This route is a mirror image of the route Yakutsk - Oymyakon - Magadan, which we will take from September 3 to 11, 2026, and places for which were pre-booked by friends and acquaintances long before the program was created. In order not to leave anyone out, we decided to repeat the same route, but in the opposite direction - Magadan - Oymyakon - Yakutsk from September 12 to 20, 2026. All the same places, settlements, roads, but in a different sequence. So, what awaits us on this tour ...
The federal highway "Kolyma" is the most remote, shrouded in legends and rumors, running through mountains, swamps, taiga and fast mountain rivers. Once very dangerous because of the "presses" - narrow winding sections in the mountains, where cars often fell into the abyss...
In recent years, the route has been widened, dangerous sections have been eliminated and today it does not pose a particular danger to travelers, but to overcome it, you need to have a well-prepared car and have driving skills, as well as be prepared for harsh Spartan conditions. But for real travelers, whom we invite on this tour, this is the greatest interest and opportunity to experience strong emotions, to see and fully feel the real "backwoods", which only true lovers of adventure and their native country get to.
Our journey is an immersion into the wild, harsh, but unusually beautiful nature, and an excursion into the terrible history of the 20th century, and an acquaintance with the life and everyday life of the peoples inhabiting these lands - the Yakuts and Evens, and all the delights of road adventures, of which, no doubt, there will be many.
Our journey will begin in Magadan, a beautiful city in the Far East, where we will visit the world-famous monument to the victims of Stalin's repressions, the Mask of Sorrow by Ernst Neizvestny, as well as the beautiful coast of the Sea of Okhotsk near the village of Ola, where, among other things, you can see a monument at the landing site of Bilibin's First Kolyma Expedition.
Next, we will visit the village of Palatka, listed in the Guinness Book of Records for the number of fountains per capita, after which we will turn onto the Starokolymsky tract to visit a small but unique museum, which is a mixture of archaeological, local history and historical museums. Of particular interest are the stories and documents dedicated to the prisoners of Butuguchag, the most terrible of all the GULAG camps. We will also visit the ruins of this camp, making a trek to it along a road that is no longer passable today. Afterwards we will visit the ghost town of Kadykchan, visit the second largest city of the Magadan region Susuman, and then cross the conditional border of the Magadan region and Yakutia, where the unofficial "capital" of Yakut gold mining awaits us - the village of Ust-Nera, and after it - the village of Oymyakon, which is the Pole of Cold, that is, the coldest settlement in the world! In September there will be no frosts here, but it is worth visiting this place not only as a landmark on the map - here we will get acquainted with the life and everyday life of the locals, see unique Yakut horses grazing freely, we will have the opportunity to catch grayling in the great Indigirka River ...
Next, having overcome two ferry crossings across the huge Yakut rivers Aldan and Lena, we will arrive in Yakutsk, rich in interesting museums. We will allocate a separate day to visit the Lena Pillars - a famous natural monument, not visiting which would be a big omission.
So, the travels and adventures begin, be prepared for strong emotions and unusual sensations!
Duration
9 days
Comfort
group
up to 6 persons
Age
18+
Region
Magadan/Yakutia, Russia
Tour organizers and guides on the route:
EVGENY ANDROSOV
Professional traveler, climber, mountain guide and tour instructor with 35 years of experience. Has visited all continents, 82 countries of the world and 70 regions of Russia. Organizer of hundreds of author's tours, expeditions, hikes, ascents, including summer expeditions and winter extreme tours in Yakutia, creator of many new, non-standard tourist routes... More
VICTORIA SHATALOVA
Professional traveler, organizer of author's tours with 16 years of experience. Has visited 37 countries of the world and 82 regions of Russia. Organizer and participant of many car trips, hikes, rafting, climbing, including climbing the highest and most dangerous volcano in Eurasia - Klyuchevskaya Sopka (4850 m), skiing trips in the northern and polar Urals, Murmansk region and Kuznetsk Alatau... More
Itinerary day by day:
Magadan
Arrival in Magadan, meeting of tour participants at the airport, transfer to the hotel, free time. With those who arrive before lunch, we will have time to go to the monument of the Mask of Sorrow of Ernst Neizvestny and / or to the village of Ola, where, in addition to the beautiful coast of the Sea of Okhotsk at any time of year, you can see a monument at the landing site of the First Kolyma Expedition of Bilibin.
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Palatka - Starokolymsky tract - Ust-Omchug
Leaving Magadan and going on a long journey along the Kolyma highway.
The first point today will be the small village of Palatka, 80 km from Magadan, listed in the Guinness Book of Records for the number of fountains per capita. And all the houses are painted in bright, festive colors, almost every yard has some very fancy, even for a capital city, playgrounds and original street lighting.
