Dytiatky checkpoint – the entrance to the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, at 30 km distance from the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant;

the Leliv checkpoint – the entrance to the core of the Zone at 10km distance from the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant;

Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant

In your private tour you can choose one of the four following routes around the power plant:

1. Route “Basic” includes:

· 800-meters “golden corridor”;

· The Central Control Room, the only original location that is operational nowadays;

· Unique Soviet analog computer “SKALA”; 

· Unit 3 Control room;

· Unit 3 Main Circulating Pumps that provided water to the core of the Reactor.

· Valerii Khodemchuk Memorial, dedicated to the first victim of the disaster.

2. Route “Basic+” includes:

· 800-meters “golden corridor”;

· The Central Control Room, the only original location that is operational nowadays;

· Unique Soviet analog computer “SKALA”; 

· Unit 3 Control room;

· Unit 3 Main Circulating Pumps that provided water to the core of the Reactor.

· Valerii Khodemchuk Memorial, dedicated to the first victim of the disaster.

· Unit 4 Control room – the very place where on the 26th of April 1986the accident happened.

· Unit 3 Central hall, where you will see the Upper biological shield of the RBMK-Reactor 

3. Route ‘Mock-up’ includes:

· An observation pavilion;

· Mock-ups of Reactor # 4 and the New safe confinement in a sectional view

· A detailed mock-up of the object ‘Shelter’ that covers the damaged Reactor # 4 under the New Safe confinement; 

· An amazing panoramic view of the New safe confinement in close proximity.

This route takes about 1 hour. It is designed for those who, being limited in time, want to get a general idea of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and detailed information about causes and consequences of the accident, to find out everything about the object ‘Shelter’ and the biggest movable structure in the world – 36,000-tons ‘Arch’ called the New safe confinement.

4. Route ‘Protective’ includes:

· An operational bunker under Chornobyl power plant;

· The crisis center that used to be liquidators headquarters after the Chornobyl disaster. The same bunker was showed in the first episode of HBO ‘Chornobyl’ as a meeting place of Soviet authorities first hours after the accident happened;

· An exposition of radiation monitoring devices with the possibility to use some of them;

· A living room for personnel with ‘bunk beds’, communication systems and full complement in case of emergency situations;

This route takes about 1 hour. It is designed for admirers of military and reconnaissance objects and for those who want to feel the real atmosphere of the first hours after the biggest nuclear accident in human history. 

•  Every route includes lunch at the canteen # 19 of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. 
•  Every route is guided by experts – professional guides and workers of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
•  Before and after every route you will go through  radiation-monitoring frames so that you can be sure that you are completely clean and are not contaminated by radiation (don’t have any radioactive particles on our clothes or shoes).

! Please, take into account that the Chornobyl nuclear power plant is the State object with strict rules and time limits. Sometimes the staff of the power plant can regulate the numbers of tourists at some locations, for example, to join your group to another one. 

In a full-day private tour you will have an extra advantage to visit not only the Chornobyl nuclear power plant but also the most desirable from the following locations: 

the Red Forest is the closest wood to the Nuclear Power Plant. It was dramatically affected by the huge amount of radioactive fallout. You will cross the so-called Western radioactive trace on board of the bus and make a short stop for measuring radiation at the roadside of Red Forest and for taking photos of the welcoming sign of Prypiat; 

the ghost-town of Prypiat – an abandoned atomic town built for the power plant’s workers, located just 3 kilometers away from the plant. Prypiat was a role model town intended to demonstrate to the world how the built communism looks like. 44,5 thousand people from that soviet Paradise were evacuated on the 27th of April 1986. Now the town is totally abandoned.  

We will visit the most iconic sights, including the Amusement Park with the Ferris Wheel that has never been launched, the Polissia Hotel, the Palace of Culture “Energetic”, the main stadium and other legendary locations. 

