Chernobyl tour

1. You must be at least 18 years old.
2. A state permit is required for a visit, so you must provide correct passport information beforehand so we obtain it for you.
3. You must not have medical conraindications for being in the area with increased ionizing radiation (oncological diseases, breastfeeding or pregnancy).
4. You must follow the rules of radiation, nuclear, fire prevention and technical safety.

From our side, we will add: this place is not an amusement park, you should take a visit here seriously and act accordingly. Many good people sacrificed theit health and sometimes — lives to let all of us just be there.

All the visits to the Zone and to the power plant are regulated by national radiation safety standards, specifically NRBU-97 regulation, that places you as a visitor to the strictest Category C («all civilian population»), with the annual dose limit of 1 mSv (one milliSievert, or 1000 µSv), that includes all flights, cosmic rays, visits to reactors, x-ray check-ups, etc. All activities in the Chernobyl Zone by Cat. C. people must be made in such a way that they will not exceed this limit even if they spend there 15 (fifteen) days in a row — this is exactly how the «long» shift for employees is built — 15 days they are inside the Zone, 15 days outside. For a comparison, Category A staff («Emergency level access») has an annual dose limit for 8 mSv, so eight times higher than permitted for visitors.

Therefore, in the Zone there are designated routes for visitors (they are large — e.g. almost entire Pripyat is a single visitor route) that were checked every 50 meters in regards of the levels of gamma radiation and density of the beta flux, and based on this a cumulative predicted dose had been calculated. The same is effective for the power plant, and is even stricter, because thousands of people work there even now (some - for decades), and they are not enemies to their health.

Generally, a daily dose of a visitor in the Zone is 2-10 µSv (0.002…0.01 mSv). The dose during the power plant visit by the extended itinerary is around 20-50 µSv (0.02..0.05 mSv) — in fact typically lower.

For comparison:
A regular X-Ray of lungs is around 100 µSv of the impact dose (0.1 mSv received within a single second, not over the time).
A flight from the U.S. in one direction is approximately 10 µSv.

However, a main danger in the Zone comes not from radiation, but from a very, very bad condition of the structures that generally out of maintenance for 35 years, and a terrain condition, as e.g. Pripyat is de-facto a forest ecosystem with all its «benefits». A second thing are wild animals, that you may or may not encounter — you never know. The radiation factor is at the third place here.

We want to clearly state — we never say that anything in the zone is safe. It is not, otherwise the Zone won’t exist, and saying opposite would be not correct. What we stress on, that despite many things in the Zone look usual, they work very different. So strict following with rules and, what is also important, routes allows to minimize the risks and totally keep you within the limits designated for you as Category C.

On exit from each contaminated area you will pass radiation screening using RZBA-04 or RZB-03-04 stationary radiometers. If the last check-up passes well, the only one thing you need to do with your clothes and footwear is one regular wash. You also should take a shower. Thats is all.

And one more thing: safety comes from the knowledge. No protective means will protect you, if you do not understand deeply, how works the thing you want to protect from.
Even in 1986 (that featured levels so severe, that modern conditions in comparison are nothing) there came a golden rule: you should not be afraid of radioactivity, but you should respect it. Just take this visit seriously. Stay reasonable, keep in mind that everyone is a guest here now. We are here to assist and teach you how to understand this all.

We always recommend to come in the evening before your tour to Chernobyl and Pripyat to meet for a coffee — to discuss all questions, check gear and documents and just to let us know each other closer. Moreover, it is a good idea to have a good rest before the adventure — you will need a lot of power.

We offer comfortable transfers from Kyiv to to STALKER Hotel&Hostel.

Our programs are not limited only to exploration within the Zone. We pay very much attention to information and theory as well. If you wish, you can extend the evening with:

• a discussion on various subjects, answer your questions or focus on a specific topic on Chernobyl;
• a meeting with experts on radiation, nuclear power, soviet computer technology, or ecology;
• our collection of documents, historical artefacts and items, that, according to opinion of our guests, add an additional dimension to your experience.
• a screening of our recovered archives, if you are interested in historical pictures, footages and media content,
• finally, if you are computer geek, we can show you some of our Soviet computer gear!

