Chernobyl
Here at ScootKyiv we believe that Kyiv is a great reason alone to come to Ukraine. We concentrate on creating awesome tours with awesome guides that show off Kyiv as best as we can. However, it’s no secret that many tourists come to Kyiv specifically to see the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone - scene of the world’s biggest nuclear disaster in 1986. The success of the HBO miniseries “Chernobyl“ has added to the popularity and interest about the site - and some estimates suggest over 100,000 tourists visited Chernobyl in 2019.
There are a large number of tour operators providing trips to Chernobyl and it may be confusing who to choose. We wanted to help our customers make an informed choice so ScootKyiv has personally met with, taken a tour and can recommend each of the following operators. Each has their own unique take on a trip to ‘The Zone’ so we provide some information and let you decide!!
Access to the Zone is tightly controlled and guided tours are the only way to see the site safely and legally. The simplest tours start at one day - although there are options to spend up to a week in the Zone for those with particular interests. It’s best to book in advance for best prices - last minute tours are available but often more expensive. A typical 1 day visit will be a long day - leaving Kyiv by 8am and returning at 8pm. Additionally there will be lots of walking and exploring in areas of uneven footing. You must wear long sleeved clothes and trousers to enter the Zone - so some comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes is a good idea! Additionally you must remember to take your Passport with you!
Radiation safety is obviously a concern, but guided tours follow a carefully planned route that keeps radiation levels well under control. Each customer will have a personal exposure counter and the guide will have a more sophisticated Geiger counter for spot readings. A typical day’s tour is actually only the equivalent of an hours flight in an aeroplane!
A 1 day group tour would generally cover the following pattern:
Meet 8am
Drive to Chernobyl (2 hours)
Enter the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone military checkpoint
Exploring a rural village to get a glimpse of traditional Soviet life
Exploring Chernobyl city to see memorial sites
Viewing of Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
Lunch at Plant Worker’s canteen
Exploring the abandoned Soviet model town of Pripyat
Visit to the Duga Radar - a impressive relic of the cold war hidden in the forests
Pass through exit military checkpoint and final safety radiation scan
Drive back to Kyiv
Longer tours and Private tours will have more flexibility in the schedule and you will be able to discuss the specifics of your trip with your Guide beforehand.
CHERNOBYLwel.come
Chernobyl is a must see site - controversial, and empty. And when you have the right guide next to you, it will challenge your worldview and maybe even become life-changing. We have seen our previous explorers even tattooing the Geiger Muller counter or our logo on their forearms.
Why? Ask them. We can only guess it is because of the atmosphere we create - with a 1986 newspaper, unique footage and pictures that make time-travelling back to the Soviet Union era possible, even having a ride in a Soviet Volga and trying on the costume of the liquidator has become the iconic "must dos" in Chernobyl. Maybe it is because our guides don’t just provide you with info, and take care of your safety, but they truly care and go the extra mile. We also have a real legend, a living hero on every tour - an inhabitant of Pripyat, a liquidator, who is giving you first hand stories. You will become an insider of Chernobyl, you will never look at the Chernobyl series or any documentary the same way again.
How did we make this the safest tour on the planet? Long before the corona times, we used airline level disinfection and protection - face masks for free, dosimeters for free, 3 dosimetric controls a day...and all the routes and places you visit were checked by professionals hundreds of times.
Coming to the Chernobyl Zone with CHERNOBYLwel.come means you leave a legacy, 1% of your price goes directly to Chernobyl babushkas to supply them with groceries, medicaments, and help around their homes. Thank you for making a difference.
Book directly with CHERNOBYLwel.come using the link below. Mention ScootKyiv when booking for some great free extras when you take a tour :)
Contamination Zone
Contamination Zone is a group of people who are united by our love for the Chernobyl Zone – we spend large parts of our life talking and teaching about the zone because it is so much more than “just a place” or “just a job” to us.
We are a small team with many years of experience in Ukraine, Pripyat and Chernobyl. Some of us have experience in tourism, some of us have experience in transport and logistics, others have experience in planning and office based tasks.
Specialising in private trips for photographers, film crews, and people who want an extra special experience, our trips are totally customisable. We regularly have long discussions about your wishes before your trip so we can make sure the day is exactly as you would like it to be. If you have any wish simply let us know and we will do our best to make it happen.
One of the main things that makes us different from other companies is that we don’t make a profit – the money earned from the trips we run is reinvested in the zone, going to causes such as animal welfare programs, fire fighting equipment and memorial maintenance.
Book directly with Contamination Zone. Mention ScootKyiv for a special discount!!
CHORNOBYL TOUR
CHORNOBYL-TOUR™ will open for you a world of the Chernobyl Zone - its rich history, beautiful nature and resilient resident-"self-settlers”. In 1 or 2 full-day trips you will see the town of Chernobyl, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and the famous Sarcophagus, abandoned 50-thousand town of Pripyat and villages, which gradually turn into wilderness.
CHORNOBYL-TOUR will present you a map of the trip and terrain, provide you with opportunity to rent a personal dosimeter (Geiger counter), and prepare a route according to your requests.
Excursions to Chernobyl - fascinating, safe, competent. And, of course, comfortable.
Book directly with CHORNOBYL TOUR using the link below. You will automatically receive 5% discount as a ScootKyiv customer :)