I first discovered with Terezin Camp that traveling to unorthodox places gets my heart rate up.. I reserved one day of our Prague trip to Terezin, one of the Nazi concentration camps in the Second World War, and I was very impressed.. I witnessed the crime against humanity closely and felt the pain as if it were yesterday.. Likewise, Çanakkale Martyrdoms, which I visited in May.. It was one of my most impressive trips to date.. It is a different feeling to experience extraordinary places such as battlefields, concentration camps, ghost towns and witness what is happening here on site.. Chernobyl was a trip that emerged as a result of my “dark tourist” (black tourist) vein rising. We had planned a trip to Kharkov, Kyiv and Odessa for July.. While I was in Kiev, I thought we should visit the ghost city Pripyat with the Chernobyl tour that I have been dreaming of for a long time.. I immediately went to the computer and started the Chernobyl tour research.. Before going into the details of Chernobyl tour, I would like to give some information about one of the biggest disasters in the world, Chernobyl disaster.

NOTE: If you are interested in Chernobyl, I highly recommend watching HBO‘s miniseries Chernobyl. After the Chernobyl series, your interest in the region will increase even more, let me tell you.

Where is Chernobyl?

Ukraine’s capital Chernobyl, located 90 kilometers north of Kiev, is a settlement 20 kilometers from the Belarusian border.. Pripyat, now known as the ghost town, is a “workers’ city” located two kilometers from Chernobyl.. Pripyat, which was built in 1970 for the engineers and workers working here after the nuclear power plants were established in Chernobyl, had a population of 50 thousand people at the time.. Also known as the “City of Roses” because it is surrounded by red roses, Pripyat was evacuated after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 and became a ghost town.

How Did the Chernobyl Disaster Happen?

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After the October Revolution in 1917, it was decided to establish Soviet-type nuclear power plants in Ukraine, which was included in the countries within the USSR.. The first reactor was built in 1977. Afterwards, four more reactors were added in 1978, 1981 and 1983, and their numbers were increased.. Nuclear power was extremely important in the Soviet era. Therefore, the fourth reactor was hastily opened without adequate security measures.. It was the maintenance test that ignited the nuclear power plant disaster in Chernobyl. On April 25, maintenance testing began and reactor number four began to power down.. Although it is forbidden to reduce it below 700 megawatts, the energy level continued to be reduced rapidly.. The purpose of this test was the fear of the Cold War.. When the Israeli Air Force bombed the Iraqi nuclear reactor built by the Russians, the issue of what could happen in the cancellation of the power loss if the same attack occurred, caused a concern in Chernobyl.

The energy level in the reactor was reduced by half.. Continued power reduction by disabling the safety system. The power was reduced to 0% while the reactor continued to operate in this manner.. With the efforts of the engineers, the power was brought back up to 200 megawatts, while the test was requested to be carried out at this level by the order of the chief engineer.. However, performing this test at 200 megawatts was equivalent to making a one in ten million chance a reality.. As a result of the rapid rise of water vapor, the control rods in the reactor were broken and the temperature began to rise rapidly.. And on April 26, 1986, at 01:23, the moment that will be remembered as one of the greatest nuclear disasters in history took place.. While the explosion, which could not be prevented because the safety system was turned off, occurred as a result of the overheating of the reactor, with the second explosion that took place seconds later, the top of the reactor cover was thrown and a full 50 tons of nuclear fuel began to spread into the air.. This value was equal to 10 times that of Hiroshima! 700 tons of radioactive material was spread around the region.. The electricity went out and smoke started to cover everything.. While 30 people working in the reactor lost their lives after the explosion, the number would not be limited to this, unfortunately.

