Visit Chernobyl: how to do it?

From Kiev, Ukraine: visit Chernobyl and its exclusion zone to commemorate the nuclear catastrophe of 26 April 1986

Visiting Chernobyl could be seen as a strange idea, a macabre trip reminiscent of a painful past. Located 120 kilometers north of Kiev, in Ukraine, the Chernobyl area is still frequented by 30,000 tourists every year, curious or funny.

The site of the biggest nuclear disaster in history has been open to the public since 2010, and includes the exploration of the Prypiat ghost town the city of Chernobyl and its nuclear power plant, as well as its forbidden zone. Since 2000, most of the contaminated areas have been no longer in danger of irradiation (3 to 4 hours of visits would be the equivalent of a year of exposure to radioactive particles). Number of travellers who have tried the experience testify to a unique journey in the past, a No man’s land , where the Time in Prypiat and Chernobyl became more than 30 years ago. If you want to visit Chernobyl, we explain how to do it!

The conduct of the Chernobyl visit from Kiev

To get back to Kiev in Chernobyl, you have to count between 2 hours and 2 hours 30 bus rides. Visits are always in a group – it is impossible to visit Chernobyl alone (if you are in the illegality) – and take place between spring and autumn.

During the trip, the tourist guide – usually English-speaking, but private tours in French are possible – explains a few reminders about the history of the disaster, provides everyone with a Geiger counter to control its radioactivity rate. It also serves to inform the public about the precautions to be taken during the visit.

The visit takes place in two stages: the open part to the public of the nuclear power plant, and the ghost town of Prypiat, a commune founded at the time for the workers of the power plant.

It is therefore possible to observe reactor IV of the nuclear power plant and its sarcophagus – still containing 95% of its radioactive substances – which exploded on 26 April 1986.

But the most unusual of the excursion is probably the visit of the city of Prypiat: an ancient town of 49.300 inhabitants left to abandon, in an overwhelming silence, with its decayed buildings, its deserted shops – and looted over time – where the vegetation hirsutely, as to erase any trace of human activity. As you stroll through the city, you will be able to relive the ugly and funest scenario that tens of thousands of people lived in the days that followed the catastrophe: the swimming pool, the public school and the avenues left to abandon, the park of attraction sadly famous – whose inauguration was planned four days after the accident, with its wheel and self-tampons caught in the grasslands. An edifying testimony of the passing time, as if the series scenario "The Walking Dead" was real, without the living dead!

If it is now possible to visit Chernobyl and its surroundings, it is thanks to the firefighters and the people named “liquidators”, who have sacrificed themselves by failing health risks – did they have the choice? - to clean and decontaminate the irradiated areas: the lethality being important after a long exposure in the years that followed the accident, the Ukrainian authorities mobilized 600,000 each

How to visit Chernobyl?

To visit Chernobyl and the forbidden area, a number of steps must be taken.

First, authorization must be obtained from the administration, which requires 14 days of time. These are the travel agencies that organize visits that make their request for you.

Request a French or European agency to visit Chernobyl, ask for a French-speaking guide for more comfort during the visit.

It will also be necessary to visit Chernobyl alongside a guide: at the travel agency, you are recommended to choose the tour with a private guide, rather than the group visit, as this last mode of visit is usually more laxistic on the organisation of the tour.

Soliciting a private guide allows you to exchange with him/her on your expectations, optimise the tour and, above all, take all the necessary precautions for your health and safety.

And don’t forget your valid passport, even if European Union nationals don’t need a visa to enter Ukraine.

Practical information to visit Chernobyl : rate, precautions, tips

Departure is from Kiev usually at 8 o'clock. Get rid of your passport. The return to Kiev is around 8:30.

Dress equipment required:

• A high with long sleeves,
• Pants,
• Closed shoes, boots or spiders.

It is recommended to buy or rent a dosimeter to measure the absorbed radioactivity rate (lease cost: $10). Some visits provide him on his own.

Rates :

• From 80 to 160€ per day (depending on the period, group size, language),
• Up to 400 € per day for a private guided tour.

What are the health risks?

Health risks would be difficult to anticipate, especially since not all experts agree on the subject.

For some, a visit of 3 to 4 hours represents the equivalent of a year of exposure to radioactive particles. For others – a two-day stay in Chernobyl would expose the body to only 4% of the dangerous radioactive doses.

Each organism reacts differently, but you will not die radiation! Before you go to Chernobyl, however, you will need to sign a form unloading the travel agency that takes care of any liability in the eventual contamination of your business or in the event of a disease after the visit.

Although the air is harmless, and the buildings have been cleaned, highly radioactive dust can still infiltrate your business. It is often advisable to wash or throw shoes, bags and clothes after the visit because of the particles that deposit on our business. Note that people have come to live close to the exclusion zone...

Main photo credit: Flickr – Babak Fakhamzadeh