One of latest requests:

What are the people of Yakutsk called in English? Yakuts? I’m an editor working on a novel with a Russian character who mentions Yakutsk.

Even in Russian, no special name exists for the people living in Russia’s Siberian city of Yakutsk.

Usually, when we are away and want to identify ourselves, we prefer to say that we are Yakutians. This is the name for all people living in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

Very often foreigners mix up… When they mean Yakutia as a region, they call it as Yakutsk. Let’s clearify the situation and keep in mind a few facts:

1. The Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is a region of the Russian Federation located in East-Northern Siberia and the Far East. Yep, it’s the biggest Russian region. Yakutia is a short name of the republic. So, people living in Yakutia are called Yakutians.

2. Yakutsk is a city and the official capital of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). People living in Yakutsk City are Yakutsk residents (yes, just residents.)

3. Yakuts is nationality. Yakuts or Sakha are native people that have been living in Yakutia for many, many, many centuries ago. It’s commonly believed that Yakuts belong to the Turkic group of nations, originated in the Altai area.

In my case, I can call myself in three ways. I am a Yakut (Sakha), cause it’s my nationality. I am a Yakutian as I live in Yakutia. Definitely, I am currently a Yakutsk resident, that’s my city! :))

The Lena River in Yakutia, Russia

Questions from a guide book writer regarding the construction of the AyAM railway to Yakutsk and a bridge across the Lena River:

In your opinion, when do you think the AyAM train to Yakutsk will be ready? My best guess is not before the Sochi Olympics in 2014.

When the AyAM is complete, it will just go to Nizhny Bestyakh, right?

Somebody told me there will also be a train station in Yakutsk. Why do they need a train station in Yakutsk? Is there another train line being built on the west side of the Lena River, or will there be a bridge across the Lena somewhere?

And here is my reply:

Well, the railroad end is already on the opposite bank of the Lena River, but there must be a lot of engineering works done before the first cargo train’s arrival (promised in 2013) and more additional works for the first passenger train to come. So not so soon.

Currently, Yakutia’s government works on getting funds from the federal center for constructing the bridge across the Lena River, but Moscow changes its mind all the time. No one is sure yet. Morelikely, Nizhnij Bestyakh (on the opposite bank) will be a Yakutsk railroad station in the beginning. If everything will be clear with the bridge construction, there will be the station on our side. If not, in N. Bestyakh.

No other bridges exist across the Lena River. No plans either.

Milosz Augustyniak on the Road of Bones in Yakutia, Russia, in June 2011

Previously I described the condition of the Kolyma Highway (known also as the Road of Bones) in June. As you know, the Kolyma Highway (M 56) connects Yakutsk and Magadan. The significant part of the road, precisely Khandyga – Magadan, was built by labour workers of Stalin’s gulags.

In posts where I mention the road condition in June, I write that it’s possible to drive the Kolyma Highway in this month, but if to go via Ust Nera. The route via this settlement is a major way and maintained all a year around.

The road through Tomtor is not reconstructed. Moreover, there are no bridges over rivers, that tend to be full of high waters at this period. Keep in mind that late May is the period of ice river melting and spring flooding. Therefore, in June, rivers are still full of waters. So, if you’ve got motorbikes and off-road vehicles, you can try the old road, but more likely you’ll be stuck on the part Tomtor – Magadan Oblast.

On the contrary, the new route via Ust Nera is the only way to be used in June. Last years, it has been improved by road workers pretty good. Broken bridges were reconstructed. If there were gaps, they were filled.

But… Don’t forget June might be rainy. It means that the part Churapcha – Khandyga might be etremely muddy… good enough for off-road 4wds only. In the mountain area, between Khandyga and Ust Nera, some small brooks (with no bridges over them) might become as real mountain rivers, that appear right after rain storms. One option is left in such cases. Wait a few hours for overfulled brooks to get to their normal small sizes.

Ok. Words enough. Watch the video done by the Pole guy named Milosz Augustyniak, who completed his hitchhiking from Yakutsk to Magadan alone in June 2011. Everything you will see in it.

Here are three videos of biking the Road of Bones via the Ust Nera, precisely on the route Yakutsk – Khandyga – Ust Nera – Magadan. They might serve as the answer to the question What is the condition of the Kolyma Highway in summer.

Oisin Hughes is a BMW motor biker from Dublin, Ireland. For a few years, he was riding a BMW motorcycle around the world through 27 countries and over 40,000 miles.

Last summer he visited Yakutsk, my city, and continued his journey to Magadan via the famous Kolyma Highway and then to Vladivostok, South Korea, Canada, USA and back home to Ireland.

Recently, he has completed his e-book “Not Dead Yet.” Its Kindle Edition is now available on Amazon. Apart from it, he uploaded a series of videos to accompany the book.