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This year only not the most memorable trip of my life Chernobyl. In 1986, with the quiet and lonely city of Pripyat, where time stopped, I felt like I was on a movie set in Chernobyl.. When I think of abandoned houses, ruined schools, unfinished dreams and lost lives, I say that even though it is not easy to get out of the influence of this place, I am glad I went.🙌🏻Which is your most impressed travel?. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀. . . . #travel #vacation #instatravel #holiday #traveller #travelphotography #traveling #photo #photogram #travelgram #explore #photostagram #nature #fun #igtravel #tourism #instago #denemenlazım #cokgezenlerkulubu #gencgezginler #neredekal #yolçık #chernobyl #chernobil #ukraine #pripyat

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While hundreds of people died due to radiation poisoning after the disaster, toxic clouds began to cover almost all of Belarus and Russia, along with Ukraine.. The effect of radiation was not limited to only three countries.. Radioactive materials carried by rain to much of the northern hemisphere continued to live with humans, animals, plants and soil.. The bitter face of the Chernobyl disaster also showed itself in our country.. Cancer cases, especially in the Black Sea region, increased by three cards. Considering that the works to establish nuclear power plants in Akkuyu and Sinop are currently underway, it is not difficult to predict what kind of disasters may occur in the coming years.

Chernobyl Tour

For those who are wondering “How to get to Chernobyl”, I would like to start by stating that You have no chance to go to Chernobyl without a tour.Something like “I rented a car from Kiev, let’s take a look”. not the case. Because the Chernobyl zone is under state protection and you can only enter here with tour companies or with special permissions. If you want to book a Chernobyl tour, you have to go to Kyiv beforehand. If you started your trip from Lviv, Kharkiv or Odessa and you want to go to Chernobyl, an enjoyable train journey experience awaits you.. You can find all the details about train travel in Ukraine and buying a train ticket in my article. You can read my comprehensive travel guide to Kyiv here. If you want to learn about Kyiv accommodation options, I suggest you take a look at Where to stay in Kiev.

After doing some research on the internet, the most positive comments for Chernobyl tour Solo East Travel. Solo East Travel, which is preferred by world-famous channels such as BBC and CNN for documentary shooting, has been organizing tours to the region since 1999.. Chernobyl tours in two ways; the first one is the everyday Chernobyl tour that we also participated in. The second is the tour with overnight accommodation.. Chernobyl tour price may vary according to your reservation period. We bought our day tour 15 days before our trip and paid $79 per person. Since the dollar rate was around 5 in July 2018, the tour cost was approximately 400 TL. I recommend that you complete your reservation in advance, as tours are busy, especially in summer.. The tour guide is Ukrainian, but all the narrations are in English and are very easy to understand.. You can pay for the Chernobyl tour online with a credit card or debit card.. Let me remind you that lunch is included in the price.

When purchasing a tour for the Chernobyl tour, Geiger device for 10$ to use on the trip. (radiation measuring device) we rented. The device is given by the guide before the departure and is taken from you at the end of the tour.. When making a reservation to join the Chernobyl tour, you are asked for your passport information and checked for accuracy.. Although Ukraine can be visited with an ID, if you plan to participate in the Chernobyl trip, you should definitely have your passport with you.. Entry to Chernobyl is strictly prohibited without a passport! Also, children under the age of 18 are not allowed into Chernobyl.

What You Should Know About Chernobyl Tour

• Your arms, legs and feet must be completely covered during the Chernobyl trip. It is forbidden to wear shorts, sandals, strappy blouses. Although we went in the summer, we wore jeans and shirts despite the heat.
• Mosquitoes and bees are quite common in Chernobyl and Pripyat, especially in summer.. If you wish, you can carry fly repellent with you.
• It is forbidden to sit anywhere, put your bag on the floor, touch something, love animals and eat outdoors.
• I recommend you to take a backpack with you.. You can bring water from outside.
• The best option to meet your toilet needs during the tour is the gas station at the beginning of the tour, and then the Soviet toilet at the security point.. There is also a toilet in the place where you can eat, so you don’t have any problems.
• If you ask us what to do with our clothes after the tour, it’s enough to wash them in the machine.
• Don’t forget to take a nice shower on your way home 🙂