At the STALKER Hotel&Hostel in Dityatky village, straight near the main checkpoint of the Zone.

We have meals at the STALKER Grill Bar in Dityatky village. The restaurant offers a large selection of high-quality meals of any kind, including breakfast or dinner sets, meals to go, and so on. Vegetarian or vegan options are avaliable too!

We do not want to limit your choice, so we do not include the meals into the tour price (because otherwise we will need to restrict the selection to specific sets only).

A chain of events were leading to an accident at Chernobyl NPP. This accident is one of two nuclear disasters categorized as Level 7 – Major accident on International Nuclear Event Scale.

On April 26, 1986, an explosion happened at the Unit IV, causing the release of radioactivity to the environment and evacuation of 135 000 people from region. The accident happened during an experiment scheduled to test a potential safety emergency core cooling feature, which took place during a normal shutdown procedure. Main circulation pumps needs electricity, so in case of the grid failure, RBMK-100 reactor had three backup diesel generators. To start them up 15 seconds were required, but it took 60-75 seconds to reach a full speed. This gap could be solved by using inertial energy from the steam turbines for generating the required electrical power. Although official Soviet version was a mistake of the operators, the modern vision states that it happened due to a combination of many factors — way broader than power plant itself.

Contrary popular beliefs, Chernobyl is a small old town (which had 15,000 of population before the disaster), that located around 12 km far from Chernobyl NPP, and was never related to it in any way. Currently, Chernobyl serves as administrative center of Chernobyl Zone and a staypoint for around 3,000 employees of its different departments, who come on shift basis. Radiation level at Chernobyl is generally normal.

While Pripyat is a much bigger city created in 1970 directly near NPP as its satellite. It had 50,000 inhabitants as for 1986. Currently, only very few facilities that serve the NPP still operate in city. It has no population and heavily contaminated with long-living nuclear substances.

It is important to understand, that Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is not a simply abandoned land, but a strictly regulated secured area under the rule of the State Agency of Ukraine on the Exclusion Zone Management (SAUEZM), where numerous IAEA-regulated nuclear facilities are still operating. Therefore, you must follow the rules described below.

These rules are defined by SAUEZM and partly by international regulations, and are applicable to all visitors and all tour providers. We just disclose everything clear and beforehand:

1. You must be at least 18 years old in order to obtain a permission.
2. You must provide correct passport information beforehand to obtain the entry permits, as well this very document you physically have to have with you when you enter the Zone.
3. You must not have medical conraindications for being in the area with increased ionizing radiation (oncological diseases, breastfeeding or pregnancy).
4. You must follow designated routes, orders and recommendations of your guide (many things here look usual, but work very different);
5. You must follow the rules of radiation, nuclear, fire prevention and technical safety regardless of weather conditions:
   • You must wear long-sleeve clothes that covers your body. Any kind of t-shirts, skirts, shorts are strictly forbidden. You have to wear convenient shoes that cover you feet and have no huge holes (everything close to military boots is the best option, sandals, casual women shoes are forbidden);
   • You must not drink or eat outside the bus or structures defined as a clean zone;
   • Smoking is permitted only at designated places;
   • Drinking alcohol beverages during the tour, consuming drug substances, as well entering the Zone in alcoholic/drug inebriation condition are strictly forbidden;
6. Photos and videos are permitted everywhere except the systems of physical protection, security, such as:
   • Any checkpoints and their staff (police, guards, etc.), as well any security systems, structures and vehicles;
   • Chernobyl NPP main structures and security systems, except the shots:
     • From a large distance;
     • From the Main Observation point of Object Shelter (the "Sarcofagus") in forward direction towards it;
     • V and VI units site and cooler towers;
     • Open-air power grid transmitting field (ORU).
     • Intenals of the Chernobyl NPP.
7. You must not take any things ("nuclear soveniers") originated from the Zone, e.g. debris, things from structures, stones, etc. This is illegal and can cause criminal responsibility. However, you can freely take back goods you can buy at the stores at Chernobyl;
8. You must not enter defunct structures or climb the Chernobyl-2 antenna;
9. You take all the risks related to your visit to youself, refuse all the claims in the future, and will additionally sign appropriate written confirmation on arrival to the Zone.
10. Using of the drones is permitted upon prior authorization except 5km radius around Chernobyl NPP, radwaste concentration polygons and centralized storages. Drone shots must be presented for inspection to security service in the end of each day.