Above you can watch one of them dedicated to the start of his Road of Bones biking… Hmmm, in the presented video, you can see me. In reality, when I have good hair cut, I look much better… :)))

Oisin Hughes was also mentioned in the list of motor bikers, who traversed the Road of Bones last summer. Btw, he was the first motorcyclist. Check it in the post Flashback: 2010 Motorcycle Adventure Season on the Road of Bones, Yakutia/Siberia.

More Not Dead Yet videos on Oisin’s channel.

Read Oisin’s book Not Dead Yet.

All posts about the road tagged under Kolyma Highway and Road of Bones.

Jonathan Cafe offers Wi-Fi Access for free.

Thanks to Vasily Kirillin, we’ve got this updated info on Wi-Fi access points in Yakutsk, Siberia / Russia, as of Apr 28th, 2011.

Vasily writes, in Yakutsk, where is the most expensive Internet (1MB=~2 Russian Rubles), Wi-Fi is a luxury that is not offered in all places. Nevertheless, there is a recent increase in the number of those organizations that offer their customers Internet access via Wi-Fi on a fee basis and only a few for free.

Below see the full list of Wi-Fi access points.

Free Access:

CoffeeHouse “Jonathan” and NoodlesHouse “Kiko” (password: PAROL) – Yaroslavsky str.,

Night Club “Dracon”

Café “City-Life”: have to ask the waiter for username and password

University Network: ONLY students and stuff of the University; you can get access in the room #551 KFEN from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (should bring your student ID card and a laptop). Please note the restriction – 50 MB of external communication per day.

Internet Card Purchase Required:

Bowling Center “Muus Haya” – Petrovsky str., 13

Café “Da Vinci” – Lenin Avenue, 8

Café “Dali” – Lenin Avenue, 37

Café “Eli-Pili” – Kirov str., 13

Café “LatteMate”

Café “Library” at the University Campus

Café “Shokolateriya” – Peter Alekseev str., 4/1

Grill-Bar “Chicago” – Yaroslavsky str., 13/2

Hotel “Lena” – Lenin Avenue, 8

Hotel “Liner” – Gagarin str., 10

Hotel “Ontario” – Sergelyaksky Highway, 13 km

Hotel “Polar Star” – Lenin Avenue, 24

Hotel “Saysary” – Lermontov str., 62/2

Hotel “Sonata” – Gubin str., 39

Hotel “Sterkh” – Lenin Avenue, 8

Hotel “Tygyn Darkhan” – Ammosov str., 9

Marine College – Vodnikov str., 1

Medical Center – Sergelyakhsky Highway, 4 km

Mini-hotel “Northern Lights” – Kirov str., 31/1

Night Club and Restaurant “Jet” – Lomonosov str., 45

Residence of the President of Sakha Republic (Yakutia) – Sergelyakhsy Highway, 11 km

Restaurant “Irbis-2” – Kirov str., 4

Restaurant “Polar Star” – Lenin Avenue, 24

Restaurant “Tamerlane” – Lenin Avenue, 8

Restaurant “Tygyn Darkhan” – Ammosov str., 9

Steak House “Capital” – Kurashov str., 22

Trade Center “Kruzhalo” – Ammosov str., 8

Yakutsk Agricultural College – Poyarkov str., 15

Yakutsk Airport (VIP Room) – Gagarin str., 10

Yakutsk Airport (Waiting Room) – Gagarin str., 10

Yakutsk Economics and law Institute – Dezhnev str., 16

A presentation picture of the Museum of Gulags located in Khandyga, Siberia/Russia

Last two days I spent at 2011 Sakha Travel Exhibition in Yakutsk. It is an annual event held during the first weekend of April. I attend the exhibit just to find new travel enthusiasts from various regions of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

This time I was lucky to meet Mr. Ivan Igoshin from the settlement of Khandyga. He knows almost everything about history of GULAGs in Siberia, as he is the founder of Yakutia Gulags Museum. Right, it is located in Khandyga, where he lives. You can see him in the picture with a tower. Besides, he is a leader of Khandyga Travel Club.

I wanted to meet him for many years. At last, I acquanted with him today. I was really lucky and, yeah, you might be happy about it as well. At least, I hope so :) We decided to cooperate! Woo hoo!

Museum Address: 30 Karpov Street, Khandyga, Yakutia/Russia, tel. +7 (41153) 413-95.

Chernyj Prizhim on the Kolyma Highway, so-called Road of Bones, in Yakutia, Siberia, Russia

I have written a lot about ways between Yakutsk and Magadan, Yakutsk and Oymyakon. Actually, both are the same. They are on the Kolyma Higway, known also as the Road of Bones or M56. I thought it’s time for requests to stop coming. All posts on this theme are filed under Kolyma Highway and Road of Bones.