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If you’re wondering what to watch these days, @hbo’s new mini-series Chernobyl is almost like a documentary.&#x1f3a5 ;📺Reflecting the facts hidden behind the Chernobyl nuclear disaster with all its nakedness, editing and shooting are great.👌🏻Last summer, Chernobyl and Pripyat As someone who has traveled, I was very impressed with the series.. 3 episodes of Chernobyl, which started on May 6, were aired, and it is expected to have 5 episodes in total.. If you like thriller series, I’m sure you’ll watch it breathlessly.. You can see the photos from the Chernobyl tour by swiping left.. 👉🏻If you are interested, let me remind you that I have a detailed Chernobyl&Pripyat tour article on the blog.😇. . . . . . #seyahatimgeldi #travel #chernobyl #pripyat #travelingtheworld #stayandwander #worldtrip #gununfotosu #objektifimden #aniyakala #cokgezenlerkulubu #hurriyetseyahat #travel #travelblog #iamtb #stayandwander #worldtrip #beautifuldestinations #speechlesstravelsplaces #bloggerstravelstravelers

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Is Chernobyl Safe?

One of the most frequently asked questions about Chernobyl tour is whether it is safe.. There is still a high amount of radiation in the area, but it is only a short stay in the area and only allowed areas can be entered.. We are already exposed to high levels of radiation in city life.. We get radiation from the mobile phones we use, wireless modems, even on airplanes, which are indispensable tools of our travels.. MRI and X-rays are also similar.. After the disaster, there are still people living in Chernobyl villages, moreover, they are fed with the products they planted from the soil.. In short, the radiation level exposed here is not as high as it is thought.. If you think that tour operators go there every day, there are workers and security guards already working there, you will understand that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Chernobyl and Pripyat Trip Notes

Kyiv we had reserved the last day of our trip to Chernobyl. We got up at seven in the morning and had a snack and came to Mc Donalds in Maidan Square, our meeting point for the tour.. Our meeting time was 08:00.. While four tour cars were waiting for us, our tour guide came and took turns asking us for our passports.. After comparing the accuracy of the list with the passport information, we received our Geiger devices and immediately measured the radiation rate in Maidan.. On the device, the ratio was showing 0.20. Our tour guide said that this value is considered normal.

We started moving towards Chernobyl within twenty minutes.. There were seven other people with us from different countries, but we were the only Turks.. Although our tour guide Nazar was Ukrainian, his English was fluent and understandable.. While we were on our way to Chernobyl with great excitement, our tour guide started to tell us about the atmosphere there.. Then we started watching the two-hour English documentary about the Chernobyl disaster.

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One of the most enjoyable documentaries I’ve watched in the past month on Netflix He was a Dark Tourist.👌🏻Journalist David travels to the world’s most dangerous places where no one dares, and shares his extraordinary adventures. She also swims in the lake created by the nuclear explosion, and participates in illegal border crossing tours. Our trip to Chernobyl and the ghost town Pripyat in July reminded me of this documentary.. It was an incredible experience to see the places where life stopped on April 26, 1986 and to witness the traces of the disaster up close.. 🙏🏻I prepared a detailed article about Chernobyl and Pripyat tour, you can read it on the blog.👩🏻‍💻Link in profile.💙🙋🏻‍♀️

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At the exit from Kyiv, we took a fifteen-minute break for food and drink and toilet needs.. Since there are all kinds of food and drink in the gas station, if you come without breakfast, you can find everything you want here.. As we approached Chernobyl after the break, we signed a formal paper stating that we came here voluntarily and that you will not hold anyone responsible for the events that may occur afterwards.. Our journey, which started at 8.00, started to gain momentum as we arrived at the first security point around 11:00.. This place was located 30 kilometers from the reactor where the explosion took place.. There are two security points in Chernobyl. So you are double checked. The first security point is very important. If there is a situation against the rules, they can turn it back from here.

