info@baikalnature.com

Tiksi. Arctic Expedition

Destination: Arctic , Yakutia
Easy - nothing more than normal walking while sight-seeing
Moderately Easy - 1-3 hours of physical activity daily
Moderate - 3-5 hours of physical activity daily
Challenging - 5-7 hours of challenging physical activity daily
Extreme - 7+ hours of challenging/extreme physical activity daily
Difficulty
Basic — most of nights in tents or rooms with shared WC, some nights in comfortable rooms.
Standard — most of nights in comfortable rooms, some nights in tents or rooms with shared WC.
Upgraded — all nights in comfortable rooms.
Comfort
Minimum age of the participant of this trip
14 Days
Highlights
  • Unique expedition to the Extreme North
  • Visit of the northern most village of Yakutie - Tiksi
  • Passage by the true winter arctic roads
  • Aquaintance with the life of the polar people
  • Possibility to observe the arctic animals
  • Visit of the raindeer herders village - Topolinoye
  • Possibility to pass the frozen Laptev sea
  • Possibility to see the northern lights
Tour Overview

The Extreme North, the arctic tundra, the polar night and the northern aurora… These ideas are as far from the citizens, as the space exploration.  The North doesn’t like the casual passers and the Extreme North is too far from the common concept of tourism.  However, the calm and tranquillity of these places is reachable. The North cannot be called “extreme” as there is no extremities!

In 2018 BaikalNature decided to open to its tourists a new opportunity – the unique expedition to the northern most village of the Yakutia region – Tiksi. The word “Tiksi” means “rendezvous, arrival”.  The real charm of this village is in its geographical position. The bay of the same name is considered as the Yakutia sea gates, situated north of the Arctic Circle in the Laptev Sea. The main peculiarity of the expedition is not the destination, but the trip itself. Only having got over more then 2 500 km by winter roads and frozen north rivers, we will arrive to this “bay of rendezvous”. This bay is friendly only for those who dared to venture him physically and morally.

The expedition starts in Yakutsk. We will meet with arctic people and visit the Topolinoye village – the village of the reindeer’s herders. Crossing the tundra and frozen rivers, we can observe the wild arctic animals such as birds, polar fox, reindeer, wolves and others.

The main part of the route passes to the North from the Polar circle and every day we will have possibility to observe the northern lights and make rare photos.

On the way there are no hotels, museums, cafes or other touristic places. Our tour is not about this… To try yourself in the face of full isolation, where you won’t find roads, only directions to go. Our goal is to reach the place where the winter ramp over 8 months a year.

Our team and equipment ensure the security on the journey.  There will be 2 off-road vehicles Toyota Land Cruiser, that proved their reliability during our expeditions such as “Pole of Cold” or "Baikal. 110th km". The vehicles will be followed from the satellite 24 hours a day. Also all participants of the group should be in good physical shape, ready for difficulties of the wild nature and not to have medical contraindications. We will be moved away from the civilization by the distance and the weather influence.

NB: This tour has no fixed group departure date. The price is available upon request.

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Tour programme
  • Day 1
    Aquaintance with Yakutsk
    Yakutsk
  • Day 2
    Khandyga and road of bones
    Yakutsk — Khandyga
  • Day 3
    Village of the reindeer herders
    Khandyga — Topolinoye
  • Day 4
    Crossing the Arctic Circle
    Topolinoye — Batagay
  • Day 5
    Day on the journey
    Topolinoye — Batagay
  • Day 6
    Life of an Arctic village
    Batagay
  • Day 7
    On the ice of the Yana river
    Batagay — Saydy
  • Day 8
    Arctic tundra
    Saydy — Ust-Kuyga
  • Day 9
    Polar lights
    Ust-Kuyga — Severny
  • Day 10
    Outlet to the Laptev sea
    Severniy — Laptev sea
  • Day 11
    Testing by the North
    Laptev sea
  • Day 12
    Bay of rendezvous
    Laptev sea — Tiksi
  • Day 13
    Main sea port of Yakutia
    Tiksi
  • Day 14
    Departure to Yakutsk
    Tiksi — Yakustk
  • 11:00
    Arrival to Yakutsk
    Transfer to the hotel. Free time.
  • 13:00
    Lunch Not included
  • 14:00
    Free time
    Possibility to go for a walk in the city centre or to visit the Mammoth Museum.
  • 17:00
    Meeting with the guides at the reception of the hotel
    Discussion of the programme details, check-up of the equipment and of the timing.
  • 19:00
    Dinner in the hotel Not included
  • Overnight in the hotel
Photo of the day
Route
Yakutsk
Accommodation
Accommodation in the hotel Azimut Yakutsk
Standard twin room
  • 09:00
    Breakfast in the hotel
  • 10:00
    Departure to the Khandyga village
    Khandyga village earlier used to be one of the forced-labor camps known as Gulag. It was founded in 1939 as a base for construction of the road from Aldan river towards Oymyakon.
  • 13:00
    Lunch in the cafe en route Not included
  • 15:00
    Continuation of the road
    Arrival to the village in the evening. Accommodation in the homestay. Rest.
  • 19:00
    Dinner
  • Overnight in the homestay
Photo of the day
Route
Yakutsk — Khandyga
Note

