In a three-day photo 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 Zalissya – one of the biggest settlements in the Zone that was evacuated in May 1986. Here you will have your first ‘sip’ of the Zone atmosphere: abandoned yards, a playground, engulfed by vegetation and dilapidated houses where 3000 locals used to live happily. You will walk down the street named after Rosalia Otroshko – the very last one from so-called self-settlers, people who came back to live in the Zone after the evacuation. Authentic tableware and remains of domestic utensils in the abandoned houses will provide insight into everyday life of Soviet citizens;
• the Leliv checkpoint – the entrance to the core of the Zone at 10km distance from the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. This is one of the favorite places of some wild animals to get out of the forest and come closer to tourists;
• the radar ‘Duga-1’ – the Soviet over-the-horizon radiolocation system, used for early-warning detecting of nuclear missiles launched from the USA. An enormous antenna, located in the top-secret military base Chornobyl-2 is 146-meters high and 750-meters long has its own magic spirit that you will definitely capture on your pictures. In sunny weather it is glowing, in foggy weather, it looks really mysterious. Despite the season and the time of the day, this unique object with a nickname ‘Russian Woodpecker’ will captivate you completely. Being tourists of the multi-day tour, you will have a privilege to see not only the unique over-the-horizon radar station with the command and training centers but also the civilian part of the secret military town Chornobyl-2, where the officers serving the radar and their families used to live before the Chornobyl disaster;
• the village of Kopachi – the nearest settlement to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. With its abandoned kindergarten, full of kids’ toys and tiny sandals, it is the best place for making creepy photos. Moreover, here you will film an invisible substance – radiation, which your Geiger counters will demonstrate to you at the hotspot. Furthermore, unlike tourists of the one-day tour you will be able to go deeper into this village, and explore the collective farm, the ancient beehive made of a tree trunk, and the machine-tractor station with original Soviet agricultural machinery, overgrown with vegetation;
• the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant – the very place of the biggest nuclear disaster in human history. You will see it from all possible angles: an amazing panoramic view of the huge cooling tower, an unfinished Unit # 5 and the ‘iron forest’ (the switchyard), the turbine hall with beautiful graffiti of Przewalski’s horses, the fire station that is still operational, and the cooling channel where during the warm season you can feed huge catfish. As for notorious Unit № 4, covered with both the old sarcophagus “Shelter” and the biggest movable structure in the world called “New safe confinement” – you will take photos from an only 270-meter distance!
• the Red Forest – the forest that was badly affected by an enormous dose of radioactive fallout and turned red, ginger and brown. The legendary place where you will see on the one side – a welcoming sign ‘Prypiat’, and an international warning sign of radiation with the terrifying Red Forest behind it on the opposite side;
• the ghost-town of Prypiat – an abandoned atomic town, built in 1980 for the workers of the power plant, a model town of the Soviet Union. It is the highlight of your tour, the place where you will take iconic pictures of 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 ‘must-see’ locations. An extended program of the three-day tour includes also some places that are inaccessible for tourists of a shorter trip. For example, the large crane claw used after the Chornobyl disaster to clean up the radioactive graphite, the hospital, where the firefighters and ChNPP workers were brought at night of the accident, abandoned schools and kindergartens full of Soviet propaganda materials and gas masks, the Jupiter factory producing top-secret objects for Soviet defense, and the swimming pool “Azure” that remained operational and was used by the liquidators during 12 years after the accident!