After getting out of the vehicle together, the soldiers counted the names one by one and checked the passports.. In the meantime, photography or video recording is strictly prohibited, since our tour guide warned in advance, we were hesitant to even take the camera.. When we were wondering if there would be a problem, we could pass easily, the soldiers gave the necessary permissions and we left with the happiness of being able to cross the first border in a short time.. By the way, Nazar said that it is not possible to enter the toilet during the tour and said that those who want can use the toilets from the Soviet Era.. Even though they are old, I am glad that the toilets are not dirty.

After the need break, we started to move among the lush trees.. When you say Chernobyl, a dry, gray and cold place comes to mind for you, right? Frankly, I thought so too before I joined the tour, but as I was moving towards Chernobyl, I couldn’t understand how there could be such dense trees and greenery despite all these years of radiation.. During the tour, Nazar touched on this subject and said that nature is getting more excited with the effect of radiation, and even the roads are almost covered with greenery.. While we were walking along the road, we did not neglect to take measurements from our Geiger device.. The radiation level was 0.25 µSv. (microsievert)

As we looked around, we had already reached the second security point.. Nazar took the documents by telling us to wait in the vehicle, and after going to the soldiers and getting the necessary permissions, we were now officially in Chernobyl! So far, we have started to witness closely what we have seen from videos and photos.. I started to shiver when I saw the abandoned and looted village houses.. But what we saw here was the trailer of the movie…

After the nuclear disaster, Pripyat and those living in Chernobyl started to be evacuated within 24 hours.. Some of the families of workers who were moved to different parts of Kiev, leaving their memories and experiences at once without looking back, returned to their homes over time.. I was both surprised and very sad to see that life continues in some of the village houses.. Those who could not stay away from where they belong and say, “Let’s die here if we are going to die” and return at the expense of their lives, were fed with the products they grew and continued their lives in this way.. This is where the Chernobyl fire department is located. Unfortunately, all of the firefighters who left for the first response to the fire in the reactor on the day of the disaster lost their lives.. This monument of respect you see in the photo was erected in memory of the firefighters who died.

Lunch Break in Chernobyl

After the monument visit, we will take a lunch break after 12:00 and continue our tour until 17:00. we started. We came to the dining hall next to the motel, where tours with accommodation are also held.. This is located 25 kilometers from the reactor where the events took place.. By the way, it is worth remembering that it is forbidden to eat during the Chernobyl trip.. Meals are included in the tour price.. You just tell your guide what kind of food you want to eat before starting the tour. There are already three types of dishes on the tour: Pork, chicken and vegetable dish. We preferred chicken meat. We had a soup similar to potato soup before. Chicken dish was delicious. It was very satisfying with a side salad and drink.

After a half-hour lunch break, we set off again to see the reactor.. First, we got out of the vehicle to see the fourth reactor, where the explosion took place, from afar, and here we got information from our guide Nazar about what happened in the reactor.. Here the radiation level rose to 0.98 µSv. Another interesting fact is that the radiation level is much higher on asphalt and iron.. When Geiger brought his device close to the asphalt, the device gave an alarm and the level increased to 9, 10 µSv.

When we came near the nuclear reactor, the radiation level was 3.50 µSv.. Although reactor number four was shut down after the disaster, the remaining reactors continued to operate.. Until the year 2000. The last reactor was shut down 18 years ago. I mentioned above that the fourth reactor, built during the Soviet era, was full of errors.. The biggest mistake made in its construction was the use of combustible material on its roof.. The fourth reactor, which continued to emit radiation after the explosion, was completely covered with a very durable material by a French company.

