Everything is presented in one .xls file in Russian. Bisides, authors indicated their contacts. If you’ve got any question, please, feel free to get in touch with them. One thing to remember. They speak Russian.

For instance, distance between Yakutsk and Magadan is 2024 km, between Bolshoi Never and Yakutsk is 1157 km.

Download the file track_fd_kolyma_m56_amur.zip.

GPS maps for the Far East and Siberia can be found at http://mapdv.ru. Check out the previous post The Road of Bones: GPS maps for Magadan Oblast as well.

Found this post useful. Please, do me a favour. Share it.

Though I am based in Yakutia, I am often asked about the availability of any GPS maps for the roads of Magadan Oblast. Well, here are a few links for downloading such files.

Vertical maps from Map49ru.Narod.ru:

- 49rus.nm2, the map of roads for Navitel GPS Navigator v. 3.2.6.
- 49rus.rxm, the map of roads for GisRX GPS Navigator.

Direct links for downloading maps with this year’s updated information on Omsukchan, Orotukan, Talaya, etc. from virus-free files sharing servers:
НН 3.2.6
GisRX
SpeedCam

A lot of bitmapped files can be found at http://nav.lom.name/maps_scan/. Just search through and find.

Other maps will be added, once I have time and new findings.

Nina and Nikolay Stenins, hostel owners in Khandyga. With Bjoern Steinz, a German photographer on the right side.

Here is information about where to stay for night in Khandyga. There are three hotels, but I recommend to stay at Nina & Nikolay Stenins’ place.

Back to hotels. One is called Presidential Hotel (the official name is different, but that’s the way, how people call it). It is a few-storeyed concrete hotel, where the 2nd President of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Vyacheslav Shtyrov prefered to stay. As you know, he was born in Khandyga. Who can stay there? First of all, those ones, who were invited by the administration of the Tomponsky region and major locally-based companies. The second in the rating list is known as Vedomstvennaya (it is also people’s name). Usually it hosts people arrived to visit organizations in Khandyga. Actually it is a big appartment with three big bedrooms, shared kitchen, shared lounge, shared bathroom. To stay in Presidential and Vedomstvennaya costs not less 1500 rubles per night. The worst option is the third one called Hotel of Khandyga. It is a ready-to-sink two-storeyed wooden building with a dozen of shared rooms, one toilet and without kitchen and bath. It is cheap and used by guests arrived from nearest regions. If you decide to spend night in this hotel, please, keep your room closed with a locker. That may protect you from drunk neighbours :)

The best option, I think, is the Stenins’ place. A few years ago Nina and Nikolay Stenins decided to make a hotel out of their former appartment in a 2-storied wooden living building. They did it. They created the hotel “Angara.” (Address: 7 Okhlopkov Street, Apt 5, Khandyga; Nina’s contacts: mobile +79141007418, work +7-41153-41462, home +7-41153-41006, steninan@list.ru, Rate: 1000 rubles per night. 5-6 people accommodated. Booking might be done by phone or via emal.)

I regret I didn’t save the GPS coordinates of the hotel. What did we do to find them? We arrived in Khandyga and found ourselves immediately on the main street. Actually it is the only one. Stopped by the chain of relatively big stores and called Nina. Her husband, Nikolay, came to us and showed us direction. So you can do the same. After we had done with accommodation, Nikolay lead our driver to a garage, where a space was already reserved for us. We paid 300 rubles for one night parking.

Now its former apartment has a hostel look. 3 bedrooms (two big with two beds and one small with one bed, each room with a TV set), shared kitchen (with all required stuff like a fridge, a gas-stove, a microwave, a teakettle, even a thermos), bathroom (hot & cold water) and toilet. Plus they’ve got a room with a steam iron, a table, a fan, an armchair and an ash-tray. Hosts live in other apartment.

When my friends & I stayed at their place, we liked that it was pretty cosy. We felt that the so-called private hotel is kept by a family. Everything is clean, and their blankets are very warm and soft, the latter are good, when outdoor temperature is around minus 40 or 50 degree Centigrade :) Besides, I like Nina and Nikolay. They are very friendly and hospital. Oh, it’s hard to believe, but Nina can speak English.

Private hotel in Khandyga. A room I stayed in. By the way, it is the only room with the biggest TV set. It has two beds. There are also one-bed and two-bed rooms, but with a small TV.

It is a hall with a phone. When we entered, we occupied it with all our stuff. So in this pic you can see our clothes, boots, etc.

A kitchen with above-described items. We left a lot of unwashed plates and dishes. Nina said, We should not worry about it.

A room for ironing and smoking. Aaah, I should adjust a blanket on an armchair before taking a photograph.

To me, it’s hard to describe what it is. It is not homestay, because hosts live in other apartment. It is not a classical guest house, it’s based inside the living building. It is not Bed & Breakfast, cause breakfast is not served, but guests can cook whatever they want. Hostel? Maybe. Locals usually say a mini-hotel. It’s like a hotel, but small one :)

Watch the real Siberian video done on the Kolyma Highway (the Road of Bones) by Oisin Hughes, an Irish adventure biker, who yesterday made it to Magadan from Yakutsk just for 4 days only. In this vid you will see, how close to the edge he was biking in the Verkhoyansky mountain area. Fantastic and thrilling! That’s Siberia! That’s the Siberian challenge!