8 h 4x4  (419km)

  • 09:00
    Breakfast Not included
  • 10:00
    Departure to the Topolinoye village
    the Topolinoye village is a part of the Tompo region. The main part of the region's population are Evenks. Their main activity is the nomad deer farming. Every year their is the festival "Reindeer herders day". If we have chance, we will make the acquaintance of the reindeer herders and their way of living.
  • 13:00
    Lunch in the cafe Not included
  • 14:00
    Continuation of the road
    Arrival to the Topolinoye village. Accommodation in the homestay.
  • 19:00
    Dinner
  • Overnight in the homestay
Photo of the day
Route
Khandyga — Topolinoye
Note

5 h 4x4  (150km)

  • 09:00
    Start of the itinerary
    Today we start our way to the Batagay village. This day our expedition can be called "Arctic", as going by the Nelguese river we will cross the Arctic Circle. The main part of the road passes by the frozen rivers and every bend of the river prepares for us special surprises - breaking-off and flooding ice.
  • 13:00
    Lunch Not included
  • 14:00
    Continuation of the road
  • 19:00
    Dinner Not included
  • Overnight under the tent
Photo of the day
Route
Topolinoye — Batagay
Note

8 h 4x4  (300km)

  • 09:00
    Start of the route
    After the breakfast, we restart the route.
  • 13:00
    Lunch Not included
  • 15:00
    Continuation of the road
  • 19:00
    Dinner
  • 20:00
    Arrival to Batagay village
    Accommodation in the homestay.
  • Overnight in the homestay
Photo of the day
Winter Kolyma Road
Route
Topolinoye — Batagay
Note

8 h 4x4  (300km)

  • 10:00
    Free time in Batagay
    It's a reserve day in Batagayin case of the bed weather conditions en route. We will visit the Batagay village and get to know to the way of living it's inhabitants. Batagay is the administrative centre of the Verhoyansk region of Yakutie. Although the village is very grey, it's considered as a centre as there is a only functioning airport. The road Yana passes by this village and it's opened only in winter. The sites of the village are the Village Hall, the biggest solar electric plant and the stele near the entrance to the village. The main point of interest are people - strong in spirit and body. There is a belief that the violent cold of the North made the people's hearts so hot, there you will fell their hospitality and cordiality even before you enter the village.
  • 15:00
    Free time
  • Overnight in the homestay
Photo of the day
Route
Batagay
  • 08:00
    Breakfast
    Breakfast cooked by drivers / guide
  • 09:00
    Start of the route
    Today we will continue our route till the village Saydy. En route, we will visit the ghost-village Strelka. If the weather is fine, we will overcome this part of the road without stops. If not, we will have to slow down till 20 km/hour.
  • 13:00
    Lunch
    Lunch cooked on gas
  • 14:00
    Continuation of the road
    Arrival to Saydy village. The Saydy village is very different from those villages that we have already visited. There is neither Internet, nor mobile communication. The main part of the population are yakuts. However, in spite of this remoteness and some kind of patriarchal character, there are a lot of children and it means the life goes on.
  • 19:00
    Dinner
    Dinner cooked by your drivers / guide
  • Overnight under the tent
Photo of the day
Route
Batagay — Saydy
Note

10 h 4x4  (190km)

  • 09:00
    Breakfast
    Breakfast cooked by drivers / guide
  • 09:00
    Start of the route
    We will go to the Ust-Kuyga village. The main part of the route will go through the Arctic tundra. In fact, there are no roads in the conventional sense. There is only the direction that reveals by the traces of the vehicles that deliver cargoes to the North. The Arctic tundra is very ruthless, but there a lot of wild animals: polar fox, hare, wolf and fox.
  • 13:00
    Lunch
    Lunch cooked on gas
  • 14:00
    Continuation of the route
  • 19:00
    Dinner
    Dinner cooked by your drivers / guide
  • Overnight under the tent
Photo of the day
Route
Saydy — Ust-Kuyga
Note

