• the Dytiatky checkpoint – the entrance to the Exclusion Zone, at 30km distance from the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant;
• Wild nature of the Exclusion zone – on board of an all-terrain vehicle Sherp you will be wading through step hills, impassable thickets, marshes, rivers and primeval forests of the territory, where no one has being stepped foot for 34 years.
• 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 even several hotels. This is the place where we stay overnight with our tourists in multi-day tours;
• 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. We will see its giant antennas and walk through the secret soviet military town Chornobyl-2 that was built especially for maintaining the radar;
• the Leliv checkpoint – the entrance to the core of the Zone at 10km distance from the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant;
• the Red Forest – a place of the first and worst radioactive fallout. Crossing the so-called western trace of contamination on board of 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 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, that 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. The list above is a common route we normally follow on a one-day tour. If instead of this, you want to spend more time in Prypiat, visit re-settlers (people, evacuated after the Chornobyl disaster in 1986, who illegally came back soon after and have been living in abandoned villages since that time) or go somewhere else within the Exclusion Zone, just let us know! We will do everything to meet your needs and satisfy your interest and adrenalin thirst. Attention! Please keep in mind that there can be some changes in the route due to weather conditions.

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.

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.

Please note: in case of the cancellation of the tour or changing/rebooking the date of the tour from your side less than in 3 days to the date of the tour there is no refund of the deposit.

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

10 a.m. – 2 p.m. approximately – visit highlights of the Zone, such as Radar Duga -1, Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and the city of Prypiat.

2 p.m. approximately – lunch We will visit the local canteen #19, that’s serving the ChNPP employees and visitors. There you will have 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 p.m. approximately – Leliv checkpoint. Exit from the 10-km Zone

3.30-5 p.m. approximately – driving the all-terrain vehicle Sherp within the 30-km Exclusion zone. 6:00-7:00 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 don’t have any radioactive particles on our clothes or shoes.

8:00-9:00 p.m. approximately – arrival back in Kyiv We take you back to your hotel, restaurant for dinner or any other place of your choice within the Kyiv city limits.

In a Sherp-racing private tour there can be no more than 8 tourists. This gives you an undeniable advantage to see, hear, feel and experience far more than in a bigger group.

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 is not 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.

CLOSED CLOTHES - trousers (no shorts, no britches, no skirts) and a jacket or a shirt with long sleeves. Your clothes must fully cover your legs and arms.

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

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

• 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

To fully understand and feel the most special matter of the Chernobyl Zone, namely, radiation, you can rent the Geiger counter. Your personal dosimeter will make radiation “visible” for you during the whole day, constantly informing you about the radiation background around. It will ensure you that being at the very place of the disaster you are on the safe side as long as you follow the approved tourist route.

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

- Sergii Mirnyi, Chornobyl 1986 liquidator, a commander of radiation reconnaissance platoon.

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 Zone .

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!