Instead, I started receiving very specific questions. Love them all. They are specific as their authors are not regular people. Last two messages arrived from companies that focus on extraordinary expeditions. One was from explorers, who do so-called cold climate journeys. Another from the TV show, that arranges and broadcasts breathtaking off-road driving.

Two requests are related tightly to Oymyakon and the way to this place. Actually, questions sound the same.

1. Will the road from Yakutsk to Oymyakon be open in November?

The road will be open, but everything depends on the condition of ice roads on rivers. There are three rivers on the way to Oymyakon from Yakutsk. The Lena River near Yakutsk, the Aldan River before Khandyga, and the Kyubyube after the turn from the Kolyma Highway to Oymyakon. The last will be frozen for sure. About the rivers Lena and Aldan read below.

2. Will the rivers be frozen in November so that we can safely drive across?

October is the period when rivers start freezing. Ferries on the Lena and Aldan might work till the end of this month. In Novermber ice cover on rivers is getting thicker. Last 10 days on these rivers are safe for cars, however, they are not as such for heavy trucks. Officially ice roads are open in December, it means the ice cover is thick enough for any kind of transports, including overloaded lorries.

But… no one knows, what type of surprise the climate may bring. November weather can be abnormal, as it was last time. Warm (between -20C and -30C) in the beggining and extremely cold by the end.

The second half of Novermber is safe for off-road vehicles. By that time, a river in the Oymyakon area might be already frozen. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended to drive very carefully and check the condition of an ice road before driving through.

Related post: Is it possible to cross the Lena River near Yakutsk in November?

3. What temperatures are expected in November?

For instance, in late Novermber in Yakutsk we had -47C, in Oymyakon it was colder. Usually it is between -30C and -40C in Yakutsk and between -40C and -50C in the Oymyakon valley (with three villages, Tomtor, Uchugei and Oymyakon). You should know that the lowest temperature in that area was actually registered in Tomtor.

4. How much daylight do you get during November?

Let me recall. In the beginning of Novermber, daylight last from 9 am till 5 pm, in the end it’s already between 10 am and 4 pm.

5. Is it possible to rent a helicopter to fly along the Road of Bones?

As some says, if you pay, everything is possible :) Unfortunately, to rent a helicopter (MI8) is not cheap at all. One flight hour rate veries between 140,000 RUB and 160,000 RUB. Keep in mind that distances are huge. Flight from Yakutsk to Tomtor airport with one refuel stop at Teplyj Kluch (Khandyga) airport takes around 3 hours on one way. Plus you should pay his way back, that’s additional 3 hours. Total rented time is 6 hours for 960,000 RUB.

IMHO, to rent a heli is not reasonable. You wouldn’t save much time. It’s much, much cheaper to rent a car for the whole trip and one way may take 21 hrs. Besides, you can see more details of the historic Road of Bones.

How to rent a helicopter? There is one company that is always ready to fly with travelers. It is Polar Airlines. Mentioned rates belong to that air company. To reserve the flight, it is required to forward a written request to its office.

A never-frozen brook in the Verkhoyansk Range, East Yakutia, Siberia

One day I received two inquiries regarding drinking water in Yakutsk. The first one arrived from India saying, “What about your food habits (including drinking water)during winter?” The second request was asked by an American teacher, who was writing a paper on the use of drinking water in the Siberian city of Yakutsk. The latter contained more questions that the first one had.

Below see questions and my answers.

Q: I was wondering where you get your drinking water in Yakutsk, and if you have any pollution. Also, do you guys have ground water? I am asking this because my topic for Science is Yakutsk!

A: Well, residents of Yakutsk City prefer to drink boiled filtered water. It is not because of pollution. The reason is that filters are not used in the city’s water supply systems. Villagers use water from rivers. In the winter, they melt ice cubes from rivers’ ice cover.

Ground waters are not used, permafrost is pretty deep here. A couple of centuries ago, one merchant, Fyodor Shergin, tried to dig the well and get to ground water, but eventually his well became the world’s deepest ice vertical tunnel. It’s known as Shergin’s Shaft now.

More info about that attempt you might find in the “Descending into the world’s deepest shaft in the permafrost zone” post. Besides, ground waters are not demanded, as there are many rivers and lakes around.

That’s all what I can say for now. It’s a pretty short info, as I am not a scientist and unable to provide more profound facts for your writing work. You’d better come to Yakutsk and collaborate with republic colleagues. Think, this is more efficient way to obtain unique and highly interesting information.

Q: How much water the average person uses, and if Yakutsk has any water issues?

A: It is hard to say how much water city residents consume. Let’s take my family (2 adults and 2 little kids) as an example. We order two big bottles of drinking water (each 25 litres) and that’s enough for 5 days only. It comes we use 10 litres daily. This water we drink and use for cooking.

