Chernobyl tours

[LosingGrip]

I’ve been fascinated by Chernobyl for years and want to do one of the tours around the area.

Has anyone done one? What companies would you recommend or avoid?

[Bluemondey]

We went with Gamma Travel, March 2020 just before it all got locked down.
Picked us up at our Hotel in Kyiv and dropped us back.

The 3 of us had a 'private' tour, so just us 3, driver and guide. Well worth it, Cost us 300 Euros for that.

It's an experience to say the least. Very humbling.

Best of Luck.

[LosingGrip]

Thanks. Was that €300 each or for all of you?

[Quattromaster]

Was an interesting show on ITV earlier this week, tv presenter Ben Fogle stayed in the “Zone” for a week, even got to go inside the arch cover.

Fairly interesting.

[Magooagain]

I find the whole idea morbid and in poor taste considering there are thousands of communities still terribly suffering with little or no aid from thier government and the only help they get are from fundraiser countries and actual physical aid convoys going in to help with goods and manual aid every year.

[Uncle John]

Magooagain said:

I find the whole idea morbid and in poor taste considering there are thousands of communities still terribly suffering with little or no aid from thier government and the only help they get are from fundraiser countries and actual physical aid convoys going in to help with goods and manual aid every year.

Cry me a river.

[Bluemondey]

LosingGrip said:

Thanks. Was that €300 each or for all of you?

Hi LG,

It was 300 for all of us, helped no doubt by a generous £ to the UKH at the time. If memory serves it was only about 20% more expensive
to do it as a 'private' tour.

Highlights being that rather than a bus or minibus we had a Mercedes Veto type van - so plenty of space and a more personalised
experience, got to the zone earlier than the aforementioned buses which allowed getting through the security a little easier. The guide also gave us options on what we wanted to do and see.

Kyiv is a great place to spend a few days if you have time, we found it a very welcoming and friendly city.

Edited by Bluemondey on Saturday 6th March 16:42

[pidsy]

Went with TourKiev a month before the new dome was slid in place. Fascinating place.

We opted for them to organise everything for the 3 days in Ukraine - flights, accommodation, private tour of the zone (not the standard Disney (see all the common bits) tour, half day private city tour of Kiev (fantastic), and half a day at a military firing range outside Kiev shooting all sorts of Eastern European guns with a couple of ex special forces guys.

We had our own guide for the whole time - he was very involved in the uprising a few years ago, very politically knowledgeable and a real insight into the goings on over there.

All for £750 for both of us.

I would imagine the cost has risen since the popularity of the series.

Lots of your companies but you need to pick the one that will give you what you want.

[maxdb]

When I went a few years ago I used a company called Lupine Travel. I had to arrange my own flights but they arranged the hotel transfers, accommodation and a day trip to the zone, which was about £260 excluding the flights.

[pidsy]

maxdb said:

When I went a few years ago I used a company called Lupine Travel. I had to arrange my own flights but they arranged the hotel transfers, accommodation and a day trip to the zone, which was about £260 excluding the flights.

Lupine use Tourkiev as their agents in country.

[ch37]

I've been looking at a two day tour in February should 'the situation' be ok by that point. Hoping for a quieter time of year and also a bit more time visiting the sites given that it's really the only reason I would be flying over. The tour costs themselves are negligible in the grand scheme of things.

I imagine next spring/summer will be horrendously busy (everywhere!)

[Wiltshire Lad]

Magooagain said:

I find the whole idea morbid and in poor taste considering there are thousands of communities still terribly suffering with little or no aid from thier government and the only help they get are from fundraiser countries and actual physical aid convoys going in to help with goods and manual aid every year.

Surely the opposite applies. OP would be spending much appreciated foreign currency in a region that desperately needs it - don't think you would find many locals objecting. Just need to conduct yourself with appropriate dignity (drunken stag do antics not appropriate!) and respect the locals.

[Magooagain]

Wiltshire Lad said:

Magooagain said:

I find the whole idea morbid and in poor taste considering there are thousands of communities still terribly suffering with little or no aid from thier government and the only help they get are from fundraiser countries and actual physical aid convoys going in to help with goods and manual aid every year.

Surely the opposite applies. OP would be spending much appreciated foreign currency in a region that desperately needs it - don't think you would find many locals objecting. Just need to conduct yourself with appropriate dignity (drunken stag do antics not appropriate!) and respect the locals.

I appreciate the comment and thought ,but we are seeing no Benifit from this sort of tourism input filtering to the people that need it.

