Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Having arrived at the Dytyatky checkpoint (30km from the reactor) papers and pass-
ports are rechecked and the official guide joins the group. After the 10km checkpoint
(more checks) itineraries vary from agency to agency, but all trips include a photo op
near reactor No 4, a stroll around the eerie ghost town of Pripyat with its spooky fair-
ground, abandoned school, swimming pool and hotel, and lunch in Chornobyl town (all
the ingredients are brought from Kyiv).
The official state-employed guides really know their stuff, and where to find hotspots
caused by buried bits of radioactive something. These send the Geiger counter readout
crazy (and tour participants into slightly nervous oohs and aahs).
Different people react in different ways to the tour. Whether it be the sight of reactor
No 4, or the plight of the 'liquidators', the nonchalance of the Soviet authorities or the
tragedy of the model Soviet town of Pripyat that leaves the biggest impression, you're
likely to be in a pensive mood by the time you reach the two checkpoints again. Here
simple radiation checks are carried out before the journey back to Kyiv.
Is it Dangerous?
The simple answer is - no. Well, not unless you go wandering off into undergrowth for
too long, bring back a few Soviet-era souvenirs from Pripyat, or feast on forest berries
and mushrooms (all activities strictly forbidden, by the way). By all accounts you are ex-
posed to twice the amount of radiation on a trans-Atlantic flight than you are during an
entire day at Chornobyl and, somewhat ironically, radiation levels are actually higher on
maydan Nezalezhnosti, from where some tours depart, than in most of the exclusion
zone! If you're worried about radiation, hire a Geiger counter from your tour agency.
Tour Agencies
Agencies should provide transfers to the exclusion zone, transport around it, an English-
speaking guide, and the necessary permits and insurance as a minimum. Some charge ex-
tra for lunch and most will rent you a Geiger counter for around US$10 a day. Agencies
include:
Soloeast
(
279 3505;
www.tourkiev.com
; vul Prorizna 10, office 105;
9am-6pm
Mon-Fri;
Kreshchatyk ) Online booking and credit card payment.
Tour2Chernobyl
( 096 785 4363;
www.tour2chernobyl.com
;
vul Khreshchatyk 19A,
Kyiv;
9am-6pm;
Khreshchatyk) Popular agency with online booking facility.