Oisin says, “Jesus, I nearly died when i rewatched it… Got way way way too close to the edge here, gives me the colly wobbles just looking at it…”

My comment will be simple. While being early in this summer, he was really lucky. Weather was awesome. Sunny and no rains. But… the end of his biking happened to be not so much exciting.

Further, please, find what happened and get the information on the current condition of the Road of Bones (the Khandyga – Kyubyume part).

WHAT EXTREME HE HAD

In the last leg of the journey, 525 km from Magadan, his motorcycle got broken. The front shock blew and he had a number of flats. He was forced to think about a ride to Magadan by lorry. Nevertheless, he managed to fix the bike and back to the road.

ROAD CONDITION NOTES

Oisin wrote:

“..Sergei [a hostel owner in Khandyga] had talked to the local truck drivers and the feedback was that for the first 100km or so the going would be, after that while the roads started to go over the mountains things could get very bad depending on the weather, but they reckoned I’d be ok…”

“..As promised the early going was straight gravel roads with very few problems and even after a hundred miles I’d scarcely had a wobble. The going was too easy if anything… I’d my first “hard stop” when I came to a river whose bridge was under construction. The construction teams had laid a trail of gravel over the water and a route to follow out onto the main road. While I was coming across the water and out onto the other side I said I’d take a short cut up the side of the bank when the bike got stuck in the stones. I did my best to get it out and failed miserably so I stayed there until a guy in a truck came along and along with some of the construction crew pushed me back up onto the road… I was lucky, someone came along in ten minutes, but I was having stretches where I didn’t see any traffic for whole hours, I gave myself a mental kick in the bollix for not being more careful and resolved to keep the whole “drive to arrive” mentality for the rest of the day…”

“..I passed a café doling out what would charitably be described as gruel… The roads started to wind upwards and around various mountains and for at least a hundred km I followed a black dusty gravel road with a leafy green border under a blue sky with mountains popping in and out of the field of view. It was a beautiful day. The only thing that takes away from your appreciation of your surroundings is that you’re so focused on the road ahead to make sure you don’t come off… As the first set of mountains faded behind me I started to hit some lots of water crossings as streams flowed down from the mountain. At each crossing I got off the bike and walked across to make sure I could get through and there wasn’t any hidden sinkholes and then walked back, got on the bike and drove through it. God bless my seal skin socks! The deepest was up to my knees and lasted for only 15 feet or so, the widest was maybe 40 feet but was much shallower…”

Follow Oisin’s around-the-world travel on his blog BackToBroke. Enjoy reading his Kolyma stories. Looking forward to learn more details of his riding the last leg of the Kolyma Highway from Ust Nera to Magadan via Susuman.

An American Ian was asking me recently, “I am wondering how the lack of sunlight effects people in the long winter months. How many hours of daylight do you have, and it is dreadful? In summer, are the days extremely long? I am fascinated by your home.”

In December in the central part of Yakutia we can have daylight from 11.00 am till 3.30 pm. However, due to thick fogs, we may not see it at all. In northern territories it can be much shorter. In Yakutia’s Arctic there are so-called Polar nights.

We are lack of Vitamin D apparently. Parents tend to give little kids pills or drops with Vitamin D.

In summer, yeah, we have more sunshine. White nights take place in the second half of June and early July. At the same time in the Arctic Zone the sun may not set at all :)

Frankly saying, we are accustomed to live in such conditions. However, every local dreams to visit sunny sea resorts as often as possible, but a few can afford it. Travel expenses are really high.

“Three of us will be traveling around the world on our motorcycles. Somewhere around July 10th we will be in Chita and from there we want to travel to Magadan. Our questions are: 1. We have seen on the maps that there is a road (not the old road) from Yakutsk to Magadan? Is this true or will we have to use the old Road of Bones? 2. Do you know are there regular flights from Magadan to Anadyr? Is there, maybe, a possibility to travel by ship from Magadan to Alaska? 3. Do we need a special permit for Chukotka? In the Russian Embassy in Montenegro we were told that it is not necessary.”

Before clicking the link “Read more”, I would like to let you know that I am always online. I keep answering questions without any pauses. Just not all of questions with answers were published at AskYakutia.com. I am blogging, when I have free time between the family life and work. This is a little off-top remark.

1. We have seen on the maps that there is a road (not the old road) from Yakutsk to Magadan? Is this true or will we have to use the old Road of Bones?

There is the Kolyma Highway, that goes from Yakutsk to Magadan via Ust Nera. It’s in good condition all the year around.

Keep in mind that the part Kyubyume – Ust Nera – Magadan is considered to be a new route.

The old route we call the part Kyubyume – Tomtor – Magadan. It can be used only when river waters are low. Mainly in August. July and September are also good time, but they may have heavy rains. Check the post 2009 Photo Report: The old route of the Kolyma Highway (Road of Bones) by Czech OFF SIBERIA motorcyclists.