Have no idea how much other families consume. Certainly, it will depend on their purposes of such water use. Some uses DIY-filtered waters for cooking and drinking, a few would prefer to take waters right from faucets. Some loves drinking waters a lot…

But I think 10 litres might be considered as the average.

No big problems with water supply. Look at the map and you will see that there are a lot of rivers in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and there are many private companies that are ready to supply waters from them. Some businessmen start even thinking over exporting still water to China, but it is more like an idea to exercise on.

Dwellers of Yakutsk complain mainly about the absence of good filtering equipments used in the city water supply system.

A ferry on the Lena River near Yakutsk on Nov. 15th, 2010. Photo by Alexander Li, Yakutsk Vecherny Newspaper, Vecherka.Ykt.ru

Is it possible to cross the Lena River near the Siberian city of Yakutsk in November? This is a really good question. The answer is Yes and No. Everything depends on weather, precisely, on the condition of the ice cover on the Lena River.

November is the period of transition and so-called freezing-over. It’s time for the Lena River to get frozen, acquire ice cover thick enough for the use of ice river roads.

Keep in mind, there are no bridges over the Siberian river of Lena at all. The river might be crossed by ferry (in navigation period) or ice roads (in winter).

As I mentioned in the last year’s post When will ice roads be closed in Yakutia in spring? (btw, I recommend to search the website archive to dig a lot of info given already on FAQs), ice road is officially open, when ice cover on the river is more than 50 cm for light cars and more than 70 cm for trucks and heavy vehicles.

When this moment happens, State Motor Vehicle Inspectorate gives its permission for drivers’ crossing the Lena River. By this moment, all works on ice roads must be finished. Check eYakutia’s A Belgian TV documentary about ice roads on the Lena River in Yakutia, Siberia to see how ice road workers do their job.

Official ice road opening might be announced in the late November (very rarely) or in the early December (most likely). Till that moment, crossing over ice is not recommended, as it is considered to be risky.

When does the ferry across the Lena River stop working?

This year winter wasn’t in a hurry.

Actually it arrived in October already. In the late September there were heavy snow falls in various regions of Yakutia, for instance, in Nerungri and on the Road of Bones in the eastern part of the biggest Siberian region, but extreme cold weather arrived in the end of November only.

The midst of November 2010 was pretty mild in the area of Yakutsk. Like -20C for a couple of weeks. So the river was not grabbed with ices totally and entirely. That’s why the last ferry work day was November 15th, 2010. Check Alexander Li’s ferry winter photographs above.

The usual situation on the Lena River near Yakutsk in November

End of October or the first week of November = last days of river ferry work.
The middle of November = the dead period, no crossing at all (if anything urgent, locals use regular helicopter flights over the river, arranged by Polar Airlines especially for that period, flight ticket is around 2000-3000 rubles per person).
Last week of November or early December = ice roads officially open.

UPDATE, Dec. 17, 2010: This year the ice road on the Lena River near Yakutsk was officially open since Dec. 15, 2010. Within the territory of Yakutia there are 20 active river ice roads.

I see that the world is pretty much interested in people’s life in the Siberian coldest places such as Oymyakon (Ojmjakon) and Verkhoyansk (Verkhojansk)… and an idea arrived…

I have friends who live in Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk. Both villages compete for the title “The world’s coldest inhabited place.” In Yakutia locals do not pay much attention to where it is much colder, because everywhere it is cold, extremely cold. Even Yakutsk is currently experiencing -47C.

Well… If you wish, you can leave your questions about life in the cold condition and I will ask all of them to my friends in Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk.

Do you want to know, how they cope with the cold, how they keep their houses warm, what winter clothes (cold weather outfits) they use, how long daylight lasts and many other aspects of their daily life?

Use the comment form to leave your questions…

Well, it seems Oymyakon is currently a very hot news story topic in the European media. Last days brought many requests from there and all of them about the way of life in the coldest inhabited place in Siberia’s Yakutia.

The last one arrived from Madrid’s La Razon. A Spanish reporter wrote:

It would be also very usefull if you could tell us some aspects about this place:

-¿Do they have train? ¿Why?
-¿Do they have a motorway? ¿Since when?
-How many months winter last there? Is it true it takes nine months?
-Is it true summer is complicated because of thaw?
-What are their most frequent health problems? ¿Because of cold?
-What problems do they find in their daylife because of low temperatures?

Frankly saying, all answers to the above questions are already written on the blog AskYakutia.com, i.e. in posts tagged as Oymyakon and the Pole of Cold. To find them will take time for sure. Of course, it’s easier and faster to ask than to search required info on the resource. Indeed, that’s the philosophy of this website. Well, if I received a request, I need to answer.

