In the 2-day kayak-canoe tour you will see:

• the Dytiatky checkpoint – the entrance to the Exclusion Zone, at 30km distance from the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant;
• the village of Cherevach located 26 kilometers from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant on the bank of the river Uzh. It is one of 188 settlements that were fully evacuated after the accident. Today the only inhabited and cozily furnished household in Cherevach is a local forester’s house;
• the town of Chornobyl – the local administrative center and the rotational settlement for the employees of the Exclusion Zone with operating facilities, laboratories, dormitories, canteens, shops and several hotels;
• the memorial “To Those who Saved the World” – the monument erected by the local firefighters in memory of the first responders to the nuclear accident;
• the robots exhibition – the open-air demonstration of transport vehicles and robots that were used in 1986-87 clean-up activities;
• the Leliv checkpoint – the entrance to the core of the Zone at 10km distance from the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant;
• the village of Kopachi only 4 km away from the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The whole settlement was turned into a burial site because of contamination. One of the few buildings that were left is the local kindergarten with children’s bedrooms, toys and books still inside;
• the Red Forest – a place of the first and worst radioactive fallout. Crossing the so-called western trace of contamination on board the bus;
• the ghost-town of Prypiat – more than 1-hour walk through the abandoned Soviet Paradise town, built especially for the ChNPP workers and fully evacuated after the accident. Exploration of the most famous places in Prypiat including the Amusement Park with the Ferris Wheel that was never launched because of the accident, the Polissia Hotel, the Town Hall, the Palace of Culture Energetic, the central square, the main stadium and other iconic locations.

Attention! Entering buildings in Prypiat is officially prohibited because of their poor condition;

• the radar Duga-1 well-known as “Russian Woodpecker” and “Hidden Eye of Moscow” – the over-the-horizon radiolocation station that was spying on the USA from Chornobyl woods before the accident. About 2 hours for exploring the site of the giant antennas and a walk through the secret soviet military town Chornobyl-2 that was built especially for maintaining the radar and horizon tracking of the ballistic missiles’ launch;
• the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant – sightseeing drive around the decommissioned power plant and stop at the observation point only 250 m away from the damaged reactor 4, which is now double covered by the Old Sarcophagus (Object Shelter) and the Arch (New Safe Confinement).

You can find all these locations on the map of the Chornobyl Zone.

Please keep in mind that there can be some changes in the route due to weather conditions and/or restrictions from the Governmental institutions.

To spend more time on the chosen locations or to visit more of the interesting places of the Zone please book a multi-day tour or a private tour. 

DAY 1

7:30-7:50 a.m. – meeting in Kyiv

Please, be on time for registration and don’t forget your PASSPORT.

Your guide will be waiting for you near the bus with a radiation sign under the windshield. In case there are several groups – each bus will have a list of participants on the door. Please, find your name in the list to identify your bus.

*meeting place on the map*

 ! Simplify your way to the meeting point and order our transfer – pick-up/drop-off service.

8:00 a.m. SHARP – departure from Kyiv

! Please, be in time. In case of no-show the trip prepayment (25%) is not refundable.

The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is about 120 km away. It takes up to 2 hours of a drive (depending on traffic) on board a comfortable bus with air conditioning or a comfortable private car.

On your way to the Zone you will review the detailed itinerary of the trip and receive safety instructions. The guide will be happy to answer all your questions regarding the trip, radiation and nuclear accident. You will also be offered to watch documentaries about the Chornobyl accident.

10 a.m. approximately – arrival at the Chornobyl Zone

We arrive at the Dytiatky checkpoint which is the official entrance to the Exclusion Zone. Take your time at the local information centers for tea/coffee/snacks while the guide will be taking care of the paperwork needed for the visit. That is your chance to buy unique souvenirs in the memory of the trip and everything you may need during the trip: from a Geiger Counter to paper tissues.

After passport control conducted by the local police, we begin the tour inside the Exclusion Zone. We drive between locations on board the bus and by kayak, as well as walk on-site by foot – to explore the most famous places.

11 a.m. approximately – transfer to kayaks in the village of Cherevach

12-5 p.m. approximately – kayaking

You will be rowing for 18 kilometers along rivers Uzh and Prypiat in the area of the Chornobyl Biosphere Reserve. This route was checked and approved for tourism by dosimetrists, ecologists, and the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management. Before you start a water part of the trip, our instructors will conduct a brief training on how to use kayaks and will familiarize you with safety regulations and radiation safety rules. Then you will be given the necessary equipment and will start your water adventure.

6-7:30 p.m. approximately – arrival in the town of Chornobyl, hotel check-in and dinner in local café

We stay overnight and have dinner at one of the Chornobyl town hotels.

