In the 1-day private kayak-canoe tour you can choose one of two following routes:

Route “Basic”, which includes:

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

Please keep in mind that there can be some changes in the route due to weather conditions.

The list above is a common route we normally follow on a one-day kayak-canoe private tour. If instead of the ghost-town of Prypiat you would like to spend your afternoon walking around the secret military base Chornobyl-2 with its unique over-the-horizon radiolocation system radar Duga-1 or prefer to meet “samosely” (people who were evacuated after the Chornobyl disaster in 1986, illegally came back soon after and have been living in abandoned villages since that time) We will do everything to meet your needs.

Route “Advanced”, which includes:

• 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 river Uzh – a long, convoluted flow that looks like a snake (Ukrainian name “Uzh” means a Grass Snake). The riverbanks of Uzh are mostly inaccessible for vehicles, so there will be no cars, buses, and people within your 18-kilometer water trip, but most likely you will meet roe deer, mosses or Przewalski's horses, looking at you from the woods;
• The river Prypiat – the best-known river of the Chornobyl exclusion zone, one of the main reasons for situating the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in this region in 1970ss, and the main water source for the 50-thousand population of Prypiat town before it was evacuated;
• 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 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;

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. 

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 the bus and by kayak, as well as walk on-site by foot – to explore the most famous places.

A further program depends on which route you choose

For those who booked a “Basic” route:

11 a.m. approximately – transfer to kayaks in the town of Chornobyl

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. – kayaking

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 trip along the river Prypiat.

2:30 p.m. approximately – lunch

We will visit the local canteen #19, that’s serving the ChNPP employees and visitors. That is a traditional Ukrainian meal made of ecologically clean products.

3:30-6:00 p.m. approximately – sightseeing drive and walking tour in the Chornobyl Zone

Visiting the highlights of the Exclusion Zone (The Red Forest, the town of Prypiat, the town of Chornobyl with its unique robots exhibition and the iconic monument “To Those who Saved the World”) or other locations of the Chornobyl exclusion zone that you would like to visit instead of the list above.

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

For those who booked an “Advanced” route:

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

11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. approximately – kayaking

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 trip along the river Prypiat. 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 State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management.

5:00 p.m. approximately – dinner in a café “Desyatka” in the town of Chornobyl. That is a traditional Ukrainian meal made of ecologically clean products.

5:30-6:00 p.m. approximately – walking tour in the town of Chornobyl with its unique robots exhibition and the iconic monument “To Those who Saved the World”

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

Important! According to the requirements of the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, tourists of one-day trips (either private or group) must leave the Zone no later than 7 p.m. However, if you want to admire the “post-apocalyptic” sunset and breathtaking sunrise of Chornobyl, you can book a multi-day tour and stay overnight in a comfortable local hotel.

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 Terra-P for $10 per day of use. 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-canoe 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 two hours. If you have any doubts about it, please, consult your doctor in advance.