What is the difference between new and old routes, I wrote in this post 2009 August Road Report: the condition of the Kolyma Highway (the Road of Bones) in Oymyakonsky Ulus

Those, who want to make it to Magadan via the old route of the Kolyma road, please, consider the following opportunity to try it with local driver’s Yakutsk to Magadan expedition. They will go in August with trucks as support. Participation is totally free.

2. Do you know about any regular flights from Magadan to Anadyr? Is there possibility to travel by ship from Magadan to Alaska?

There is the direct flight done by Yakutia Airlines on Wednesdays. Ir Air, also known as Irkutsk Avia, does regular flights from Magadan to Bilibino and flies irregularly to Pevek and Koupol (Купол).

There is the trackway between Magadan and Anadyr, but it’s a winter road. There is another option to try in summer. The route is as follows. Magadan – Seimchan by a car/bike/bicycle, Seimchan to Anyuisk along Yakutia’s part of the Kolyma River by a barge, Anyuisk – Bilibino – Pevek by a car, and then from Pevek to Anadyr. The last part seems hard to go through. Wrecked bridges are reported.

Unfortunately, currently ships do not go straight from Kamchatka/Magadan to Alaska. Travellers tend to ship their vehicles to Vladivostok, then to Alaska or California. Check this post How to ship your moto or vehicle from/to Magadan & from/to Vladivostok by sea?

However, one Magadan off-roading enthusiast states that it is theoretically possible to get to Alaska by a barge, if to do the following things:

1. Find a barge [I think, he meant, in Magadan] and pay the captain.
2. Cross the frontier checkpoint in the settlement of Providenie or Anadyr.

Nevertheless, he highlights that he thinks it is impossible.

3. Do we need the special entry permit for Chukotka? The Russian Embassy in Montenegro told us, “We don’t need them.”

Chukotka with its Anadyr and Pevek is located in the Frontier zone. It means entrance permit might be required. In any case, you need to resolve this issue via travel agencies. The list of frontier zones is described on Wikipedia pretty good.

Have a good ride. If any, keep asking me about Yakutia and even about the rest of Siberia & the Far East :)

Yakutsk Permafrost Institute with its underground laboratory in the form of tunnel is a sort of a must-to-see sight in the capital of Siberia’s Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). It is the most visited by international guests.

The last year before The Copenhagen Climate Change Summit it became a real Mecca to international journalists, who wanted to know whether the global warming affected the life of the only city in the world, that was entirely built on permafrost.

The funny thing is that reporters were eager to hear institute chiefs saying “Yes, Yakutsk experiences the consequences of the global warming, grounds are being melted, buildings are collapsing, everything is turning into a big swamp.” Their questions sounded in an appropriate way “Does the climate change (the euphemism for “the global warming”) affect the life and infrustructure of Yakutsk?” And what they heared in replies, dissapointed them thoroughly.

Therefore, feeling all expenses on travel to the remote Siberian city to be in vain, they asked a question in another way “What would happen to the city, if the global warming would eventually gain the ground?” The answer sounded as predicted “There would be ground melted, buildings collapsed, and everything would remind as a big swamp.”

Permafrost occupies 60 percent of Yakutia. The max depth is approx. 5 metres.

So, what did and do the Permafrost Institute workers usually say in reply to such questions?

Viktor Shepelev, deputy director of Yakutsk Permafrost Institute

Viktor Shepelev is the deputy director of Yakutsk Permafrost Institute. He is responsible for the institute’s research work. It’s mainly him, who explains the current state of the Siberian permafrost to international interviewers.

In the beginning he admits that climate changes were fixed and recorded. He says that the average temperature in the ground indeed increased approximately by 2 degrees. But… periods of cold and hot seasons remain the same. The winter is not shorter neither longer. So does the summer. Besides, snow cover stays as thin as before. You know, snow cover is like a fur coat, that is able to hold the warmth. If snow is thick, ground would keep more warmth. If thin, it wouldn’t. And it is thin. Snowfalls happen in October and early Novermber and that’s all for the whole winter, that ends up as usual in April only.

With no other significant factors, these 2 degrees do not signify. The permafrost remains stable and not altered in Yakutsk and Yakutia at all.

By the way, here is another interesting information from Viktor Shepelev.

According to him and his colleagues, climate changes are cyclic. They are characterized by three types of changes. At this moment, he starts usually showing the diagram with three amplitudes and naming them by special terms. Please, forgive me, but I forgot them. Nevetheless, let’s continue.

Further Mr. Shepelev says that last decades indeed went under the flag of warming. This period will come to the end by 2015. After it will be replaced by the long COLD period. [If you like, you can call this as "the global freezing". That's my joke]. By the way, their Fairbanks-based colleagues has the same research results and evidences.

The span between 2010 and 2015 is the transition time, when all those mentioned amplitudes almost coincide with each other. That’s why now we can see cold and warm spells simultaneously in winter.