Like Out of Horror Movies: A Trip to Pripyat

Chernobyl’ Our next stop was the project city Pripyat.. All residents of the city, which was built in 1970, were workers at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and their families.. The carefully built city with its schools, hospitals, cafes, cinemas and restaurants was evacuated within a day after the disaster.. Even though the people of Pripyat, who were sent with only one suitcase in their hands, tried to make a new life for themselves, diseases followed them because they were exposed to heavy radiation.

Our first stop for the Pripyat trip was a kindergarten reminiscent of horror movies.. I felt like I was on a movie set with dolls, books, rusted bunk beds scattered all over the floor.. The abandoned buildings are on the verge of decay. When we looked at the radiation level here, the value showed 0.20 µSv.

Our next stop was middle school.. The building, which also includes a basketball court and swimming pool, is in ruins today.. We couldn’t believe our eyes when our guide showed us previous photos of the building.. Gas masks are scattered everywhere.. You can’t touch anything during the Chernobyl trip. The reason for this is that many of the items here were looted at the time.. In order to prevent this, they say that touching is prohibited.

We set out for the area where the block buildings are located to get to know Pripyat better.. Although the distances are close to each other, you can go everywhere by car.. After watching in the documentary how magnificent and beautiful the city of Pripyat was once, the view we encountered is unbelievable.. There’s nothing around. Here time stopped in 1986. It’s hard to describe, as if you’ve gone on a journey into the past… The cafes, restaurants, shopping centers in Pripyat, which is only a 16-year-old city, are now unrecognizable.. Many of them have decayed and been abandoned.

After the buildings we took a short walk towards the Dnieper River.. Our goal was to see mutating catfish. Since hunting is prohibited in the vicinity of Chernobyl, the animals here have mutated and their shape has changed with the effect of radiation.. Many animals had to be killed due to radiation.. We may not have seen fish, but we witnessed how tame a fox approached us.. Since it was impossible to find food, there were a few foxes fed by the tour guides.. Although I was frightened at first, I was heartbroken that the guide took food from his hand and walked around us harmlessly.. He was so weak that it was a miracle he even survived.

One of the places that impressed me the most during the trip was the Pripyat Amusement Park.. The amusement park, which was expected to open on Labor Day on May 1, 1986, was engraved in history as the only amusement park that could not be opened.. The place where thousands of children will have fun and laughter will now look like a cemetery.. The nuclear disaster five days before its opening made the amusement park unrecognizable.. Most of the toys here are buried in the ground because they contain excessive radiation.. Only the Ferris wheel and bumper cars remain.. Since the metal absorbs too much radiation, when our guide brought the Geiger device closer to here, the figure went up to 400 µSv!

The last stop of our trip was Duga 3, known as the most powerful radar of the Soviet era.. Duga 3, which you can reach by descending a sand-filled hill, was built to herald a possible rocket attack during the Cold War Period.. Also called the Russian woodpecker for the sounds it made, the radar now resembled a gigantic pile of iron in appearance.. So much so that if you want to see the entire radar, you have to risk holding your neck.. Here, after taking enough photos and getting information, we returned to our vehicle and started to head towards the exit point to pass the radiation measurement device.

We reached the first measurement point as it was showing 17.00.. After the Chernobyl tour, radiation measurements are passed twice. You climb on top of the device with a step and rest your hands on the machine. If it’s green, it’s clean, if it’s red, it means there’s a danger sign.. When green is lit, the exit door opens. If the radiation level in your body is high, you are not allowed to leave here.. I wondered what they were doing with the rest We also went through the measurement one by one, everyone on the tour was “clean”. After passing the second measurement point without any problems, our tour came to an end.. I took another notch in my “bucket list” when we set off for Kiev, a journey of about three hours.. I was happy to have an experience that I cannot erase from my memory for a long time.. I wish the adventure-loving child in me never grows up…

Check out my articles on Kyiv travel guide, Kharkiv travel guide and Odessa travel guide you can throw. You can find all the details about the trip to Lviv, the charming city of Ukraine, in my Lviv travel guide.

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