Category Archives: Travel

Yakutsk – Magadan: A satellite phone is a must! Or how Norwegians were lost and found on the Road of Bones…

Today’s top local news is totally dedicted to Norwegian adventure travelers lost allegedly in the Oymyakonsky region by the Embassy of Norway and found by the Russian rescuers. They were okey.

They appeared to be very naive travelers. They thought they would be the first who made it to Magadan by the old route of [...]

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Is there an ice road to the Lena Pillars?

A few weeks ago I received a question from an UK backpacker, who is coming to Yakutia in January 2010. He asked “Is there an ice road to the Lena Pillars? Is it possible to make it there in January?”
Btw, a request was sent via the Facebook group “Ask-Yakutia-Today,” everyone is welcome to join [...]

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Stroganina, a traditional cold dish in Yakutia

One of the first questions I hear from new non-Yakutian friends of mine is “What are your traditional meals?” I started my answer from the short sentence “We love frozen horse meat and frozen Arctic fishes.”
Well, I decided to start publishing posts about traditional cuisine in Yakutia. The one is dedicated to stroganina.
Stroganina is [...]

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What are requirements to ice roads?

As far as you know, there is no bridge over the Lena River at all. Therefore, to cross the river, locals are forced to use ferryboats from June till October and ice roads in winter, officially from the midst of December till early April.

Late April – May and late October – November are considered [...]

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Pros & Cons: Travel from Yakutsk to Magadan in winter by taxi

Once I published long-distance taxi rates that can be taken into consideration while traveling within Yakutia. But I’ve never written a post about pecularities of using such a ground transport, precisely about advantages and disadvantages of going from Yakutsk to Magadan via the Road of Bones (Kolyma Highway) by taxi.
This time I decided to [...]

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The Hostel “Metro” in Yakutsk

I was frequently asked about hostels/small hotels availability in Yakutsk. There are some, and they are different. At long last, I found time and checked a few.
Here is my current pick. That’s Metro Hostel. It is cheap and clean. It has many big advantages. Let’s list them.

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Where is the best location to catch a ferry or the hydrofoil on the Lena in the South?

The journey along the Lena River from its head evokes much travelers’ interest. Reasons vary. Recently I received another request, but from the U.S. this time. An Orthodox priest wrote:
“I want to travel by river to Yakutsk, June 2010 for a sabbatical project because early Orthodox missionaries to Alaska took this route in 1794. Where [...]

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Video & Photos: Winter cycling on the Road of Bones

In March 2007, a few friends of mine, Yakutsk-based adventure cyclists, Marat, Maverick & Scorpion (don’t know why, but they call each others by nicks), traveled from Yakutsk to Oymyakon, the Pole of Cold. A funny thing. They documented the expedition pretty good. They’ve got a lot of high resolutions photographs, perfect videos and… Since [...]

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What is the standard tour to the Pole of Cold? Travel time, activities, accommodations, prices?

Often asked about the tour to the Pole of Cold, Oymyakon. All the time the question sounds different. Some is interested in transfer rates, others in hotel rates, third persons are just wondering what to do and see in the Pole of Cold. So I decided why not just give away the description of the [...]

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Accommodations on the way to Oymyakon, the Pole of Cold?

The following useful info on accommodations was provided by Sardana Mikheeva via the Facebook group “Ask-Yakutia-Today” (don’t forget to join the FB group.) I added some info, more details and comments. So here we go.

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  • 2010 Yakutia Summer Travels

    - The Lena River Cruises by Demian Bednyi (to Lena Pillars in summer & to the Polar Circle in September);
    - Yakutsk to Magadan Auto Expedition (via the old route of the Road of Bones).

  • 2010 Motorcycle Travels via Yakutia:

    - Sibirsky Extreme: Magadan to Mongolia (say "Hello" to Walter from me);
    - The Road of Bones: London to Magadan (yeah, pass my greetings to Mike Garbe as well).

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