Melting islands in Laptev Sea, near the Lena River, North Yakutia

Diagrams of how fast North Yakutian islands get melted

At the same time, Viktor Shepelev says that, if the territory of Yakutia remains unaltered and unaffected, its islands in Laptev Sea got in the process of the fast melting. They consist mainly of ice. More vivid this process became in the last decade. In the above diagram you can see how two sites in the Buor-Khaya Bay area, Muostakh Island and Bykovsky Peninsula (Mamomtovy Khayata), are disappearing gradually. Is it in the result of the global warming? It might be so. Maybe, it is the underground sources of methanes, that force ice in Russia’s Arctic to be melted.

Well, the above lecture is the first part of the excursion. By the way, the lecture by the deputy director is a rare thing. It is done for important visitors only :)

The second part is the descending into the underground laboratory of the Yakutsk Permafrost Institute. The entrance (a massive blue metal door) is located in the center of the building, on the first floor, from where the wooden stairs lead 3 meters down into the tunnel called the institute’s underground lab.

The tunnel is horizontel. Very short, about 25 meters in length. And it is very low.

The guide of the Permafrost Institute underground lab.

The guide is an elderly person, and he looks very sever. He can say “Get through the entrance very quick. We don’t want warm air to get into the tunnel.” Or he can allow himself saying “Don’t touch these. You can damage these crystals, that took a few years to be formed into such beauty.”

I didn’t want to break any crystals. Really. But I was misfortuned and crashed two or three of them by my hat. I am telling you, the tunnel was too low in height for me. I felt really sorry, and regret that I did that with what nature worked years on.

See the whole set of photographs (in larger sizes) I managed to take in the course of my excursion to Yakutsk Permafrost Institute a month ago, at eYakutia.com.

Oh, forgot to share with another info. Viktor Shepelev also says that he worries about one thing. If huge forest reserves in South America and Siberia would be demolished, permafrost will be affected apparently.

“Your site is really useful, but I didn’t find anything about cycling… So hope you could help me… I’m used to travel by bicycle in hard conditions, and your country looks amazing… Questions: what do I must focus on? Dangers and problems? Any suggestion?.. I am planning to cycle the Kolyma Highway [the Road Bones] this summer. Thanks in advance.”

Yeah, that’s true. I didn’t write much about cycling opportunities in Yakutia. The last post was “Video & Photos: Winter cycling on the Road of Bones.” I have many local friends of mine, who are big fans of long distance cycling. I asked them very often. I was really annoying repeating “Give me your tips. Give me your tips.” Praise god, Dan’s request was a good reason to torture Marat once again, and finally he did. He dedicated some of his precious time [ :) ] for sharing with quick tips in English.

Marat wrote (btw, I didn’t help him with the English translation):

I am sorry for my long keeping silent.

I am ready to help you in your interesting trip within Yakutia

I know some people who trip this route at winter and summer. I had a trip there in winter – in March. There was about -35C at night. My friend had traveled from Yakutsk to Magadan in March – April.

Summer is good time. It is not dangerous, if you well equipped and ready for long-term autonomic cycling. You should take a good tent without tears (because of the army of mosquitoes) and a sleeping bag designed for 0 degrees Centigrade, and food provision for 5 days.

The road is not bad. Good ground coat.

There are a lot of mountain springs and small rivers without bridges. You have to wait for water level to fall, or find suitable shallows of rivers.

If you have any questions, I would be glad to help you.

Sincerely,
Marat Zalyalov.

Dan was really happy about this reply. He wrote to me, he would keep asking Marat for sure. Both of them promised [again :)] to provide me with the text they both will come out as the result of their conversation and cooperation.

This road was built by the inmates of Gulag camps, most of them were buried along the way. That’s why it’s named the Road of Bones.

It was short on Jan. 21, 2010. The way back from Tomtor to Yakutsk by the Road of Bones took 17 hrs. The part between Kyubyume to Khandyga can be done for 4-5 hrs. Speed was ~60-100 km/hr.

This is my first edited video. Compiled from a few vids shot by my old mobile. The end was added with Bjorn Steinz’s piece. Pictures are mine.

Matt in Oymyakon at -54C

So 8 days ago I left the city of Yakutsk in the classic Russian ‘Uaz’ (see the photos- they’re like a VW camper with bigger wheels, and they’re everywhere in Russia, but especially in the east). They’re generally old, and look like they’re on their last legs, but I guess they’re hardy steeds, and seem to be the first choice for people around here.