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

• the robots exhibition – the open-air demonstration of transport vehicles, including armored military trucks, cranes ‘Foresteri’ from Finland and a Soviet moon-walker ‘STR’. They are not mock-ups but the real robots that were used in 1986-87 to clean up the most contaminated locations. This location is a paradise for admirers of military and reconnaissance objects;
• the town of Chornobyl – the local administrative center that gave its name to the nuclear power plant. This town was evacuated but today is partially inhabited by so-called self-settlers – people who came back to the Zone after the disaster and stayed there to live. With its monument of Trumpeting Angel, the Alley of Abandoned villages and old Soviet vehicles on the streets Chornobyl town is a very atmospheric place for your pictures. As the tourists of a three-day tour, you will have an incredible opportunity to walk around the Chornobyl town in the evening, take pictures of the “post-apocalyptic” sunset, and stay overnight at the local hotel;
• the unfinished reactors 5 and 6 of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant 3rd stage;
• the half-constructed cooling towers with iconic graffiti of the Australian artist Guido van Helton;
• the fish and rodent scientific experimental base standing at the bank of the dried out cooling pond. It was used for fish farming before the Chornobyl accident and for radiation experiments on fish and animals after the nuclear explosion;
• the graveyard of contaminated vehicles next to the Prypiat ghost-town;
• the memorial "Life for Life” in front of the administrative building of the ChNPP;
• the left bank of the Prypiat-river – stunning view from the Paryshiv bridge over the river and acquaintance with nature of the river flood plain;
• remote villages of Krasne, Paryshiv, Kupovate, Opachychi – travelling around the abandoned villages of the left bank of the Prypiat river, observing the local abandoned households, administrative buildings and farms as well as the remains of old Orthodox churches, contaminated cars, military vehicles and fire trucks;
• self-settlers (“samosely”) you will visit the original residents of the Exclusion zone in their authentic environment. These people were evacuated in 1986 after the nuclear accident but returned illegally to their homes soon after. Neglecting the radiation danger and the challenges presented by life in abandoned villages, they have been living on the territory of Mandatory Evacuation since that time. “Samosely” will be happy to show you their houses, offer you tea and food cooked in the old ovens, tell everything you might be interested in and pose for your pictures. In addition to always unbeatable wild nature of the Zone, time at self-settlers’ homes will make your visit unforgettable.

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

In a 3-day tour, you will have an option to visit other locations upon your request in case of good weather and favorable conditions.

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

Looking for the new ways of exploration in the Zone? Book a river tour or an air tour with us.

Day 1

7:30-7:50 a.m. – meeting in Kyiv

Please be in 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.

*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.

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.

10:00 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 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 locations.

! Please, note that we have a scheduled lunch in the afternoon only on the last day of the tour. So please have some sandwiches and bottled water with you to have a bite on the way.

7 p.m. approximately – hotel check-in and dinner in Chornobyl

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

The dinner 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.

Please note! The meals in the tour are optional and not included in the price. You can pre-order a hearty and ecologically-clean dinners, breakfasts, and lunch when booking the tour.

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

Day 2

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

! Please, take into account that in this day local canteen does not provide our tourists with lunch. So, bring snacks, sandwiches and drink with you. You can leave your packages and backpacks in our bus so that your hands will be free for your photo camera.

6:00- 7:00 p.m. approximately – arrival back to the Chornobyl hotel for dinner and an overnight stay

Day 3

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

2.00 p.m. approximately – lunch in the local canteen #19 that is serving the ChNPP employees and visitors.

3-6 p.m. at the discretion of the group it is possible to:

• Set off on a trip to the farthest villages of Chornobyl exclusion zone, such as Krasne, Paryshiv or Kupovate. They are almost inaccessible for tourists and hence best-preserved nowadays, with furniture and household utensils of the former locals in the abandoned buildings. There you will be able to take the most spectacular pictures of overgrown pathways and silent buildings that keep memories of their landlords. You will observe not only residential houses but also administrative buildings and farms, the remains of old Orthodox churches, contaminated cars, military vehicles, and fire trucks. Moreover, in those villages, you will most likely meet wild animals of the Zone, for example, roe deer, moose, foxes, and Przewalski’s horses.

OR

• visit self-settlers of the Chornobyl exclusion zone and see the unique atmosphere of simple and peaceful peasant life, have a cozy tea party and heart-to-heart chat with brave old people who despite the radiation came back to their home, the abandoned villages of the Exclusion Zone in 1986-87, shortly after they had been evacuated.

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).

9 p.m. approximately – arrival back in Kyiv

If you are limited in time and money but still dream about having incredible views and taking iconic pictures of the main landmarks of the Chornobyl exclusion zone, you can book a one-day photo-tour or a two-day photo tour.

Want to feel absolutely free, move around with your camera and form a ‘must-see’ location list by yourself? Book a private tour!

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.

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!  

Equipment usage

It is strictly prohibited to put anything on the ground inside the Zone. In photo tours, this rule concerns first of all your photo appliances. So, if you are going to use a tripod, please cover its legs with something disposable (for example, with plastic bags or duct tape), otherwise, it may result in radioactive contamination of your equipment. When you go through mandatory dose-monitoring frames coming back from the Zone, and some radioactive particles on your items are found, you will easily decontaminate them (usually, it’s enough just to shake or wash them), or leave them in the Zone if decontamination was not successful. You will agree that it is much simpler and cheaper to get rid of plastic bags on the legs of your tripod than to throw away the tripod, won't you?

Conclusion: as long as you respect the radiation safety rules there is no threat to your personal belongings and equipment.