Hi! My name is Bolot. I am a journalist. Based in Yakutsk. Ask me a question about the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Siberia / Russia, and get the answer.
Pretty often I was asked about the condition of the old route of Kolyma Highway (known also as Stalin’s Road of Bones) between Tomtor and Magadan Oblast in summer, especially in July and August.
In the following videos, you can see what it was like on July 27th and 29th, 2012.
Saying tons of sincere thanks to the amazingly nice Australian family – Jon, Amanda & Lana, who travelled with their friends in Landcruisers from Vladivostok to Magadan via Yakutsk last July and August.
More about their travel you can learn from Jon, Amanda & Lana’s travel blog “Three In A Truck”
Crossing a river after the village of Tomtor, that is located near Oymyakon, the world’s coldest inhabite place in winter. On July 27th.
In this video you can see how Jon is measuring the depth of one of many mountain rivers on the old route of Kolyma Highway (Road of Bones).
Last year on June 12, I met three Canadians, Ion, Richard and Kim in Yakutsk, Russia. They arrived on their Toyota Landcruiser, which they shipped from Australia to Vladivostok.
By the way, if you wonder about shipping to/from Vladivostok, get in touch with the best fixer I’ve ever known. His name is Yuri Melnikov, CEO of Links LTD.
This is really cool to help international travellers with their trips across Yakutia. In March 2012 in Yakutsk, I met three nice Westerners, Austrian Brigitte and the Swiss couple Susan and Peter, who were invited to the Russian region of Republic Sakha-Yakutia by my friend Alexander Permyakov‘s Russian Expedition Club. Extremely nice people!
They planned to go to Verkhoyansk, one of the coldest inhabited places in North-East Yakutia, and they eventually made it there. I resolved for them just a few issues with a vehicle and drivers. Saying a lot of thanks to Slava Mestnikov for an urgent assistance.
Their route was Yakutsk – Khandyga – Teply Klyuch – Topolinoe (reindeer herder community) – Stalin’s Gulags – Batagai – Verkhoyask. As you know, the part Khandyga – Teply Klyuch is located on the Road of Bones, officially known as the Kolyma federal road.
No more words from me. Let’s continue to traveller’s road trip witnesses and photos. Yes, photos. 50+ images of the long journey from Yakutsk to Verkhoyansk.
This is my question. Just really wonder, who will be those lucky guys to experience motorcycle adventure through Siberia and the Road of Bones in Yakutia to Magadan.
Meanwhile, watch the above video, browse through tons of advices in posts tagged under Road of Bones, and check the new weblog AskMagadan.com.
Kihilyakh is a Holy Place in the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, Russia’s East Siberia & Far East. Precisely, it is located in North-Eastern Yakutia’s Verkhoyansky region a few km away from its regional admistrative center of Batagai near the village of Elges.
Local peoples, especially Yakuts, do believe in the Kihilyakh sacredness. They come to touch its stones and receive the positive power from the nature. They also say, if you disrespect Kihilyakh, it will put curse on your life. It is a holy place. A Mecca to Yakutia residents.
One of the most frequently asked question in regards to the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, that occupies 1/3 of Russia and 1/2 of Siberia + the Far East, is, of course, “Where online to download region maps?”
Always in my reply, I sent links that I could recall at once. Praise god, there is the list now.
Recently, Artem Petukhov, a friend of mine, who runs his local Adventure Club blog in Russian, has compiled the list of maps available online for free download.
If you are an active traveller – motorcyclist, 4wd driver, mountain trekker, hiker, whatever, you might wish to check out the following maps:
In the previous post I wrote that I had returned from 5-day travel with reindeer herders in Oymyakon, one of the coldest places in the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia, Siberia, Russia.
When we were heading back to Yakutsk through the Road of Bones (officially known as Kolyma Highway), the temperature was somewhere under minus 40 degrees Celsius. Cold weather as usual.
We were driving on a Nissan Patrol 4wd vehicle without any long stops. On our way back – around 1000 km – we spent 16 hours only. Fast. It means the road appeared to be in good condition.
Clean. Partly icy, but covered with sand by road workers. As you know, the Kolyma Highway (including the route through Ust Nera) is considered to be a federal road. So even in the nowhere of Russsian Siberia, roads with such statuses might be maintained all around the year in pretty well manner.
So, if you’re going to Magadan from my city in winter, remember one of my travel advices.
Tip: Reserve one of your travel expedition stickers for a gas station in Kyubyume to attach on the right side of the tube from cashier’s window. It’s a new tradition.
Further, see more photos taken during a few short stops. They were done on February 24th, 2012.
If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you might already know and see photographs of my recent Oymyakon travel to Even reindeer herders, whom I and my friends experienced fascinating winter reindeer sledding through snowy rivers, mountains and hills with.
Hereby I am posting more photgoraphs and adding more journey details. I’ll post info part by part in this post, as I have a lot to say in fact. Meanwhile, enjoy 200+ pictures.
This week famous Russian blogers, photographers and designers, embarked the winter off-road expedition from South Yakutia (Nerungri) to Chukotka (Mys Shmidta).
On March 07 they were already in Yakutsk. In two days in Oymyakon. Yesterday in Ust Nera. Currently, they are heading to Magadan on their pretty glamour 4wd vehicles.