So we left Yakutsk at 3pm, rounded up the passengers (5 including me) and set out for the 1100km journey to Oymyakon. Shortly after leaving the city, we headed out onto the ice highway across the Lena. This time there were proper lanes and markers! The villages gradually became sparser as we headed east until again there was nothing. It was a shame to be making the journey mostly at night, and therefore miss all the views. But it was possible to see the vast, looming shapes of the Verkhoyansky mountain range, as their snowy peaks reflected the moonlight. Again it was like trying to sleep in a working washing machine, with about the same amount of room, and the same amount of movement, but I guess I got a few hours. I was wakened in the morning when we made our last brief stop in the middle of nowhere (I learned on the journey back that we were actually at the village of Uchugay, which literally means ‘good’ in Yakut). An hour later we were at the next tiny village of Tomtor. Here one of our drivers, and all but one other passengers disemberked, leaving Vasily, myself and the remaining driver to take us the final 45km to Oymyakon. 45km down a narrow, bumpy icy road. I can’t stress how isolated these places are. These three villages occupy the large valley of Oymyakon, each one is about an hour apart, and after that there is nothing again for hours. Finally, 20 hours after leaving Yakutsk, I was delivered to the guest house of Tamara Egorovna.

After a quick look around to take stock of the village, I could see it was truly minute, maybe 100 houses. And it sits in a wide, very flat valley, surrounded by tall hills on each sides. So, naturally I picked the largest of these and decided it would be a good afternoon’s work to summit it and get some panoramic views of the the valley (despite Tamara’s warnings against such folly- fearing i would fall through ice into a river, or be savaged by wolves). Well this hill was deceptive. It was much further away than I thought, and already the sun was getting low. It was about -40 at this time, but plenty warm enough if you are moving about. And it was beautifully bright and clear. This area is so dry, that despite the temperature, they normally have ‘good’ weather! Eventually it became necessary to leave the road, and here the pace really slowed down- trekking through snow which lay over spongy undergrowth. And the hill was still damn far, and the sun was getting seriously low. After putting my irrational (I hope!) fears of meeting a bear aside, I continued. Eventually I reached the hill, and after struggling aloft, over countless fallen trees (as if the going wasn’t hard enough), I reached the top, of course only to see a taller hill right behind it. But the views over the valley at sunset were superb. Funnily this country reminds me of the “wild West’. Similar geography, just more snow, and more trees. I haven’t been to the ‘Wild West’, so don’t really know where I am talking about- I think many of those films were shot in Italy?

Well, it was time to get on and get back to the road before darkness fell. I could happily make way way back along the road in the dark. But damn, it became cold! After pausing to wrap my scarf around my face, and taking of my glove, my fingers, in the space of one minute, went so numb I couldn’t move them properly for ages- it literally felt like the blood in them had frozen! Well, all the while I had been hearing sounds like a chainsaw or something in the vicinity. Eventually a snowmobile emerged from the darkness and gave me a lift- an awesome turn of events, but the wind chill factor was shocking! He dropped me somewhere, and after realising this was NOT Oymyakon, I set out on the track once again. Luck was in once again and two locals in yet another Uaz picked me up and took me the rest of the way, back to Tamara’s. they told me that the temperature was -54C! Apparently my little escapade had caused quite a stir among the locals…

Tamara and her husband Alek are two of the nicest people you would ever meet. And her cooking is awesome, and she does not undertand ‘I am full!’, in English, nor in Russian (“я польний!”)! Their house is humble, but comfortable, but the toilet is outside! A squat toilet is never appealing at the best of times, but in these temperatures it simply was a no-go! Also staying there were Nikolai and Simeon, two young Yakut lads. They were sent to Oymyakon with their work- installing a satellite dish and communications euipment. They were good guys, and spoke pretty decent English, and we became good friends. The next day we went on a Winter-Fishing excursion. A local fisherman came and met us, and took us down a long track, past his house to the Indigurka River, which flows all the way from this area up into the Arctic Ocean (or Laptev Sea, or whatever it is up there). Unlike my previous escapades on frozen rivers, this was NOT safe! There were patches of open water, and perilously thin ice in places. But our man somehow knew where was safe to walk, so we put our trust in him. We found his fishing hole, clear it out with a big ice-pick and a spade. Then we went to a nearby hole, and discovered that his setup worked by two nearby holes with a net strung between them under the ice. Quite how they get the net from one hole to another, I do not know! Anyway, we reeled in the nets and counted out catch. I am afraid I do not know the name of these fish, in English, or Russian. Suffice to say we ate them the night before, and they were tasty! We then visited another setup a bit further away, but our guide would not let us walk to the second hole. He was a tiny guy, who probably weighs half what i do. He also got out a mirror on a stick, which is used to check things out underwater. It was interesting to see the nets underwater, but I couldn’t see any fish. It was -40, and due to not moving much I must confess that I became bloody freezing! But our fishing friend was dipping his hands in the water, and not wearing gloves! I can’t understnd how he can do that! We counted our catch- 13 fish, and put the already frozen creatures into Nikolai’s satchel and made for home.

The next day was Tomtor sports day. We caught the school bus, filled with the people of Oymyakon, and wended our way up tht bumpy track to Tomtor. More than once the passengers all became airborn as the driver took a few bumps a little too enthusiastically… we arrived at the Sports Centre, and people from Oymyakon, Uchugay, of course Tomtor, and even Ust-Nera, 500km away, had come here to compete in Volleyball, Table Tennis, and Yakutian Stick Wrestling. These guys take their sport seriously! The standard of playing was very good. Everyone here is a table tennis Jedi, and everyone carries their own table tennis paddle, wrapped in a plastic bag, and invariably in pristine condition. I am afraid I have to crush the rumour that I played Volleyball for Oymyakon. It didn’t happen, I have no experience playing Volleyball, and these guys were serious! But I did have a go at ‘Muss’ (or stick) Wrestling, at first with my friends Simeon and Kolya, and then with the local badasses. So I was put up against this guy who was pure muscle. I could tell he was toying with me, but I simply couldn’t move him. Eventually he became bored and quickly kicked my ass. He did later report that his bout with me had made his hands ‘very tired’, but I’m sure that was just to make me feel better.