I decided to make a post with listed questions about Oymyakon, because I found them frequently asked and, yeah, they are very fascinating.

Western media representatives, please, keep in mind one important thing! Oymyakon is not a part of technology- and communication advanced Europe, Asia or North America. It is located in the very depth of Siberia! People in Oymyakon live their ordinary Siberian village life.

Futher, please, find my answers.

-¿Do they have train? ¿Why?

No railway to Oymyakon. Even Yakutsk, the administrative center of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), doesn’t have a railway station.

Authorities promise to make it available in Yakutsk by 2013. So the main city of the biggest Siberian region will be connected with the Trans Siberian railway in three years only.

Why? Nobody worked on this issue previously. Actually there were people, who tried to attract attention to the railroad construction project, but they failed. Only recently, almost a decade ago, the republic’s government calculated all the benefits of making the railroad connection between Yakutsk (Central Yakutia) and Nerungri (South Yakutia) and convinced the highest authority in Moscow to support that project.

As you know, Oymyakon is located eastward about 1000 km off Yakutsk… on the way to Magadan. Pretty far away. So, if there would be the government’s will to extend the railroad to the East, it might take other decades to make such dreams become true.

My personal opinion is that the railroad might be useful for industrial use in East Yakutia only, but currently no demands for such transportation service. Locals prefer a cheap transport, i.e. an ordinary car called UAZ.

-¿Do they have a motorway? ¿Since when?

Oymyakon is available by a car only. To get to Oymyakon from Yakutsk, you need to drive through the following settlements: Churapcha, Khandyga, Kyubyume, Tomtor. All these checkpoints are located on the Kolyma Highway (M56).

Khandyga – Kyubyume -Tomtor is the part of the famous Road of Bones built by Stalin’s GULAG work camp inmates.

For more info, please, check posts tagged as Kolyma Highway and the Road of Bones.

-How many months winter last there? Is it true it takes nine months?

Nine months in Oymyakon. First snow falls tend to happen in the second half of September. And last snow melts in May.

-Is it true summer is complicated because of thaw?

No. Summer in Oymyakon tend to be pretty hot and dry. Last summer it experienced temperatures higher than +40C. Summer also brings an army of bloody mosquitoes. They might appear annoying to foreign travelers.

-What are their most frequent health problems? ¿Because of cold?

All types of respiratory diseases. Right, the reason is the cold.

-What problems do they find in their daylife because of low temperatures?

Actually they don’t have daily life problems. Oymyakon residents consider the life as ordinary village one, but Westerners will call it the life in hostile environment. No trains, no super markets, no restaurants and cinema centers, no broad-band Internet, cell phones and other technology achievements. Nothing of the common civilized life.

If you are interested in how winter is progressing in its begining in the Siberian city of Yakutsk, look at mobile photos below.

This is the same view from a kitchen window of my previous rented apartment. By the way, my family moved to another place, when outside temperature was much below -40C/F.

The first picture (above) was taken at midday on Nov. 28, 2010. The temp was -40C. The second photo (below) was done at 9 am on Nov. 30, 2010. Do you see the opposite building? :) Yeah, that’s how foggy it was, when we had -47C.

I have a habit to upload mobile photographs right after they were taken. My a-sort-of-live photostream you might see on my Twitter @yakutia or check it directly on the twitpic account.

Check eYakutia.com for more pictures of how extreme cold winter had been progressing from Nov. 26, 2010 till Nov. 30, 2010 in Yakutsk, Siberia/Russia. Enjoy cold weather winter street photographs and keep following our life in the cold! :)

“What to do in Oymyakon?” is the question I receive pretty often. Usually, I give a short list of possible activities, provide the link to the page with the description of our last winter’s Journey to the Pole of Cold and with a lot of photographs disclosing what we did in Oymyakon.

Frankly saying, when we were on the way – on the Road of Bones – to Oymyakon, we didn’t have any structured plan of our visit to the coldest Siberian place. Our mission was simple. We wanted to (1) have fun, (2) enjoy the cold weather and (3) take winter pictures as many as possible. That’s it.

The itinerary was flexible and customizable, as our trip was in the Do-It-Yourself format. We had got independence with our rented UAZ minibus and democracy. It worked like this. When an idea or an offer arrived, we just made that idea public, thought over it and made a final decision. Usually, such discussions happened in the evening. Sometimes just on the go.

We tried to put all outdoor activities in the short daytime frame, i.e. from 8|9 am till 3 pm, as we wanted to take good photographs.

We stayed in a guest house in Tomtor (there are three major villages in the valley of Oymyakon – Oymyakon itself, Tomtor and Uchugei), so we dedicated our first day to this village.

