Yakutia: “Road on the Bones”, the Pole of Cold and Wildlife

Russia is famous for its many incredible places, most of which no human has ever set foot in. What if we told you that in one of them you can feel yourself on another planet, listen to many dark and mystical legends and at the same time taste the most amazing gastronomic delicacies?

We will talk about Yakutia, a republic located in the permafrost zone, which makes it a really valuable spot on the map for tourists who prefer extreme sports.

Alexey Stolyarov tells about the most beautiful and wild places in the north of our country.

way of death

The “road in the bones” between Yakutsk and Magadan is the most amazing and at the same time terrifying thing I have seen in all my travels. There are two thousand kilometers of dirt roads along the taiga and beautiful mountains everywhere, just huge marshes and completely desolate places with a harsh climate that shudders to the bone.

There are legends about how many lives he took during construction and continue to take until now – according to various estimates, from 250 thousand to half a million people died here! We met the monuments to the Gulag, the drivers who died on this highway, and the crashed cars that were left here because they couldn’t do anything. It is not for nothing that this road is considered one of the most dangerous in the world – if something happens to the car, there will be nowhere to wait for help.

Probably the best thing we did before we hit the road was to choose a good car that could handle this unruly road. We had a big-wheeled Toyota Hilux Arctic Trucks, we wouldn’t have driven through there with any other car. Therefore, carefully consider this point in advance.

We also encountered a terrifying sight on the road – trucks that are overtaking you or you are trying to pass are emitting a lot of smoke and it is even more so because of the cold. As a result, you never even see the brake lights on the car in front of you, which is another serious danger, so you should drive slower. In some big crossings where a truck can pass, you can easily get off the road and, as I said before, there is nowhere and no one to wait for help. Therefore, the main rule is maximum caution and accuracy while driving.

abandoned villages

We went to Kadıcan and Orotukan and saw that there are dozens of abandoned buildings that make up entire cities. People fled from them because they could not live in such harsh and wild conditions. Abandoned buildings, of course, are overwhelmed by their gloomy appearance, but this is an absolutely indescribable mystical atmosphere.

The village of Orotukan is located in a picturesque place among the hills, the entire Orotukan River has been dug for kilometers and piles of lifeless rocks spoil the beauty of these places.

Kadykchan is Northern Chernobyl. Previously, coal was mined here, but there was an explosion at the mine, after which all residents were urgently evacuated, and the mine was closed for unprofitability. The private sector with its greenhouses was burned so that people would not return here. Local residents had two expectations – either freezing at -60 ° C, or leaving where their eyes were looking. Obviously, many chose the second option.

When you visit any small residential village – Yagodny or Ust-Nera, for example – you will find that everything is overworked at most and people have nowhere to go. We often asked ourselves the following questions: “What are people generally doing here? What does their life look like here? The contrast is great of course, so this should definitely be a part of your Yakutia trip.

Cold Pole – Oymyakon

Oymyakon is the coldest place in the world where people live all year. In winter, the temperature here drops to -60°C and even below. Since the village is located far from other settlements, the local people are literally cut off from civilization. But that doesn’t really bother them.

The main pride of the locals is the figure – 71.2. This is the temperature in Celsius recorded in Oymyakon and is now officially recognized as the place with the lowest habitable temperature in the world.

The main question that any tourist who comes here asks: how to dress? And that’s a really important point, because you can easily get frostbite and pneumonia if you choose the wrong clothes, and that’s definitely not something you want to remember on a trip.

People wear the warmest, preferred natural materials – wool, for example – to avoid freezing. Not only will synthetic fabrics save you in such cold weather, they’ll also turn into pieces of wood that can easily break at the nearest post – we’ve checked that out, too.

A real Oymyakonian wears a fur coat and high fur boots, always wears a fur hat on his head and never goes out without a warm scarf, otherwise he will not be able to breathe normally.

creepy beautiful nature

Nature here holds a special place among “places to see”. The Yakuts are proud of her and say that this is one of the good reasons not to go anywhere from here – you will not see such beauty anywhere else. And it’s hard to argue with them. I have traveled all over the world, but the nature I see here is unique.

Creepy beauty is the best description for Yakutia. We saw magnificently planted, wonderful snow-covered Christmas trees, incredible gorges and breathtaking mountains and rivers along the route. Just look around and say, “What colors! What emptiness!

The cold that penetrates to your bones gives even more vivid emotions and feelings. It gets better than the danger that seems to lurk around every corner – maybe that’s why I love extreme travel so much.

And no matter how much I tell you, it is impossible to describe this amazing country in words – you have to see it with your own eyes, feel it, try it and of course get to know the locals because they are incredibly hot. and kind people. You will definitely not forget such a trip.