You can pre-order a hearty and ecologically-clean dinner, breakfast and lunch. That is a traditional Ukrainian meal made of ecologically clean products. It is not included in the cost of the trip and is optional.

Please, pre-order your dinner in advance.

If you are a vegetarian, please inform CHORNOBYL TOUR manager about your eating habits when booking the trip.

8-9:30 p.m. approximately – “Chornobyl in the night”: walk around the town (optional).

Being the tourists of the two-day tour, you will have an incredible opportunity to walk around the town of Chornobyl in the evening and take pictures of beautiful “post apocalyptic” sunset.

DAY 2

7:30-8:30 a.m. – breakfast in Chornobyl town hotel

9:30-6:30 p.m. – sightseeing drive and walking tour in the Chornobyl Zone

We will see the most of the prominent places of the Exclusion Zone, such as Prypiat, radar Duga-1, the town of Chornobyl. We will also come close to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and visit one of the abandoned villages of the Zone where you will observe half-ruined houses, shops, and industrial buildings, and hear stories about people evacuated from those settlements after the Chornobyl disaster.

2:30 p.m. approximately – lunch

We will visit the local canteen #19, that’s serving the ChNPP employees and visitors. It is not included in the cost of the trip and is optional.

6:30-7 p.m. approximately – departure from the Chornobyl Zone

On our way from the Zone we go through radiation control twice to make sure that we are completely clean and are not contaminated by radiation (don’t have any radioactive particles on our clothes or shoes).

8:30-9 p.m. approximately – arrival back in Kyiv

Must have in the Zone:

PASSPORT (not ID) – it should be the one that you specified in the application for the trip! It is impossible to enter the Zone without a passport.

* CHORNOBYL TOUR shall not be liable for your failure to enter the Exclusion zone because of the wrong passport number / name / date of birth / nationality or wrong passport on the day of the trip.

TWO PAIRS OF CLOSED SHOES – one pair of boots or sneakers, which fully cover your feet for walking, and one pair of comfortable shoes for kayaking (for example, special neoprene footwear on the rubberized sole for kayaking).

TWO SETS OF CLOTHING – trousers (no shorts, no knee-breeches, no skirt) and a jacket or a shirt with long sleeves for walking, and comfortable skintight sportswear with long sleeves and long trouser legs for kayaking.

Attention! Your shoes and clothes will be definitely wet after two hours of rowing, so, please, make sure that you will have a change of clothes (including underwear and socks) so that you will be ready for a long walk in the afternoon.

! It is PROHIBITED to wear any open type clothing and footwear in the Zone.

WATERPROOF COVERS for your documents, cash, gadgets and anything else you might want to take with you on board of kayak.

To make sure your trip is comfortable and enjoyable, we advise you to:

• check the weather forecast and be prepared for rain or shine – dress warmly for cold temperatures, have a hat for hot weather, waterproof shoes and spare socks for rain or dew on the grass
• have some sunscreen in case of sunny weather
• have a repellent for mosquito season
• have some wet wipes or paper tissues
• have some sandwiches and bottled water with you to have a bite on the way

To see the invisible – book a DOSIMETER

In order to fully understand and feel the most special matter of the Chornobyl zone – namely, radiation – we highly recommend you to rent the reliable personal Geiger Counter. Just click on the checkbox "Dosimeter" when you are ordering the tour.

"To go to the Chornobyl zone without a dosimeter is like going to the usual tour with your eyes blindfolded."

- Sergii Mirnyi, CHORNOBYL TOUR founder, radiation reconnaissance officer

Legal issues

No weapons (even with a legal permit) are allowed within the territory of the Exclusion zone.

Visitors under the influence of alcohol or drugs are not allowed to visit the site.

Age limit

According to Ukrainian law, every visitor of the Exclusion zone should be over the age of 18. No underage visitors will be admitted under any circumstances. Notarized parental consent or even their personal presence on the trip do not change this rule.

Almost there?

Meanwhile, you still can see the Chornobyl zone! Get an unforgettable helicopter tour or plane tour to see the Exclusion zone from the skies!  

Health issues

If you suffer from any chronic disease or have a mental disorder, please, consult your doctor before booking this tour. Kayak tour at the Chornobyl exclusion zone is not recommended for people with hydrophobia, claustrophobia, heart diseases, epilepsy and disorders of motor functions.

Please, take into account that each kayak is driven by two tourists only, not by professional rowers. Please, assess, whether your physical ability and health conditions will allow you to row for at least five hours, partially against the stream. If you have any doubts about it, please, consult your doctor in advance.