1. Enjoying the cold like we did.

2. Experimenting in the extremely cold conditions. For instance, blast hot water in the frozen air. That’s the second thing we did in Tomtor.

3. Photographing.

Tomtor is, indeed, a good place for photographing. It is located in the valley with picturesque landscapes and it has a few must-to-touch-or-look spots like the hill with a splendid view on the village (see the picture above).

Though we loved people photo hunting a lot:

4. Tomtor Stella

It’s up to you what you want to do with the Stella. We, for instance, had fun around it:

Measured temperature in the front of the tablet with -71.2C:

Czech bikers, Tom and Eva, for instance, put their OFF Siberia expedition sticker on it:

Just opposite the road you will see a sort of small memorial dedicated to people vanished in Stalin’s GULAGs. Many of them were located in the Oymyakon region.

5. By the way, in Tomtor you can visit a regional history museum that tells partly about the history of GULAGs and the Alaska-Siberia World War II Air Route.

6. Visit the Yakut horse breeding farm run by the Vinokurovs, the Yakutia-famous family of breeders. Also in Tomtor. Since this upcoming winter they are ready to arrange horse trekking.

7. Right after the farm we visited the icy tunnel and payed attention to Chyskhaan (the Bull of Frost), a Yakut winter fairy hero.

8. By the end of the work day, we visited Tomtor Sports Center, where we met Andrei Vinokurov’s wonderful family.

9. Bought some nice stuff in a local store for our evening party. By the way, the winter evening in Tomtor is good to spend in the Russian banya (bath-house).

10. See the never frozen Kuydusun River and watch Andrey Vinokurov’s swimming, when outdoor temperature is much below minus 50C.

To get a quick info of what we did the last winter, visit the A Roadtrip to the Pole of Cold page.

To learn the current rates and travel expenses, check the Journey to Oymyakon, Dec. 2010 – Feb. 2011 post.

To be continued

The village of Anyuisk, Chukotka. The way goes through this place as well.

Off-road drivers, motorcyclists, and cyclists keep asking me about the road from Magadan (Magadan Oblast) to Anadyr (Chukotka). Like road existence, road maps, road conditions, road reports, road photos, road traffic, road weather, and any other possible road information. Some requesters are asking, if there is an unexplored road.

Actually, all their questions can be expressed in short, “Is it possible to make it from Magadan to Anadyr overland?” “Yes” and “No.” The final answer depends on many factors.

Off-top. 1. That’s really amazing! I live in Yakutia, but I am often asked about Magadan Oblast and Chukotka. I am not surprised at all. To many foreigners, Yakutia, Magadan, Chukotka, Kamchatka, and any other region behind the Ural Range are considered as one word, “Siberia”. It seems I need to launch another online project as soon as possible, but this time dedicated to the whole Siberia. 2. Some requests appeared controversial. For instance, they ask me to advise a route, that was never explored before. At the same time, they are requesting full road information with all details.

Here is the way to make it from Magadan to Anadyr by car. It is possible to do via Seymchan (Magadan Oblast), the Kolyma river and Anyuysk (Chukotka).

Direction:

1. Reach the settlement of Seymchan from Magadan. See its location on the map below.

View Larger Map

2. Get onto the barge on the Kolyma River and sail from Seimchan to Nizhnekolymsk. Going this waterway you will go through Yakutia’s Kolyma and pass the settlements of Zyryanka and Srednekolymsk.

View Larger Map

Have no idea of how often it goes that direction. You need to ask about the timetable yourselve on the spot.

4. Follow truckers’ road from the river to Anyuysk and then to Anadyr.

View Larger Map

Note: I was told that this route is often used by Anadyr residents for getting their new cars from south.

Highlights:
- In Seimchan you should learn the barge’s schedule.
- At the river port of the same place you can find drivers from Chukotka and ask about the current road condition between Anyuysk and Anadyr. It might happen to be impassable. So to be stuck over there after a very long journey along the river and truckers’ track is not good at all.
- Important: Yakutia’s Nizhnekolymsky region and Chukotka are the frontier zone. It means that apart from your Russian visas you will need to have additional entry permits for each area. Such permits might be acquired with the help of your inviting Russian organizations.
- This way is very, very long, but the most exciting. Apparently you will need 3-month valid visas.
- Actually, it would be much better to sail your transport from Magadan to Anadyr by sea and fly to that final destination by a plane.

Captain Magadan on the Road of Bones. Aug. 2010, Yakutia, Siberia.

This year’s summer and early autumn the Kolyma Highway (the Road of Bones), located, as you know, between Yakutsk and Magadan, was pretty busy… in terms of hosting adventure motor bikers from many nations.

So if you’ve got questions about the current summer-autumn Road of Bones condition, please, check the following list of adventure motorcycle travellers, whom I personally met or learned about, and you can get in touch with them and require more detailed info.

