Forget streets lined with stalls selling tacky pencils, hats and other memorabilia and pricing it at four times what it should be just because it has the logo of some tourist destination on it. This day trip is a little more… well…. derelict.
The word ‘Chernobyl’ probably doesn’t strike happiness into the very core of your being. That’s because most of us will be aware of the unfortunate event for which Chernobyl is now most famous: The nuclear disaster of 1986. On 26th April that year, nuclear reactor 4 exploded, causing a fire which released a massive wave of radiation into the atmosphere. It is the worst nuclear accident in history and although only two people died in the initial explosion, there have been many death and a lot of illnesses since attributed to radiation.
So a trip into the resultant 30km exclusion zone (expanded even beyond 30km afterwards) surrounding probably doesn’t sound like a happy holiday trip. But one company in Kiev, in the Ukraine is operating 8 hour day trips into this area now reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic war zone. Of course, there comes a disclaimer with such a trip that the company will be held in no way responsible for any subsequent health problems! The visit includes a trip into the town of Chernobyl itself, as well as neighboring Prypiat, both almost entirely empty still today. Both areas, by all accounts and images, resemble the scenes of horror movies. You will get up close to the nuclear reactor that was the cause of this disaster too. I’m not sure how keen I’d be on that, personally, but for those with a particularly odd sense of adventure this certainly is a unique opportunity.
If you fall into that category of people with a sadistic idea of a day trip and will just happen to be passing through the Ukraine some time soon, check out the website of this company for more information. Bytsko
Also Check out English Russia for some amazing articles and pics.