Violation of these rules can result in an immediate tour termination for entire group of visitors (without any refunds), and/or legal responsibility. Your guide will advice and aware you, if something will go wrong.

No, you can not. Since all substances within the Zone considered the radioactive waste, taking some artifacts from Zone may cause criminal responsibility. For sure, this not related to your personal items, clothes, etc, and souvenirs/literature you legally can buy.

Yes, you can, but not in the open areas — only in the bus or within permitted facilities. You can take food and water with you, but keep in mind that, well, we have a problem with toilets at Zone :)
Before you eat or drink, check that your hands are clean (it makes sense to take a pack of wet wipes).

Please note that drinking any kind of alcoholic beverages is strictly prohibited, as well as entering the Zone in intoxicated condition.

Consuming any alcohol (even beer) before 19-00 (7PM) is strictly forbidden by legal order of Zone's administration. It is simply dangerous for you to be intoxicated here.

In order to reduce the β-radiation, you must wear long-sleeved clothes — your body should be covered as much as possible, especially when you are at the 10-kilometer zone. This means that regardless of the weather conditions, no T-shirts, tops, shorts, skirts, etc. allowed. It is desirable that you choose the clothes made of durable fabric, so you could not break it if we pass through extensive vegetation. However, basically to at least minimally fit requrements it is enough if you wear long-sleeved shirt and jeans long enough to cover your shoes 1-2 cms. When traveling in the wet season it is reasonable to have a waterproof jacket. In the dry season, some visitors wear "Tyvek" suits, that are lightweight and comfortable enough and meet all the requirements set out above.

As for the shoes, keep in mind that you could meet virtually anything on the surface while at the Zone. This can be gravel, stones, branches, rusty metal, barbed wire and so on. In the summer it is hidden with grass, and in the winter with snow. Additionally, it can be contaminated with radioactive substances. Inside buildings there are lot of broken glass, tiles, bricks. Adding frequent rains, it may turn to sticky mixture of mud, clay and plaster. Therefore, use only durable and comfortable closed shoes. The best shoes by all the parameters are military or hiking boots. It will be just fine, if the shoes are high enough that you can tuck into your trousers.

Remember that even during 1-day trip you will have to walk about 5 hours at a time. It makes sense to take a change of shoes. We remind you that the visitor that does not meet requirements on clothes and shoes may be denied for entry to the Zone at checkpoint.

In the dry season, it is a good idea to have at least basic means of personal protection against dust:  cheap cloth gloves, dust mask, protective gloves. Normally, there is no need to wear all of this, but sometimes that may be handy in case of contact with high-contaminated objects. Also we recommend to bring a pack of wet wipes to clean your hands.

All foreign nationals may enter Ukraine with their travel document (passport). Please, check if you need a visa before travel as well as COVID-related regulations. Currently, you need a negative PCR test or a certificate of vaccination and a COVID-covering insurance.

No! Your border control stamp in passport is a proof of your legal stay — no further actions needed.

Most foreign nationals are not required to have a visa to enter Ukraine, however, normally stay is limited to 90 days per every 180 days in a year. Please check visa information at local embassy of Ukraine or Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for actual information.

A standard deadline is 4 days before the tour start date. For the programs that include the internal visit to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the absolute deadline is 15 days, but please note they have a limited number of visitor slots, that may run out before this.

We advice to book your chernobyl tour as early as possible, to have more smooth organization process and full availability of all requested options.

All the prices we list are in Ukrainian Hryvna (though we give also an approximate amount in EUR or U.S. Dollar for information purposes).

You can pay with a Visa/Mastercard credit cards. For certain types of tours, we may require a partial deposit.

You must specify the details of the document that certifies your identity in Ukraine, and to have this document with you on the trip.

For Ukraine nationals: internal passport only or temporary certificate of citizenship.
For foreign nationals: travel passport OR a residence permit in Ukraine only. NO driver licenses, national ID cards, etc. allowed.