Immediately after Palatka, we turn onto the Starokolymsky tract, preserved thanks to the gold mining cooperatives working in this area, maintaining the road in working condition. This is the old Kolyma highway, most of which has wooden bridges built in the 1930s destroyed, and you can only travel along it in winter or on heavy equipment capable of fording deep and fast mountain rivers.
After driving along this highway for about 180 km, we will arrive in the village of Ust-Omchug, the former center of GULAG camp life. It was here in the 1930s-50s that there were most of the camps, including the most terrible camp Butuguchag, whose prisoners worked in a uranium mine, were kept in inhumane conditions, and therefore almost none of them lived to see freedom and rehabilitation.
In Ust-Omchug, we will have lunch in a cafe and visit a small private museum, located in a school and having no opening hours - it is open to everyone at any time upon request. It contains not only a large number of documents about those terrible years, but also many interesting archaeological and geological finds.
After that, we will drive another 40 km along the highway, turn off it onto a very bad road, which we will drive along as far as possible. The road is passable for SUVs for literally a couple of kilometers, then, due to the fact that no one maintains it, it is impossible to drive along it. In this place, we will put up tents and spend the night in them - in nature, accompanied by the starry sky (or rain - it depends on your luck). A hot camping dinner and breakfast the next day, prepared by the tour organizers, are included!
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Butuguchag Camp - Susuman
In the morning we will go on a trek to the ruins of the Butuguchag camp. Depending on the weather and road conditions, you will have to walk from 5 to 7 km one way, that is, the trek will take most of the day. The place is scary, with bad energy, but you should see it once in a lifetime!
Those who do not want to go can stay in the camp and wait for the group there.
Upon returning, we will pack up our tent camp and go further - to the second largest city in the Magadan region, Susuman.
Here we will see the only classroom in the world, located in the fuselage of an airplane built into a building, and then we will stop for the night at a hotel.
Kadykchan - Ust-Nera
In the morning we leave Susuman and continue along the main federal highway Kolyma. We will make our first stop to see the ruins of another Dalstroy camp (the Far Eastern branch of the GULAG), and then we will reach the ghost town of Kadykchan.
The area of multi-story buildings, a large school, a cinema, a community center, a swimming pool and many other buildings gape with empty eye-sockets. There used to be a coal mine here, in 1996 there was an explosion, the fire was extinguished, but the coal continues to smolder to this day - the permafrost located above the coal seams feeds the smoldering with oxygen, as a result of the smoldering, carbon dioxide is released, for this reason it became impossible to work in the mine, the mine was closed. That same winter, the boiler that heated the city exploded, and the city was left without heat in fifty-degree frosts. Residents hurriedly left wherever they could, abandoning cars and apartments, often with all their belongings. A certain number of people who simply had nowhere to go continued to live here for many years, but they were gone too - someone could not stand it and left, many simply died.
We will wander around this former city, and then move on - to the gold mining village of Ust-Nera, which is already located in Yakutia. We will spend the night there in a guest house or in rented apartments.
Oymyakon
Today Oymyakon awaits us! Unlike the previous rather depressing places (Butuguchag, Kadykchan), the village of Oymyakon is a bright and pleasant place in every sense. Here we will stay in a rather comfortable guest house and spend the rest of the day getting to know the locals, watching the unique Yakut horses, and for those who wish, there will be fishing on the Indigirka.
Oymyakon - Khandyga
We say goodbye to Oymyakon and head further west. Today, having traveled about 560 km, we will arrive in the village of Khandyga on the banks of the mighty Siberian river Aldan. We will check into a guest house and go meet the residents of this very Russian hinterland. The people here are straightforward and rude in appearance, but they are responsive and selfless. And as a cultural program, we will visit the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul and the village history and local history museum, as well as walks along the banks of the Aldan.
Cherkekh - Nizhny Bestyakh - Yakutsk
Having driven about 35 km along the highway in the morning, we load onto a private ferry across the Aldan, cross the river and move on. Closer to the evening we will reach the settlement of Nizhny Bestyakh, from where ferries leave for Yakutsk. That is, in the evening of this day we will be in Yakutsk, where we will check into a hotel.
But on the way we will also visit the Cherkekh Historical and Memorial Museum "Yakut Political Exile". It is located in the village of Cherkekh, the purpose of the museum is to show the life and work of the participants in the revolutionary movement of Russia, who served their tsarist exile in the 80-90s of the XIX century in the Yakutsk region. The museum's territory contains memorial and recreated yurts, as well as unique historical and architectural monuments of the 19th–20th centuries. The museum's main object is the Tattinskaya Nikolaevskaya Church, built in the early 20th century.
