info@baikalnature.com

Pole of Cold

Destination: 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
9 Days
Highlights
  • Magic landscape, frosty frozen and aurora borealis
  • Traveling at the temperature below -55 ° C
  • Visit of Oymyakon village - the coldest village in the world, known as pole of cold
  • Trip through the permafrost regions
  • Meeting with the indigenous people of Russia
  • Visit of Gulag camps
  • Excursion to the Lena Pillars
  • The best hotel in Yakutsk in the heart of the city
Tour Overview

Would you like to feel the real cold – total, wide-reaching and full-scale? Then this tour is for you! This time BaikalNature propose to you to visit Oymyakon village – the pole of Cold. In this region there are the lowest temperatures near the earth surface all over the world. The average monthly temperatures of the January are -50°C, during the coldest winters they reach - 67°C. The lowest registered temperature was – 71,2°C. And it’s not the Arctic and people live there all the year round.

After the two-days way by the Kolyma road, we will find ourselves in the middle of the winter wonderland, where the pure and severe beauty of the nature is side by side the kindliness and hospitality of the local people.

We will know about the history of the region and the peculiarities of the Yakut nature that are understandable only for those who arrive to see them personally.

This tour is held in a format of expedition. Description of the itinerary presents only a common plan of the expedition. In case of any force majeure (such as bad weather conditions or any other unexpected and unpredictable events), the organizers reserve the right to make changes to the program.

Tour programme
  • Day 1
    Arrival to Yakutsk
    Yakutsk
  • Day 2
    Khandyga and road of bones
    Yakutsk — Khandyga
  • Day 3
    Road to the Pole of Cold
    Khandyga — Tomtor
  • Day 4
    Oymyakon - Pole of Cold
    Tomtor
  • Day 5
    Culture and ethnography of Yakutia
    Tomtor
  • Day 6
    Acquaintance with the history of the Gulag
    Tomtor — Teply Kluch
  • Day 7
    Arrival to Yakutsk
    Teply Kluch — Yakustk
  • Day 8
    Great rocks - Lena Pillars
    Yakutsk
  • Day 9
    End of the program
    Yakutsk
  • 11:00
    Arrival to the airport of the Yakutsk city
    Transfer to the hotel. Check-in. Rest.
  • 13:00
    Lunch Not included
  • 14:00
    Meeting with your guide in the hotel
    This first meeting will allow us to get to know with each other and to discuss the tour details.
  • 15:00
    Discovery of Yakutsk
    Sightseeing tour of the city: we'll walk through the city center - acclimatization and test your equipment!
  • 19:00
    Dinner
    In the evening, we meet at the hotel restaurant for dinner together.
  • Overnight in the hotel
Photo of the day
Old Road of Bones in winter
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.
  • 14:00
    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
    Homemade dinner
  • Overnight in the homestay
Photo of the day
Route
Yakutsk — Khandyga
Accommodation
Accommodation in the homestay Khandyga
Bed in the homestay
Note

10 h 4x4  (432km)

  • 09:00
    Departure to the Tomtor village. GULAG camps
    On the way to Tomtor visit of GULAG camps on the 128 and on the 137 km of the winter route Arktika. Tomtor village is one of the contenders for the title of "Pole of Cold". Its main competitor is Oymyakon. Moreover, since 2001 the village of Tomtor traditionally gathers hundreds of people to a festival known as "Pole of Cold". The festival brings together all the Santas from the major league - from Santa Claus from Lapland to the main Russian Father Frost from Veliky Ustyug. Chyskhaan - a severe Yakut "Keeper of the cold," is present by default: it is his "home", a cave in the mountain Ebe-Khaya that is considered sacred for the local people. The village has a commemorative monument dedicated to the victims of Stalin’s repressions. It is called “The Memory Bell”.
  • 14:00
    Lunch in the café en route Not included
  • 15:00
    Continuation of the road
  • 19:00
    Arrival to Tomtor
    After the long road, we have a possibility to have a rest in the homestay of a very kindly resident.
  • 20:00
    Homemade dinner
  • Overnight in the homestay
Photo of the day
Route
Khandyga — Tomtor
Accommodation
Accommodation in the homestay in Tomtor
Bed in the twin room
Note

10 h 4x4  (472km)

5 h   (200km)

  • 08:00
    Breakfast at the homestay
  • 09:00
    Departure to Oymyakon
    Oymyakon is a true Pole of Cold. Here you will receive a certificate for visiting the coldest permanently inhabited settlement in the world.
  • 13:00
    Lunch at a roadside café
  • 14:00
    Discovery of the village
    Visit to the village with a visit to a cowshed with Yakut cows.
  • 16:00
    Return to Tomtor
    On the way to Tomtor - visit the ice-free Kuidusun river and the airport closed in winter.
  • 19:00
    Russian banya
  • 20:00
    Dinner at the guest house
  • Overnight in the homestay
Photo of the day
Route
Tomtor
Accommodation
Accommodation in the homestay in Tomtor
Bed in the twin room
Note

cultural exploration  (40km)

1 h 4x4  (40km)