At this day, and throughout my stay here I was really impressed by the sense of community. everyone knows each other, everyone is really friendly and interested in each other’s lives, and everyone was so welcoming to me- the only foreigner here at this time. Many people would ask, including myself, why do these people live here? This place is so extreme, the severe cold, and the total isolation. But everyone here seems so genuinely happy, so what more can you ask for?

Well Monday came and it was time to hit the road once again. First it was the trip from Oymyakon to Tomotor, the best part of an hour. Then Tamara’s friend Simeon met me, and hung out with me whilst I waited for the taxi to Ust-Nera. We were at the administration building, and again I was re-introduced to the Mayor of Tomtor. Finally the Uaz turned up and off we went. It was necessary to back-track west, towards Yaktusk along the Road of bones to Kyubeme for a few hours, before hanging right, and heading northeast to Ust-Nera. This was to be the shortest leg of the trip- only 500km.

Three-and-a-half hours after leaving Tomotor we arrived at Kyubeme. But it was not what I expected (We passed through here before at night). As I’d seen it marked on maps, I thought there would be a settlement here, and to be honest, I was really hoping to get some mobile phone signal here! We stopped for a lunch break at and abandoned settlement, so I took the opportunity to look around. It was only when I returned to the van, my fellow passengers told me THIS was Kyubeme, and it was in fact an old Gulag camp. This was quite a treat, as it would be the only camp I would visit. And one of the things that prompted me to make this journey in the first place was the history of the Gulag- surely one of the harshest tales of mass-suffering mankind has to offer. Any evidence of any real brutality must have long been removed, but it was still great to have a poke around here.

So we hit the road again, this time heading northeast to Ust-Nera. Epic landscapes ensued and just a sense of how vast this country is. People say that when you travel you start to feel that the world is a small place. I couldn’t disagree more! The tiny road wound its way thorugh vast, wide valleys, and past the peaks of the Verkhoyansky Mountains. Eventually night fell and yet we stil had not arrived. Suddenly our driver stopped. he clearly did not like the sound of the engine (I couldn’t notice anything), he stopped, opened the engine (conveniently in a hatch between the driver and front passenger seat). He took a look, and then we set off again. But two minutes later he stopped. I had no idea what was going on, but this guy was not happy. Him and his mate started to tinker with the engine, and it became clear they were doing some kind of repair-job. What the hell happens if we break down out here? It’s not like you can call the AA? Another car might come along in a few hours, and if your lucky, they might stop! And of course, without the radiator it would not take long before the -40 outside-temperature started to get the better of you! Plus I simply didn’t want to be delayed, as I was planning to leave Ust-Nera the next morning. Well, luckily they patched-up whatever it was and we got going again, and we rolled into Ust-Nera about an hour later, nine hours after leaving Oymyakon.

I was delivered to Natalya’s house. I met her at Tomotor Sports day, and she kindly offered to put me up for the night, and help me sort out my next taxi. And her friend Tonya came by as well, and we had great fun hanging out. It turned out my taxi the next day wasn’t leaving until three, so in the morning I visited Tonya’s school where she works as an English teacher. it was great fun meeting the kids, and I became something of a local celebrity. It seemed pretty much the whole school wanted a photograph with Matty the tourist. I can see how celebrity quickly get sick of photo shoots! Natasha and Tonya showed me round and kept me entertained until I left. Thanks to them so much for making my short stay in Ust-Nera such fun! It was a great way to break up my long journey.

My next taxi arrived- to my surprise not an Uaz, but a pretty sporty looking Toyata minivan, and very comfortable it was too! i was also surprised that there were only four passengers including me- I would have thought the driver would have wanted more to justify driving 20 hours through the wilderness. And thanks again to Natalya who got me the ride for the price of 6000 roubles (about 125-130GBP).

We set off, and in the remains of the daylight saw some of the most awesome scenery of the whole trip. Huge valleys, epic mountains, massive frozen rivers with difficult-to-pronounce names. Darkness fell, and again I was slightly disappointed that we would be making the majority of this trip in the dark. I dozed off, and awoke at a police check point, where a gate barred the road. I hadn’t seen this before. Maybe it marked the border of Yakutia and Magadan Oblast (region)? The driver took all of our passports, but instead I gave him my photocopies. I had been advised NEVER to give your passport to Russian Police. But I was sure they were going to call me in for questioning. As the driver went in, he also did not try to hide the fact that he was armed with a pistol. “Heavy Metal!” I thought. Why the hell does he carry that? Not for threatening fair-dodging clients, I’m sure. Suddenly I realised my naivety- this was the middle of nowhere and maybe a dangerous place. I had heard that unlicenesed gold prospectors operate in this region, and who knows, maybe car-jacking and banditry is not unheard of? But I felt safe with our driver.