Lena Pillars
We will dedicate this day to a trip to the Lena Pillars - a world-famous natural landmark. The road will take about two hours by car, an hour by motorboat across the Lena, two to three hours walking along the pillars, and then the same way back - to the hotel in Yakutsk.
Home!
In the morning there will be time to take a short car and/or walking tour of Yakutsk, buy souvenirs, and then transfer to the airport and fly home. Those who wish can stay in the city on their own and explore it in more detail.
Tour Cost: €1590
The tour price includes:
transportation by car all days of the tour, including gasoline and other expenses for its operation;
accommodation in hotels / guest houses / rented apartments 7-8 days of the tour;
1-2 nights in tents, including a hot camping breakfast and dinner;
cost of ferry crossings across the Lena and Aldan;
tickets for visiting attractions and excursions specified in the tour program, including entrance tickets to the Lena Pillars National Park;
work of the tour organizers, accompanying the group all days of the tour, and resolving all issues that arise.
The tour price does NOT include:
air tickets to Magadan and from Yakutsk;
Accommodation before and after the tour start date;
Airport transfers before and after the tour start date;
meals;
medical insurance,
visiting museums and attractions not listed in the tour program;
other expenses not specified in the "included in the price" section.
The tour does not require any special skills or fitness from participants and is suitable for anyone. However, it is very important to be prepared for early rises and long journeys (up to 400-500 km per day), including on bad, dusty and/or dirty roads. Sometimes journeys will take up most of the day. You need to be prepared for delays along the way due to transport breakdowns and the condition of roads/bridges.
Bad weather, time zone changes, and lack of a normal daily routine and food can add to the discomfort of the tour.
All overnight stays along the route are in hotels/guest houses/rented apartments, however, it is worth considering that some accommodations often do not have showers, and toilets are located outside. Overnight stays in comfortable hotels with amenities familiar to a European resident can only be expected in Magadan and Yakutsk.
Before signing up for this tour, you should soberly assess your capabilities and habits - the tour is an expedition and does not imply comfort, but it does imply many road adventures (tire service, car repairs, changing the route due to circumstances, the possibility of serious delays along the way and being late for the plane home), which are not always pleasant for most people.
If you are used to comfort and everything going according to plan, this tour is CONTRAINDICATED for you!
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Magadan Region and Yakutia are harsh regions and the weather here can be unpredictable and changeable, so we recommend that you take the choice of clothing, footwear and equipment for this tour seriously. You should take the following set of clothes with you: membrane jacket + light down jacket (it can be very cool in the evenings), waterproof hiking pants, trekking boots and sneakers, thermal underwear, as well as a hat, gloves, warm socks, fleece. In addition, you will definitely need a camping mat and a sleeping bag, a headlamp.
The tour is quite active and eventful, therefore it requires discipline and personal involvement in the process from the participants.
During the trip by car, delays and unforeseen circumstances are possible - car breakdowns, river floods, road and bridge repairs and, as a result, the route may be adjusted depending on the current situation. Changes are discussed with the participants, but the final decision is made by the tour organizers, since they are responsible for the program and the safety of the group.
Meals are provided by the participants at their own expense in cafes along the route and / or in stores where you can buy something for a snack.
Arrival in Magadan and departure from Yakutsk earlier or later than the dates specified in the program are paid for by the participants themselves, including transfer to / from the airport, as well as accommodation in hotels / hostels on days outside the tour dates.
1. If you are interested in this tour, leave a request through the registration form on this page or write to us at WhatsApp, Telegram or by email, we will contact you and answer all your questions.
2. To reserve a place, you must make an advance payment of 30% of the tour cost. The advance payment is made through the website (section Payment) and is refundable 45 days or more before the start of the tour and non-refundable, unfortunately, less than 45 days before the start, if the refund is related to your refusal to participate (for any reason). If the tour does not take place due to our fault, due to the group not being formed, or due to force majeure, the advance payment will be guaranteed to be returned to you in any case.
3. The final payment is made on the first day of the tour. You can pay using the QR code that the tour organizer will provide you, in cash, or through the website.
If you are not satisfied with the timing of this tour or there are no more free places, we recommend that you pay attention to our other similar tour with a mirror program - we are going along the same route, but in the opposite direction:
If you are not satisfied with the timing of this tour or there are no more free places, we recommend that you pay attention to our other similar tour with a mirror program - we are going along the same route, but in the opposite direction:
Road trip along the Kolyma highway
Yakutsk - Oymyakon - Magadan
03 - 11 September 2026Сложность:
Photos of Kolyma from previous trips
in Gallery (summer)
in Gallery (winter)
in Photo Flow
in Instagram