  • 09:00
    Breakfast
  • 10:00
    Excursion to the Ice Residence of Chyskhaan
    It is a residence of Chyskhaan - the Yakut Santa and the cold guardian. The residencer is situated not far from the Tomtor village, in the cave Ebe-Khaya. It's a bif passage in the permafrost with an ice gallery, throne-room and depository of the cold symbol.
  • 13:00
    Lunch
  • 15:00
    Excursion to the museum of the natural history
    The exposition is devoted to the nature and history of the Tomtor village, to the everyday life of the Yakut peoples and to the Gulag period.
  • 16:00
    Excursion to the GULAG Museum
  • 19:00
    Dinner
  • Overnight in the homestay
Photo of the day
Route
Tomtor
Accommodation
Accommodation in the homestay in Tomtor
Bed in the twin room
  • 09:00
    Breakfast
  • 10:00
    Departure to Teply Kluch
    On the way to Yakutsk we will stop for the night in the village of Teplyi Kliutch, the construction of which is connected with the Magadan road. The village was a GOULAG camp.
  • 13:00
    Lunch in the cafe Not included
  • 14:00
    Continuation fo the road
  • 19:00
    Arrival to Teply Kluch
    Accommodation in the homestay, rest. *If necessary, we will stop for the night in Khandyga.
  • 20:00
    Dinner
  • Overnight in the homestay
Photo of the day
Khandyga in Winter
Route
Tomtor — Teply Kluch
Note

10 h 4x4  (472km)

5 h   (200km)

  • 11:00
    Transfer to Yakutsk
  • 13:00
    Lunch Not included
  • 14:00
    Continuation of the road
    Arrival to Yakutsk. Accommodation in the hotel.
  • 19:00
    Dinner
  • Overnight in the hotel
Photo of the day
Tourist Complex Chochur-Muran
Route
Teply Kluch — Yakustk
Accommodation
Accommodation in the hotel Azimut Yakutsk
Standard twin room
Note

8 h transfer  (489km)

  • 07:00
    Breakfast in the hotel
  • 09:00
    Excursion in the Lena Pillars Nature Park
    During this trip you will have the opportunity to see steep rocks in the form of 200 meters high pillars that are stretched for 40 km along the river . In the shapes of those rocks one can distinguish colonnades, arches or battlements. You will enjoy a wonderful rest in this fairy "land". Ascending on the top of Pillars.
  • 13:00
    Lunch (lunch box)
  • 19:00
    Festive dinner
  • Overnight in the hotel
Route
Yakutsk
Accommodation
Accommodation in the hotel Azimut Yakutsk
Standard twin room
  • 09:00
    Breakfast in the hotel
  • 11:00
    Check-out from the hotel and transfer to the airport
    Possible extensions: visit of the Mammoth museum and the museum of the Kingdom of the Permafrost (not included). End of the programme.
Photo of the day
Route
Yakutsk
Detailed description
New departures available soon
Price includes
  • Russian-spaking guide
  • Accommodation as per itinerary
  • Excursions and visits as per itinerary
  • Bathing in springs
  • Airplane/ train tickets
  • Celebratory dinner with alcoholic beverages
  • Letter of invitation
  • Meals according to the program
  • Accident insurance
  • Nature reserves and parks entrance permissions
  • English-speaking guide services
Price does not include
  • Personal expenses and tips
  • Visa fees and travel insurance
  • Airline tickets
For more info, please download the detailed description of the trip.
Note

The price given is for a group of 4 people. If there are less than 4 persons, the price of the tour will be recalculated. Maximum group size - 8 people. Take attention that in Yakutia the temperatures can be really low. Please, follow our check-list before the departure. All the not-included meals will be negotiated with the group members once on spot (additional charge). It's possible to book the plane tickets with us (additional expences). The itinerary of the tour can be changed according to the road or weather conditions as well as unforeseen events.

Reviews
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!
This guest did not leave a comment.
4.17
4.17
Total score
4.00
Work of BaikalNature office before and during travel / customer support
5.00
Quality of accommodation
4.00
Quality of transport / transfers
4.00
Quality of meals
4.00
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!
beau voyage; l'organisation est bonne dans son ensemble et le programme est bien respecté; une remarque au niveau du guide: il devrait donner au groupe plus d'explications sur l'histoire de la yakoutie, les coutumes du peuples yakoutes et la vie d'aujourd'hui; sinon le point très positif est que le guide parlait très bien le Français..... en conclusion, continuez donc à organiser des beaux voyages
  Read more
No reviews anymore or no reviews at all for this tour. Below reviews for destination:
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.
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
Pierre
From 19 June 2016 to 28 June 2016
Destination: Yakutia
Would you like to travel with BaikalNature again? Yes!
Nous sommes rentrés de voyage ce jour mardi 28 juin 2016. Beaucoup de découvertes, de péripéties, mais tout dans la bonne humeur. Pour les fêtes, le samedi, départ à 10:00 et 2,30 heures de trajet. Arrivée à 12:30. Bien évidemment nous ne sommes pas rentrés à 14:00. Le dimanche, le trajet a été beaucoup plus rapide, 45 minutes. Le dernier jour, retour à l'aéroport. Un taxi est venu, une
  Read more
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