So we finally got through the check point, and all without them interrogating me, so I had no complaints. We went through some particularly depressingly named towns, simpy in the middle of nowhere. The bad taste-meter went off during the thirty seconds it took to drive ‘Большевик’ (Bolshevik). And then the next place was cold ‘холодний’, which simply means ‘Cold’. What hope would you have if you were born there? A short distance later we arrived at Susume, and took the first of three breaks. Our driver was insane! He drove for 20 hours straight with just three short breaks. On the third break he bought five cans of red Bull at once! It would have taken more than that to keep my eyes on the road. These guys make good money though, so i guess that’s why they risk their own, and their passengers lives in a bid to stay awake for that long! I did think maybe we were going to crash when we came on a T-junction unexpectedly. Close one…

There was not much to do except try and sleep. but it was impossible! the driver was playing the worst music at substantial volume. I must say that I have found Russian popular music to be completely dreadful! Whilst their classical music is the finest in the World, and something I love deeply, I cannot stand the music I have been hearing here. And most people don’t even know who Shostakovich is! I was sitting in the front to get the best views, but went into the back to try and escape the speakers. I evetunally found a terribly uncomfortable nook on the floor and finally got a couple of hours sleep.

I awoke and we were pretty close to Magadan, maybe only 100kms. The scenery looked the same, but I guess we were in the Kolyma mountains now? We went through Sokol, somewhere I would soon be returning to, as this is where ‘Magadan’ airport is, and I would soon be flying to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, in Kamchatka. It is about 50km from Magadan. Sounds like somewhere Ryanair would operate out of, doesn’t it? Civilisation began- regular towns and villages, even buses where running this part of the Road Of Bones! Hurrah! And then we were there. I had successfully travelled 2000km+ from Yakutsk to Magadan, via the ‘Pole Of Cold’. And what about Magadan? I’ll tell you later!

P.S. Thanks again to my friend Bolot Bokcharev! His help and support were invaluable! I don’t know how i could have done this without him! Thanks man! Visit him at www.askyakutia.com.

PS2. Matt, I need to thank you for your exciting writing! Have a safe trip in Kamtchatka!

The Road of Bones is the part of the Kolyma Highway constructed by GULAGs prisoners between Khandyga and Magadan in Stalin’s time. Many innocent people died in the course of its construction. It is believed that there were one dead prisoner per one kilometer. The length of the mentioned route is ~1700 km. So you can imagine how many people passed away and were buried under the road.

Click the pic to enlarge the map. The photo was made in a history & culture museum in Tomtor by Kirill Levin during our journey to the Pole of Cold. Size 1.3 Mb.

This is the map of GULAGs located in the Oymyakonsky region on the east side of the Verkhoyansky Range. There were also a lot of labour camps located on the east side, north to the village of Topolinoe from the Kolyma Highway.

In the map GULAGs are marked by blue points in black circles. The name of now existing settlements are written in red Latin letters.

“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!”

There were alll of those mentioned in travellers list, including a German photographer Bjorn Steinz and a US student Tilden Smith. Bjorn arrived yesterday by plane from Vladivostok. Tilden came this morning by a car from Nerungri.

A very good news. I will go with my friends. By the last minute I wasn’t sure, whether I will go. There were a lot of works to be done.

Another good news. We will apparently depart for Oymyakon from Yakutsk on this Sunday at 8:00 am. Travel to the Pole of Cold will take two days. We decided to make night stop in Khandyga so to see the best part of the Road of Bones in the Verkhoyansk Range in day time. You know, many of us have cameras. Need to take as many gorgeous pictures as possible.

Not enough good news. We will be offline most time. Maybe, in Khandyga we will find time and visit an Internet cafe. Certainly, at any time I can ask locals for letting us go online from their home computers in Tomtor, near Oymyakon, where we are going to stay for nights. A guest house in Oymyakon was occupied by Moscovite tourists.

Bad news. Tilden won’t go with us. He’s got a serious health issue, something with lungs. His travel from Irkutsk to Yakutsk via Nerungri was tough to him. So his doctor said “You shouldn’t go to Oymyakon!” He changed his Yakutsk – Vladivostok air ticket and is flying back to Moscow on Sunday and to the USA on Monday.

So follow us! A lot of photos are guaranteed. Maybe, there will be videos. Need to find a cam. And, certainly, I will write more posts with travel tips and useful info. And yeah, let me know what you would like to know more about the way to Oymyakon.

UAZ is the best Pole of Cold Shuttle

A Jordi, of Catalonia, is asking:

I have been reading the last report about Norwegians’ accident [in Yakutia/Siberia], and I want to ask you something… Is this a recent story? I haven’t found the piece of news relating to this.