8 h 4x4  (110km)

  • 09:00
    Breakfast
    Breakfast cooked by drivers / guide
  • 09:00
    Departure to the the Severniy village
    Severniy is a ghost village with romantic name (from Russian: village of the Nord). There was a time when the village was populated by the gold-miners and the power engineering specialists. Every day there were more then 3 kg of the pure gold. When the factory was closed, the village was liquidated.
  • 13:00
    Lunch
    Lunch cooked on gas
  • 14:00
    Continuation of the route
    From this day we will start the territory of open space of the Arctic. The difficult passage of some hundreds of kilometres will reward us with the possibility to observe one of the most beautiful phenomenon of nature. Only there, among the white open spaces we can really enjoy this breathtaking show.
  • 19:00
    Dinner
    Dinner cooked by your drivers / guide
  • Overnight under the tent
Photo of the day
Route
Ust-Kuyga — Severny
Note

7 h 4x4  (150km)

  • 08:00
    Route to the Hayir village
    Hayir is a reindeer herders village. Near the local school, there is a ethnographic museum with the biggest collection of the animals' bones. The local tundra is also named "Mammuth cemetry", but this cemetery is hide by the snow during 11 months a year.
  • 09:00
    Breakfast
    Breakfast cooked by drivers / guide
  • 13:00
    Lunch
    Lunch cooked on gas
  • 14:00
    Passage to the Laptev sea
    We will turn to the Omolay river, that falls into the Arctic ocean. We will go up the river for getting to the Laptev sea - the last and the most difficult part of our expedition.
  • 19:00
    Dinner
    Dinner cooked by your drivers / guide
  • Overnight under the tent
Photo of the day
Crossing Lena River
Route
Severniy — Laptev sea
Note

9 h 4x4  (200km)

  • 09:00
    Breakfast
    Breakfast cooked by drivers / guide
  • 09:00
    Passage by the Laptev sea
    Our aim is to cross the Yana bay of the Laptev sea. Also there are about 100 km till Tiksi bay, we will spend 2 day en route.
  • 13:00
    Lunch
    Lunch cooked on gas
  • 15:00
    Continuation of the route
    The Arctic ice is very capricious and it prepares to us the ice-hummocks and breaks. Moreover, the visibility can be almost zero and we will move forward by touch in the direct sense of the word. it means that we take the shovels and prepare for the overnight on the ice. If the sky is clear, we will admire one of the most beautiful sunsets of the life - white ice and fire-flecked sky.
  • 19:00
    Dinner
    Dinner cooked by your drivers / guide
  • Overnight under the tent
Photo of the day
Route
Laptev sea
Note

4x4  (60km)

  • 09:00
    Breakfast
    Breakfast cooked by drivers / guide
  • 09:00
    Route to the Tiksi bay
  • 13:00
    Lunch
  • 16:00
    Arrival to Tiksi
    Very momentous day ! We will get our destination - Tiksi. The word Tiksi means "rendezvous" and "arrival". So, Tiksi meet us for the rendezvous, we have arrived ! Accommodation in the hotel, rest.
  • 19:00
    Dinner Not included
  • Overnight in the hotel
Photo of the day
Route
Laptev sea — Tiksi
Note

4x4  (40km)

  • 09:00
    Breakfast in the hotel
  • 10:00
    Excursion in Tiksi
    Tiksi is one of the most important sea ports of Yakutia. We will visit this port and know more about culture and history of the region. If the weather is fine, we will visit the museum of the Arctic fine art. For those who like the space mysteries, there is a geophysic observatory "Tiksi". If you are interested in the flora and fauna, you can visit the centre of the Ust-Lenskiy national reserve.
  • 14:00
    Passage by the Laptev sea ice
    We will visit the Bikovsky island. Although this island isn't populated, in winter there are some dozens of fish men. Also, we will visit the Brusnev island that is considered as the ships' cemetery. Every ship has it's own history -- from the territory development till the soviet expeditions
  • Overnight in the hotel
Photo of the day
Route
Tiksi
  • 09:00
    Breakfast in the hotel
  • 12:00
    Transfer to the airport
    Flight to Yakutsk. End of the programme.
Photo of the day
Route
Tiksi — Yakustk
Detailed description
New departures available soon
Price includes
  • Accommodation as per itinerary
  • Transfer from airport / railway station on first day
  • Transfer to airport / railway station on last day
  • Letter of invitation
  • Sleeping bag rental
  • Meals according to the program
  • Accident insurance
  • Excursions and visits as per itinerary
  • English-speaking guide services
  • Camping outfit rental
  • Tent rental
Price does not include
  • Personal expenses and tips
  • Airline tickets
  • Optional activities
  • Visa
For more info, please download the detailed description of the trip.
Note

