day 4. Oymyakon — Pole of Cold

8:00 Breakfast, departure for an excursion to Oymyakon village (40 km from Tomtor).

10:00 Farm of the Yakut breed of cows (Bereg-Yurdya site). A special local breed adapted to extreme living conditions and which uses special bras in winter.

11:00 Arrival in Oymyakon village. Visit to the “Pole of Cold” Stele with the Bull of Winter, where we will meet the fairy-tale character of Yakut mythology Chyskhaan (the Keeper of Cold) and receive Certificates of visiting the coldest inhabited settlement on Earth.

12:30 The coldest photo exhibition in the world “Chyskhaan Gallery”. Here we will visit the homestead of Semyon Sivtsev – a new, solid Yakut-style balagan house made in the old style.

13:00 Lunch at the guest house.

14:00 Cultural program of Oymyakon youth at the House of Culture. Folklore, sports competitions.

15:30 Tasting of Oymyakon tea varieties. Tea ceremony.

16:30 Departure from Oymyakon village.

18:00 Arrival in Tomtor village. Tomtor Local History Museum named after N. Zabolotsky – Chyskhaan.

19:00 Ice gallery (adit).

20:00 Dinner at the hotel.

In the evening you can go to the river and plunge into the non-freezing stream. Afterwards — order a banya.

🌄 Day 5. Source of the Indigirka in Sordonnookh village

Here, at the extreme cold exhibition, tourists will make the main dish of the North – Stroganina from local fish themselves. We will visit a private horse-breeding farm, where they will show and tell about the Yakut horse breed. It will be possible to ride a horse. Also in this village you can meet the mistress of the Indigirka River – Indigir-Khotun (The great Siberian river Indigirka originates here, so her spirit lives here, greets guests and blesses 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 Tomtor village, where the Yakut ritual “Archy” – a cleansing ceremony for the spirit – is held.

8:00 Wake up. Breakfast at the hotel;

9:00 Departure to Sordonnookh nasleg;

10:00 Departure to the horse farm. 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 on snowmobiles along the hunter’s route, where we will check traps, snares, and deadfalls. On the way we meet the mistress of the Indigirka River – Indigir-Khotun.

— Extreme cold exhibition by the Indigirka River. Opportunity to make stroganina with your own hands using a Yakut knife from local fish.

— Visit to a hunter’s tent. Tea drinking – tea with Yakut herbs.

12:30 Master class on cooking the national soup of the Oymyakon Yakuts “Uere Miine” at the Archy house — Lunch;

14:00 Return to Tomtor;

15:00 Arrival in Tomtor village.

15:30 GULAG Museum at Tomtor Secondary School.

17:00 Visit to the Chyskhaan cultural house – a spacious Yakut balagan where the “Archy” ritual is held, dinner of traditional Yakut dishes;19:00 Dinner at the hotel. Free time.

🌄Day 6. Return to Yakutsk

07:00 Breakfast;

08:00 Departure from Tomtor village;

11:30 Arrival at the reindeer herders’ camp. Reindeer sledding. Photo sessions with reindeer. Excursion around the area. Meeting the herders.

12:30 Departure from the camp;

13:30 Lunch in the mountains, at the café “Odo” (not included, average check from 500 rub.)

18:00 Dinner in the village of Ytyk-Kyuyel;

22:00 Arrival in Yakutsk.

🌄 Day 7. Lena Pillars

8:00 Meeting with the guide in the hotel lobby and departure to the Lena Pillars Nature Park along the route: Yakutsk – Lena Pillars by car (220 km, approximate travel time 4 hours).

* from December to mid-February, part of the route runs on a snowmobile over the ice of the Lena River, length 3 km. In spring with strong winds the road to the Lena Pillars may be blocked by snow, in which case part of the journey may also be made by snowmobile.

Lena Pillars is a unique natural monument and geological history of the Siberian Platform. They strike the imagination of a person who first finds themselves on the great Siberian river Lena, which cut its valley into the Prilenskoe Plateau of Central Siberia. They stretch with small breaks for 35 km. However, over another about 200 km solitary cliffs stand isolated against the background of screes or green forested slopes. The height of the Lena Pillars is determined by the depth of the Lena River valley incision into the Prilenskoe Plateau and is about 200 m.

— Lunch (packed meal).

14:30-16:30 Climb to the Lena Pillars. Excursion. Photographing.

16:30 Free time.

18:00-23:00 Departure along the route “Labydia area – Tit-Ary village – Yakutsk” (190 km).

23:00 Arrival in Yakutsk. Transfer to the hotel.

🌄 Day 8. Journey home

— Transfer to the airport.