Nowadays I know some people who want to make the journey to Oymyakon [the coldest place in Yakutia and the whole Siberia], only as a wish, without nothing to take it seriously. I’ve been reading different articles, and AskYakutia’s reports and I think it is not a thing for not taking it seriously. It’s very funny to see -60ºC, but another thing is to go for them.

What do you thing about this journey? It is a little dangerous, isn’t it?

My answer was as follows:

Regarding Norwegians’ accident on the Road of Bones, Yakutia/Siberia

Yeah, this accident happened recently, on Dec. 22, 2009. Norwegian & Yakutian mass media wrote much about it :) About other outlets I have no information.

These guys were stuck on the old route of the Kolyma Highway between Tomtor (the village near Oymyakon) and Magadan. I’ll repeat the following well-known fact once more. This pathway after Tomtor is not used by locals in winter at all. It is buried under snow.

If Tomtor or Oymyakon residents want to make it to Magadan, they…

1) go west to Kyubyume,
2) turn north to Ust-Nera and then…
3) ..drive south-east to Magadan.

Regarding the travel to Oymyakon, the Pole of Cold in Siberia

The way from Yakutsk to Tomtor and Oymyakon is relatively safe in winter. However, drivers must have some experience of driving on mountain roadways in winter, because the hard part of the Kolyma Highway (the Road of Bones) is the part between Khandyga and Kyubyume. That’s the Verkhoyansk Range.

Zheltyj Prezhim (желтый прежим), Cherntyj Prezhim (черный прежим) and Zayachja Petlya (заячья петля) are considered to be pretty dangerous on that part in the Verkhoyansk Range. You are driving just on the edge of cliffs. Not so funny, but locals and truck drivers know how to go through.

Actually, to go to Oymyakon is not dangerous, but some security precautions must be done.

1. It will be safer, if travelers will go together on two cars. If anything will happen to one car, another can come for help. To stuck in the extreme outdoor cold for two or five hours and without heating is very fraught.

2. To have fuels in reserve. Usually drivers keep extra gasoline in plastic containers. In case if fuel is suddenly run out, they were able to refuel tanks. Note: there is no gas station in mountains between Khandyga and Kyubyume.

Btw, I am arranging the roadtrip to Oymyakon for my friends. Check the event page on Facebook. The journey with accommodation will take 5 days and costs as little as ~272 EUR. That’s the rate with big-big discounts and for my friends only. One car is already full. The day of departure is January 17, 2010. Follow this adventure in Siberia’s Yakutia :)

Btw, a request was sent via the Facebook group “Ask-Yakutia-Today,” everyone is welcome to join us.

Frankly saying, the Lena Pillars (located a few hundreds kilometres south off Yakutsk) is visited in winter less than in summer. The main reason is the ice road that was asked about.

So… here are my answers.

Is there an ice road to the Lena Pillars?

In the period of December – the early March, there is no ice road to this place. It is too cold for locals to go and enjoy the major geological phenomenon in Siberia’s Yakutia.

BUT…

The road appears in the end of March. That’s the time, when it’s getting warmer and people prefer to do more outdoor leisure activity like BBQs. The Lena Pillars turns out to be the perfect place to enjoy fresh air, beautiful landscapes and Russian shashlik/kebab.

Btw, annually the administration of the Khangalasky region (that’s where the Pillars are stretched along the river) arranges a sort of local tourism festival with concerts, national dances, sports competitions, etc. Btw, for the sake of this fest, road constructors clean the way from ice-hummocks.

Is it possible to make it there in January?

Yes. There are two ways how people can get to the Lena Pillars. The first one is exotic and relatively expensive. The second is cheap and extreme.

The first way

You can order tour “Reindeer sledding to the Lena Pillars from Yakutsk.” It is relatively expensive, but very exotic.

The route goes on the same bank, where the Pillars are. Note, on the bank along the river, not on and through the river. Reindeer don’t need the road to give you a ride :)

The starting point varies. It can be the settlement of Nizhnij Bestjah or the place much closer to the final destination. Everything depends on how much time you want to use for the trip. The tour can be conducted in the course of the whole winter.

How much does it cost? No idea, but I know that the tour opportunity exists, and I know it is relatively expensive.

The second way

You can reach the village of Tumul (the red arrow points at it) and cross the river from there to the Lena Pillars by walk.

The red arrows points at the village of Tumul that is located on the opposite bank of the Lena River in front of the Pillars.

The plan is simple, but very extreme and risky. Why?

- December, January and February are very cold months in Yakutia. Extreme cold (-40C and -50C) is the main obstacle. Besides, you have to keep in mind that winds on the river are very strong, and they behave brutally.

- The distance from one bank to another in the area of Tumul is impressive. Maybe, 5-7 km. So your trekking time will be long enough to suffer from cold.

CONCLUSION: You need to be wrapped in many warm clothes, and while crossing through ice-hummocks, you shouldn’t make any stops so to keep warm. Be prepared to spend outdoor two hours at least, since the moment, when you get out of the car.

The distance between banks is almost the same as in the picture. I took this photo in Pokrovsk.

See what I meant saying ‘ice-hummocks’.