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

The radar ‘Duga-1’ – the Soviet over-the-horizon radiolocation system, used for early-warning detecting of nuclear missiles from the USA. This 146-meters high and 750-meters long antenna is located in the top-secret military base ‘Chornobyl-2’ and has a nickname ‘Russian woodpecker’. During the nuclear disarmament process, all similar antennas were destroyed. The radar ‘Duga-1’ is the only one that is left. Nowadays the issue of inscribing this unique object on UNESCO's World Heritage list is being addressed;  

the robots exhibition – the open-air demonstration of transport vehicles, including armored military trucks, loader crane ‘Foresteri’ from Finland and a robot “STR-1”, made on the chassis of a Soviet moon-walker. They are not mock-ups but the real robots that were used in 1986-87 to clean up the most contaminated locations, such as the roof of unit # 3. Thanks to those robots, which could be operated remotely, dozens of people's lives were saved;

the memorial ‘To Those who Saved the World’ – the monument erected 10 years after the disaster in memory of first responders to the nuclear accident – doctors, dosimetrists, firefighters, and people with acute radiation sickness. This memorial is unique, as it was made by the local firefighters, despite they were not professional sculptors;

the town of Chornobyl – the local administrative center, partially abandoned, partially inhabited by so-called self-settlers – people who came back to the Zone after the disaster to stayed there to live. There are a lot of facilities in Chornobyl town, such as a hospital, a fire station, a museum “Wormwood Star”, shops, laboratories, dormitories, canteens and even hotels where our tourists stay overnight in multi-day tours.  Chornobyl is the oldest local settlement, which gave its name to the Power Plant. After the disaster, it was evacuated. Now about 1300 people work here on a rotation basis. 

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.

If you are limited in time but want to visit the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, you can book a half-day private tour that starts from the satellite-town Slavutych. Here you will have a chance to take a special commuting train, used only by workers of the power plant. To get more details about routes, schedule and price of this tour, ask our managers.  

Since private tour is tailored up to your wishes, all the timing is approximate and completely depends on your plans and schedules.

Schedule (standard)

7:30-7:50 a.m. – meeting in Kyiv

8:00 a.m. – departure from Kyiv

We pick you up at your hotel or any other place of your choice within the Kyiv city limits.

Please don’t forget your PASSPORT.

Your guide will be waiting for you near the bus with a radiation sign under the windshield.

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 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 walk on-site by foot – to explore the most famous places. 

10:30 a.m. – crossing Leliv checkpoint

the entrance to the core of the Zone at 10km distance from the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The procedure of entering the 10km Zone is simplified – you will be asked to show your passport and e-ticket to the police officer and after that you are ready to proceed with your trip.

11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. – the tour inside the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant 

Important! For those who choose ‘Protective’ or ‘Mock-up’ routes time inside the Chornobyl nuclear power plant and further schedule can shift. If you want to find out more ask our managers.  

3:00 p.m. (approximately) – lunch

You will have your ‘atomic’ lunch at the local canteen #19, that’s serving the ChNPP employees and visitors.  It is a real canteen that worked before and after the Chornobyl disaster and is still operational. You will have the same lunch as employees of the power plant and will be impressed with the size of your portion. That is a traditional Ukrainian meal made of ecologically clean products. If you are a vegetarian, please inform CHORNOBYL TOUR manager about your eating habits when booking the trip

3:30-6 p.m. approximately - sightseeing drive and walking tour in the Chornobyl Zone

Visit your most preferable locations in the Exclusion Zone, such as the ghost-town of Prypiat, the radar ‘Duga-1’, the town of Chornobyl, etc. This list can be shortened or extended depends on your wish and time. 

! Please take into account that there is a curfew in the Chornobyl Exclusion zone. Not later than at 7 p.m.(SHARP) tourists of the one-day trip must leave the Zone.   

6:30 p.m. approximately – Dytiatky checkpoint 

Exit from the Chornobyl exclusion zone. While your guide does the final paperwork, take your time to buy memorable souvenirs with ‘radioactive’ symbols at info-centers. Also, you can buy a postcard, which you will sign and give us to be sent to your addressee, who will inevitably be amazed, getting a card from Chornobyl!

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

*The schedule is different for a half-day tour from Slavutych town. It includes only the visit to the Chornobyl  power plant (one of four routes of your choice) and lunch, without the explorations of the Exclusion zone itself. For the details, please, contact our managers.

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. 

* CHERNOBYL 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.

CLOSED SHOES – boots or sneakers, which fully cover your feet without fancy openings, please. 

CLOSED CLOTHES – trousers (no shorts, no knee-breeches, no skirts) and a jacket or a shirt with long sleeves. Your clothes should fully cover your legs and arms without fancy openings, please.  

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

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

•   have comfortable shoes and clothes as we are going to walk a lot on-site 
•  check the weather forecast and be prepared for rain or shine – dress warmly for freezing temperatures, have a hat for hot weather, waterproof shoes and spare socks for rain, snow or dew on the grass
•  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, a 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 in 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!