In a previous post “How to get a taxi going to Yakutsk at the Neryungri railroad station?” I mentioned Matt George, a UK backpacker. This is a guy, who asked me about how to get at the Neryungri railroad station a taxi going to Yakutsk. My answers you can find in the mentioned publication. Here is his travel report. He made it to Yakutsk. He is one of a few international visitors, who experience an “unforgettable” 16-hr winter overland trip from Neryungri to Yakutsk.
“So, I have finally made it to Yakutsk. Here it is GMT+9, which means I have travelled over one-third of the way round the World, without taking a flight. I traveled here from Irkutsk, where I spent some glorious days trudging around on the frozen waters of Lake Baikal. From Irkutsk it was a two-and-a-half day train journey to Neryungri, which is officially nowhere, but is currently as far north as it possible to go by train in Far Eastern Russia. That was the easy bit. What followed was a true test of travel endurance- straight into a minibus for a 16 hour, overnight trip to make the 800km (500 miles) from Neryungri to Yakutsk. It was hellishly uncomfortable, sharing the minibus with 7 other passengers, and plenty of luggage. My ass went for the last 500km, and I thought the pain in my back was going to be a long-term condition. And maybe I got three hours sleep maximum?”
“But hell, it was interesting. I can verify that there IS nothing out here except for trees. Trees and hills. You get to the top of one hill and it all starts again. For the first 300km there were regular settlements, so I was thinking, this region isn’t so isolated after all, but after that, there was NOTHING pretty much until we reached Yakutsk. Just trees. One one smoke break (Russian men smoke like trains), I really had a chance to appreciate it. We were hundreds of kms from anything. It was just trees and stars. It was quite an awesome feeling. At about the halfway mark was a petrol station and a cafe. That was it. What a sentence it would be to live/work there!”
“The driver was a good guy. When he saw my guitar and was trying to pack it in the bus he said in English: “Russian bed!”. He was also wearing a Russian Olympic Comittee jacket, but whether it was really his, I don’t know. And he wasn’t shy of the occasional powerslide round the odd icy corner. I though I was an unwilling volunteer in the Trans-Yakutian Rally for a few moments. And the other passengers, all Russian, were very nice to me. They were looking after the tourist, and made sure I had enough to eat.”
“When we suddenly careered off the main road (the M56 by the way [not the one that tkes you to Wales], which for the most part is like to back road between Tremethick Cross and Grumbla, but at times deteriorates until it resembles the Wason’s driveway), nd continued at break-neck speed down steeps tracks, I knew what was coming next- We were taking the ‘Winter Road’. Sure enough we cruised out across the Lena river (of of the World’s longest), across the ice, and continued the remaining 100kms to Yakutsk on the western bank.”
“I finally slept, and awoke when we reached Yakutsk, at 7am in the morning. How the driver did it I don’t know! We were greeted by a temperature of -42. Great! But since then it has warmed up somewhat, and is lingering around the mid minus thirties. Damn! I had that in Siberia! Yakutsk is basically like most other Russian towns I have been in. There’s not a vast amount to do or see, but it has been fun. WE did check out some Mammoth museums and Permafrost kingdoms and other stuff, as well as generally soak up the cold! And, damn, does it feel cold! I have met some great people. I am staying with Vasilly and his sister, who have been awesome hosts.”
“Hopefully tomorrow I leave for Oymyakon (The Pole Of Cold), where I am assured it will be at least -50! But, it is not looking certain- the long distance taxis only run when there is enough people to justify driving 1100km to the middle of nowhere. There is only me and another so far, and they need at least four. So I may have to wait a day or two. This is no problem, as I was originally not going to leave Yakutsk until the 4th. I am leaving early because Bolot (the genius behind www.askyakutia.com, and basically a top guy who helps travellers in every way possible) also helped a Spanish film crew to go there. They are already there, and I can catch them up, so I have some people to hang about with. I also means I can then travel with them to Ust-Nera, where they fly back to Yakutsk, and I can get the taxi to Magadan from there (I hope!). Should be no problem getting to Magadan by the 13th. The travel time is only 4 days. 4 hellish days in a minibus mind!”
Similar Posts:
- Matt George’s travel report: From Yakutsk to Magadan via Oymyakon and Ust Nera by a taxi
- How to get a taxi going to Yakutsk at the Neryungri railroad station?
- Railroad stations in Yakutia?
- How to get to Yakutsk by train and car?
- Yakutsk – Ust-Nera – Magadan. By a taxi.