What did they report? General road information remains almost the same as I described in previous posts filed under tags, Road of Bones and Kolyma Highway.

The new route via Ust Nera is passable at any time, even with rain storms, high waters in rivers or whatever the weather office might prepare for such occasions. Yup, it’s still gravel, but maintained much better than the Amuro-Yakutskij road from Skovorodino to Yakutsk. Asphalt is apparently not designed for Yakutian roads, that were built entirely on permafrost. Think, nothing will be changed dramatically in the near future. So…

June – September is perfect for motor biking on the Kolyma Highway via Ust Nera. The ride might take as minimum as 4 days. One day for Yakutsk – Khandyga (two ferries – on rivers, Lena near Yakutsk and Indigirka near Khandyga). Another for Khandyga – Ust Nera. The third for Ust Nera – Susuman. Finally, the last one for Susuman – Magadan.

Many gas stations are available on parts Yakutsk – Khandyga (used mostly by villagers) and Ust Nera – Magadan (intense traffic provided by gold mining companies’ truckers). The longest stretch without refuel possibility is the mountain area between Khandyga and Kyubyume, around 7 hours by a bike.

A guest house and two hotels are available in Khandyga, truckers’ motel in Ust Nera, and nothing, except local’s shaggy houses, in Susuman.

The old route via Tomtor (near Oymyakon, the world’s coldest inhabited place) is passable, but it has many “buts”. There must be no rains and no high waters in rivers. The route is not maintained on regular basis, it’s just abandoned and with a plenty of challenges. No “reliable” bridges over many rivers between Tomtor and Magadan Oblast, none of such over the Kyubyume River. This road is not even a road, it’s just a tiny track with a lot of pits, holes, puddles, ravines. That’s why it is commonly considered to be too adventurous, exciting and risky.

To bike the old route is highly recommended in July or early August, when it’s sunny and droughty. So you must be a weather-lucky man. Btw, don’t hit that way alone, without mates.

Adventure motor bikers, who made the Road of Bones (the Kolyma Highway) this year:

Oisin Hughes in Lena Hotel. June 9, 2010, Yakutsk/Siberia.

A big Irish motorcyclist Oisin Hughes (http://backtobroke.blogspot.com), who has done his around-the-world tour for 3 months, was the first in the 2010 Road of Bones biking season. It was in the early June. I wrote about him in previously.

As all say, he was fast and furious! He managed to overcome the distance Chita – Yakutsk almost for TWO days. He didn’t stay too long in Yakutsk, two nights only, as good weather was forecasted to be short. He made the Kolyma Highway via Ust Nera for THREE days, but his BMW got a serious breakage near Susuman.

Here are some of his reports from Siberia’s Yakutia:
- Tynda…stuff….and starting up to Yakutsk;
- Yakutsk!…..and now for the last throw of the dic…;
- The road to Khandyga….;
- Video of getting to Khandyga;
- Day 1, Road of bones;
- Up to Oost Nera, End of Day 1 Road of Bones;
- Day 2, Road of bones….;
- Day 3 Road of bones…Magadan;

Montenegrin bikers on the Road of Bones, Yakutsk. July 4th, 2010. Yakutia, Siberia.

These are three bikers from Montenegro, namely Vladimir Jovičić (Kopljaš), Blažo Milić, Nino Bojić, who made eventually their “TheRIDEAROUND2010″ round-the-world expedition (www.theridearound2010.me) for 99 days. They have also done the way through Ust Nera and were pretty fast.

Walter Colebatch on a barge. The Road of Bones in Yakutia, Siberia. Photo by Sherri Jo.

Sherri Jo Wilkins, Because I can World Tour. Yakutia, Siberia. Photo by Walter Colebatch.

Certainly, Captain Magadan was on the Road of Bones. That’s Walter Colebatch from the SibirskyExtreme expedition (www.sibirskyextreme.com). In August he arrived with an Australia-based American lady, Sherri Jo Wilkins, with her project “Because I can” World Tour (sherrijosbecauseicanworldtour.blogspot.com). If you care about tigers, join her movement!

Both of them were doing Walter’s 2010 Magadan to Baikal ride through the Road of Bones, Vilyuisky Trakt (Yakutsk – Mirny), Lensky Highway (Mirny – Lensk) and along the Lena River on the barge from Lensk to Ust Kut.

As ever, Walter is a great writer. His posts are exciting and interesting. With many details and useful information. Not surprised that he is preparing his already anticipating book about biking Siberian roads.