The price is given is for a group of 5 people. Total number of vehicles: 2. Acommodation is planned to be in hotel "Polyarnaya zvezda" in Yakutsk, in guest houses and homestay. Tiksi is the boundary territory and it’s needed to have a special permission (preparation of the document takes about 60 days). The itinerary of the expedition can be changed according to the road or weather conditions as well as unforeseen events. The price includes the flight Tiksi - Yakutsk. ATTENTION: as Tiksi is situated on the Extreme North, it's possible that the flights will be carry forward 1 or 2 days because of strong weather conditions.

Reviews
No reviews anymore or no reviews at all for this tour. Below reviews for destination:
5.00
5.00
Total score
5.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
5.00
Quality of accommodation
5.00
Quality of transport / transfers
5.00
Quality of meals
5.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
5.00
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Eric
From 29 December 2021 to 2 January 2022
Destination: Arctic, Kola Peninsula
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
Ce sont de véritables fêtes de fin et début d'année en nuit polaire, dans une vaste nature et splendide de surcroît, les aurores boréales, tous les ingrédients réunis pour vivre l'intense dans un manteau neigeux épais. Se débrouiller un peu en langue russe aussi, les échanges en sont facilités, et les gens viennent a vous tout comme vous allez à leur rencontre. J'ai vraiment tout aimé, le contact
  Read more
BaikalNature's reply
Toute l'équipe de BaikalNature vous remercie pour votre message. Nous nous réjouissons de savoir que vous avez apprécié votre séjour à la Péninsule de Kola. Nous espérons vous revoir très bientôt parmi nos voyageurs !
4.83
4.83
Total score
5.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
5.00
Quality of accommodation
4.00
Quality of transport / transfers
5.00
Quality of meals
5.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
5.00
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Henri
From 8 July 2018 to 22 July 2018
Destination: Arctic, Chukotka
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
excellent; la seule chose peut être, les "touristes" qui arrivent en groupe avec leur propre guide en sus des spécialistes, ne devraient pas intervenir en dehors de leur groupe
4.67
4.67
Total score
5.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
4.00
Quality of accommodation
4.00
Quality of transport / transfers
5.00
Quality of meals
5.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
5.00
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Francis
From 22 March 2018 to 19 July 2018
Destination: Yakutia
Custom tourDécouverte de l'Extrême Orient Russe
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
Hôtels excellents, à l'exception de l'hôtel de Iakoutsk ORTO DOYDU. Personnel très bien mais hôtel en mauvais état général (chambre et espaces communs) et petit-déjeuner très médiocre. Transferts excellents, sauf trajet Tommot - Iakoutsk : véhicule inconfortable et en très mauvais état, et chauffeur fumeur peu amène. Les trois parties du voyage du voyage nous ont enchantés. Nous avons été ravis par
  Read more
BaikalNature's reply
Bonjour Francis, Merci beaucoup pour ces détails très important pour un voyage tellement grand! Ces commentaires nous aiderons à revoir la qualité des services proposés en Yakoutie.
4.33
4.33
Total score
5.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
4.00
Quality of accommodation
4.00
Quality of transport / transfers
4.00
Quality of meals
4.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
5.00
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Eric
From 27 January 2018 to 3 February 2018
Destination: Yakutia
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
Voyage original au coeur de l' hiver Sibérien hors des sentiers touristiques. Dommage qu' il y ai eu un manque d'informations et d 'explications de la part du guide. Les "aventuriers" choisissant ce voyage ont tous soif de découverte, d'une part, du pays et d'autre part de la culture russe, ce qui nous a sensiblement manqué. Néanmoins ce voyage est à recommander pour son authenticité. Eric
BaikalNature's reply
Merci beaucoup pour votre remarque. Nous le prendrons en compte pour nos futurs voyages !
4.00
4.00
Total score
4.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
3.00
Quality of accommodation
4.00
Quality of transport / transfers
4.00
Quality of meals
5.00
Friendliness and professionalism of guides / management
4.00
Quality and originality of visits / attractions / events
Serge
From 27 January 2018 to 3 February 2018
Destination: Yakutia
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
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