About Oleksandr Syrota
Back in 1986 Oleksandr lived in Pripyat with his mother, Lyubov Syrota, who was the head of the cultural department of the Palace of Culture «Energetik». He was a 10-year-old boy when an accident at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant happened. Like other residents of Pripyat, on April 27, 1986, the next day after the explosion, they boarded the bus and went in evacuation.
In April 1986 I was not yet 10 years old. For me, then a care-free little boy, and for my age group the cozy little streets of our town, all its yards and back alleys, and also the nearby wood and the Pripyat River, were the scenes of our childish play and "war games".
That fatal Saturday, 26 April, was no exception. I remember how my friends and I, after school, ran down to the stream and played on its banks almost until nightfall, building fortresses and dugouts. ... ...the evacuation itself then also seemed like an exciting game, only now with real camouflaged military helicopters flying low over the roofs, with real armored troop-carriers, with militiamen in flak jackets and gas masks standing along the road, with an endless line of buses taking us and all the town's population "for three days" to an unknown destination.
We did not know and did not understand then that we were leaving our town forever...
First time after the evacuation Alexander came to Pripyat in winter 1992. That moment an irrational hope has crushed — he realized they do not have where to return any more. Probably, that very visit defined all his future life, making it connected with the city and Chernobyl Zone. He found his way to return. He became a legend of the Zone — and a person who protects the dead city.
I still feel, that it is exactly my home, and these feelings do not disappear. Probably, it is one of the reasons why I cannot turn my powers into something else. I so or so return to this place. Whatever I do, in the end, I appear here.
He works with media, moviemakers, television, creates various projects about the Zone, works with visitors and delegations. But besides this, he better than anybody tells a terrific story of the real Pripyat, making it — once more — alive.
Program description
You can extend any of our private tours to Chernobyl with a sub-tour "The Last Day of Pripyat" by Oleksandr Syrota. This program is a special opportunity to learn from the first hand about daily life in Pripyat, events of 26-27 April 1986 and following life. It is not a classical guided narration; more opposite — it is a walk together with an inhabitant, discussing and talking, with wide use of our own archive materials and videos. As Alexander does not speak English, this program being conducted with translation (works like a charm, though).
Duration: 2-3 hours.
How to book
- Booking is possible as an extension of any of our tour itineraries.
- The best it works as a part of multi-day tour (so you can get a general feeling of Pripyat before), although we successfully tested it also in one-day programs.
Reviews on TripAdvisor
We arranged a 3 day tour of Chernobyl, the Power Plant and surround areas with Chernobyl Lab in July. The entire team was amazing! Alex's knowledge is very impressive. We learned so much more than we would have ever learned from another agency. These guys are passionate about preserving the story of Chernobyl and it's people. I loved the fact we rarely saw any other tourists. Additionally, you can meet with team members in the evening and receive additional information/insight. They also send you a list of pre-reading/watching recommendations to help prepare you for the visit. If you prefer to really learn about the place and the people where you are going to visit, then pick Chernobyl Lab. These guys are the BEST! Totally worth the extra money!
— Dreamer104698 via TripAdvisor
I booked a one day tour to the exclusion zone for my boyfriend's surprise 30th trip. I was initially skeptical due to how nice and helpful Alex was prior to receiving any payment as this is not an experience I had with previously consulted commercial companies. In time I realised I had no reason to question this and quickly learned that he is very passionate about his job and keen to share his knowledge. Alex went above and beyond to make this a special gift for my boyfriend and was so friendly when he met us for our private tour. Throughout the day he shared his knowledge of the area (from before the power plant to the present day). He welcomed questions and maneuvered the tour to personalise this for us. When talking to the driver in their native language he would translate and ensure that all information was shared so we did not miss out on any information. The experience we received from Alex was remarkable from start to finish and I'm so happy we booked with Chernobyllab. I would highly recommend Alex and the team to anyone considering going to the exclusion zone. We hope to return for the NPP tour in the near future and wouldn't hesitate in booking with this company.
— Emma A. via TripAdvisor
its a pity if we only have 5 days, you can stay there for weeks, there are a lot of things that you just have to see, the zone has an incredible atmosphere, especially when you read books discussing it on this place, scifi or autobiography plus when you play a computer game on this the place you are incredibly devour, I'm so glad I had these guides !! you feel like in a book and leaf by leaf across the zone, these people know absolutely everything about the zone and they absolutely everything for us. thank you for amazing days.
— KAmi. via TripAdvisor
We were a group of 9 friende wanting to experience Chernobyl and the surroundings, and boy did that live up to our hopes and expectations!!! Alex our guide was extemely informed about almost every question we could hammer his way and we had the feeling that we were the lucky ones opposed to all other visitors in the zone. To have chosen ChernobylLab and gotten Alex as our guide, made the trip a major experience. We soon felt that he was more a part of our group than “just some guide” which made the experience in the scary postapocalyptic area of Chernobyl and Pripyat one of the best experiences for us all - ever!
— Kristian G. via TripAdvisor
I experienced ChernobylLab as being extremely professional and knowledgeable about everything we experienced within the security zone at Chernobyl. Our guide Alex was a pleasure to follow and listen to. His knowledge about the area was way over my expectations. We also got a report from a guy who were 10 years old at the time of the biggest man made catastrophe in recent times, which was also arranged by ChernobylLab. I give this company and the people behind my absolute best and honest recommendations.
— Jeppe R. via TripAdvisor
In August 2021 I chose a 3 day private tour at Chernobyl Lab. In the end I extended this with 1 extra day. For my studies I came to the exclusion zone to gain a lot of knowledge about the area. Not only the vast area has now become clearer to me, but also the aftermath of the disaster, the culture of the region, knowledge about nuclear energy. The Chernobyl Lab team took me on a 3-day journey through the zone in which I saw different sides of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the evenings they took the time to answer any questions I had. During the tour, safety comes first. For me this was the second time in the exclusion zone. But this second time I saw many more special places with stories from the guides themselves. If you are looking for the real Chernobyl, choose this group. Pure, sincere and a great adventure!
— Sophie V via TripAdvisor
This time i booked a 2 day tour for 6 people. Once again before the trip had a great (and long) dialog with Alex regarding which sites we should visit based on his recommendations and our wishes/interests. The tour itself was nothing short of epic (i shall not spoil it here), and the guides dynamically adapted the tour content based on how they picked up our personal fields of interest. If you want to experience the Zone, please make this site your first priority, as i find it hard to believe anyone can be better at educating visitors about the wonders and dangers of the zone.
— Mikkel E. via TripAdvisor