[Wiltshire Lad]

Magooagain said:

Wiltshire Lad said:

Magooagain said:

I find the whole idea morbid and in poor taste considering there are thousands of communities still terribly suffering with little or no aid from thier government and the only help they get are from fundraiser countries and actual physical aid convoys going in to help with goods and manual aid every year.

Surely the opposite applies. OP would be spending much appreciated foreign currency in a region that desperately needs it - don't think you would find many locals objecting. Just need to conduct yourself with appropriate dignity (drunken stag do antics not appropriate!) and respect the locals.

I appreciate the comment and thought ,but we are seeing no Benifit from this sort of tourism input filtering to the people that need it.

I understand where you are coming from but we are talking about a country battered by man made disaster - be it nuclear melt down or a proxy war with Russia If you are spending money with locals - taxi drivers, tour guides, restaurants- has to be a good thing. Went on holiday to Bosnia a few years after the war finished there - locals were very friendly and keen for us to spread the word (stunning country).
On a totally different note - love your car - Fiat Coupe turbo - almost bought one new in around 95 - went for MGF instead.....big mistake (but that’s for another thread!)

[AJB88]

looked into it several times, watched the Ben Fogle program the other night again. The Sky drama was good but one scene was very gruesome.

[jock mcsporran]

pidsy said:

maxdb said:

When I went a few years ago I used a company called Lupine Travel. I had to arrange my own flights but they arranged the hotel transfers, accommodation and a day trip to the zone, which was about £260 excluding the flights.

Lupine use Tourkiev as their agents in country.

Went with SoloEast while motorbiking through Europe before the new sarcophagus went over it.
I believe they are the same as Tourkiev.
No issues with them, well organised.

[RichFN2]

Wiltshire Lad said:

Magooagain said:

Wiltshire Lad said:

Magooagain said:

I find the whole idea morbid and in poor taste considering there are thousands of communities still terribly suffering with little or no aid from thier government and the only help they get are from fundraiser countries and actual physical aid convoys going in to help with goods and manual aid every year.

Surely the opposite applies. OP would be spending much appreciated foreign currency in a region that desperately needs it - don't think you would find many locals objecting. Just need to conduct yourself with appropriate dignity (drunken stag do antics not appropriate!) and respect the locals.

I appreciate the comment and thought ,but we are seeing no Benifit from this sort of tourism input filtering to the people that need it.

I understand where you are coming from but we are talking about a country battered by man made disaster - be it nuclear melt down or a proxy war with Russia If you are spending money with locals - taxi drivers, tour guides, restaurants- has to be a good thing. Went on holiday to Bosnia a few years after the war finished there - locals were very friendly and keen for us to spread the word (stunning country).
On a totally different note - love your car - Fiat Coupe turbo - almost bought one new in around 95 - went for MGF instead.....big mistake (but that’s for another thread!)

The problem is the 2 countries that were affected the most (Ukraine and Belarus) have struggled financially since the collapse of the USSR, they can barely afford to pay people a state pension of $40 a month and according to International Atomic Energy Agency the total cost so far from Chernobyl is over $235 billion.

Both countries have also had rather grim recent history and will be desperate for the money from tourism, bad taste is a personal opinion on this but there is no EU bailout and Russia is too broke to financially support another country. Its a sad image but there are thousands of pensioners having to sell belongings outside there communist flats just to survive.

[Dan_1981]

Anyone been recently? Ie: Post lockdown?

Looking to arrange something after plans last year got scuppered.

Looking at either Chernobylx - who i think used to be called chernobylwel.com - https://chernobylx.com/tour/chernobyl-private-tour...

Chernobyl exclusive tours - https://chernobyl-exclusive-tours.com/

or tourkiev as mentioned above. - https://www.tourkiev.com/twoday

Ryan air fly from stanstead fridays & return monday which works well for me. Two day tour sat & sun with a bit of friday & most of Monday to see some of Kyiv.

Any views on the companies mentioned above?

[pidsy]

Used Tour Kiev for one trip - no issues with them at all. They also organised accommodation in a proper communist block 100m from Maidan Square for us and an excellent half day shooting with a couple of ex Russian special forces guys at the police and army range outside of Kiev.

[ch37]

Main thing worth noting with Ukraine at the moment is that you must have travel insurance with a provider based in Ukraine, and that each region is on a traffic light system for restrictions (the whole country is green at the moment, I think).