Further some of his writings about Yakutia and Magadan:
- Magadan
- The Gulag
- Old Summer Road – 2
- Old Summer Road – 3
- Destination Yakutsk

Sherri Jo Wilkins’s reports:
- OLD ROAD OF BONES (OLD SUMMER RD.) OFFICIAL START…
- Old Road of Bones (Old Summer Rd.) Part 2
- OLD ROAD OF BONES (Old Summer Rd.) Part 3
- END ROAD OF BONES – Cold Mountain Road
- KHANDYGA TO YAKUTSK
- YAKUTSK

Joe Pichler is repairing his KTM in Mirny. Aug. 2010, Yakutia, Siberia

Joe Pichler was also on the Road of Bones. Every biker knows him. He is KTM’s Adventure riding guru. As Walter said, “the bulk of the promotional material for the Adventure side of KTM’s business comes from Joe and his wife Renate.” His website is www.josef-pichler.at.

By the way, he did some of Walter’s routes as well, i.e. Ust Kut – Lensk – Mirny – Yakutsk, but I am not sure about his successful ride via the old route of the Kolyma Highway.

Russian motor bikers from St Petersburg

There was also a big group of Russian motorcyclists, who are still doing the St Petersburg to Kamchatka expedition. They made the way via Ust Nera in the early rainy chilly September and published two photo reports Yakutsk – Khandyga – Ust Nera and Ust Nera – Magadan. That’s the Siberian part of his Salzburg to Kamchatka ride.

CompassExpeditions in Yakutsk. On Tygyn Darkhan Hotel Parking in Yakutsk. Sept. 12, Yakutia, Siberia.

Last Saturday Mick McDonald, CompassExpedition chief, brought his group of fellows doing the London to Magadan tour (www.londontomagadan.com). This Tuesday, Sept. 14, they started their journey to Magadan.

An icy bridge on the Road of Bones. By CompassExpedition.

UPDATE: Later Mick McDonald said, “Late September was perhaps a little late to be riding the ROB as we had a number of snow storms and heaps of bike crashes as the road turned to ice.” His report might be found on his motorbike expedition blog.

Australian brothers, Paul & Dean, and American Barton in Yakutsk. Sept. 13, Yakutia, Siberia

Two Australian brothers, Paul and Dean (www.donkeyandthemule.com.au) and their American mate, Barton, arrived in Yakutsk from Tynda on Sept. 13, 2010. They didn’t leave for Magadan yet. They are still working on their bikes. Some technical issues.

UPDATE: Paul, Dean and Barton made it to Magadan via the old route of the Road of Bones. Brothers wrote later, “Through the freezing cold, and against the odds, we have made it.” One of their bike stopped running in Tomtor, where they spent 4 days unaware of what happened. They called me and said, it might be a voltage regulator broken, but then they found out that the accumulator got down, so they used another bike to start the allegedly broken.

Well, think, this is all for now. I mentioned remarkable bikers, who have been, are or will be on the Road of Bones in 2010. There were many others, whom I’ve heard of, but didn’t follow.

Finally, here is Dan Popescu (euroasia2010.amoro.ro) from Romania. He was also riding the Road of Bones (Siberia’s Kolyma Highway) in the late September.

I didn’t see him personally. I’ve heard about him from my local friends-bikers, who helped him a lot in Yakutsk. The first time from Valera, vice president of Yakutsk motocycle club. The second time from Maxim, who hosted his bike for the winter and helped him to fly out of the city after his arrival from Magadan as fast as possible, cause his Russian visa was about to expire.

Eventually, Dan wrote to me via email saying, “Hello Bolot. Writing for information only. My name is Dan Popescu, the president of Romanian Motorcyclists Association. I travel all the way from Romania to Yakutsk in July – August 2010. On July 21, I started riding the Bones Road to Magadan, with technical problems near Kadackcean. Arrived in Magadan on August 30. Stayed in Magadan till September 13, when I started riding back to Yakutsk. Arrived in Yakutsk on September 18. All the road I was alone, riding my Aprilia Pegaso 650 I.E. Thanks for the friends of Yakutia Night Wolves, Slava & Max, for the help. My motorbike is now in Yakutsk, I left by airplane becouse of winter and “….I’ll be back……” next year to continue. PS: In Mgadan I met Dan and Deborah from the UK and also the great group from St. Petersburg. On my way back I met the Compass Expedition (near Badran) and 2 Australians & 1 American (near Khandyga). All the best, Dan Popescu.”

If planning motor bike riding the Road of Bones in late September?

Please, keep in mind that late September 2010 with heavy snowstorms was exceptional.

However, the last days of September might be chilly, precisely it can bring light, but cold rains and light snow in the mountain area of the Kolyma Highway on the part Khandyga – Ust Nera – Magadan. In our terms, the temp with around -5C or -8C is not cold at all, but that is not for motor bikers. Downs on the icy road and technical issues might happen.

By the way…

Simon Race (www.raceroundtheworld.com) is coming from London via Mongolia the next year.