Pripyat is a city located in Ukraine, on the territory of the Kiev region. Since April 27, 1986, this area has been abandoned by residents due to the world-famous accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Pripyat and the destroyed fourth power unit are only 5 kilometers away.
Building history
The main reason for the construction of the city was the creation of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which employed more than 2 thousand people.
The construction of houses was carried out with radii around the square. The streets had names typical of those times, but still there were such as Naberezhnaya and Prospekt Stroiteley and Enthusiasts. Name of the street to them. Lesia Ukrainka expressed the national and cultural aspects of the Republic of Ukraine. The city of Pripyat had administrative buildings, cinemas, a cultural center, restaurants and many other facilities for recreation and entertainment.
The government of the USSR had many plans for Pripyat. Photos of the city in Soviet times are truly mesmerizing. It was a kind of standard not only for its residents, but also for its guests. By the beginning of 1989, the work of the large Pripyat Dawns shopping center, a two-screen movie theater, the Oktyabr Hotel, the Yubileiny Palace of Arts and many other entertainment places were to begin.
City now
Quite often, people are interested in whether it is possible to get to Pripyat and how to do it. This ghost town is very popular among foreign and Ukrainian tourists. According to travelers, excursions to such places make us rethink all the everyday situations that occurred before the trip. Upon returning home, you can feel that your life is divided into “before” and “after”.
When you see streets and roads devoid of hectic life, you should know that there is no horror, mysticism or mutant in them. They only create an incredible atmosphere of a terrible past that once befell Pripyat. A city cannot be called empty just because people cannot live here. Instead, Nature rules everything here. She steadfastly withstood such a terrible blow and remained natural. Tourists who like the estrangement from the bustle and loneliness will like these places.
The youngest ghost town on the planet is considered to be Pripyat. Photos convey only a small part of the atmosphere, which can be fully felt when traveling here.
Excursions
So that you won’t be tormented by the question “how to get to Pripyat without problems and any misunderstandings?”, You can simply book a ticket to one of the travel agencies. The most popular of them are considered to be “Lemonia” and “Pripyat-tour”. The approximate price of the trip is 1000 UAH. The price includes a bus, registration of a pass, escort and medical insurance.
Study Tour Schedule
08:00 - time of departure from Kiev.
10:00 - arrival at the checkpoint "Dityatki" (verification of documents).
10:30 - tour of the Chernobyl zone.
14:00 - lunch in the canteen of the Chernobyl special plant (food was imported from verified regions and is environmentally friendly, the cost is 80 UAH).
15:00 - continuation of the journey around the zone.
17:00 - passing dosimetric control to enter the capital.
19:00 - arrival in Kiev.
Route
Many tourists are interested in how to get to Pripyat without an official tour. All Ukrainian travel agencies that offer trips to the famous ghost town start it from Kiev. If you do not live in the capital of Ukraine, then you must get to the departure point on your own.
If you decide to go all the way alone, the question arises of how to get to Pripyat without resorting to travel agencies. There are several options for how you can be in the zone.
Let's consider one of the ways. How to get to Pripyat from Kiev? Take the bus going to the village of Peski (Ukrainian Piski). This settlement is the closest to Chernobyl and the most distant from the capital, where the transport reaches. To get to the aforementioned village, you need to book a bus ticket from the Polesie bus station. To get to it, you need to take the metro to the Heroes of the Dnieper station. Then, on trolleybus No. 32, you will reach the Polessye.
After you arrive in Sands, your next landmark will be the residential village of Karpilovka. The road to it is good, paved. For Karpilovka immediately begins the Chernobyl exclusion zone. This is easy to notice by the presence of barbed wire and a small mound of earth on the road, beyond which a smooth highway continues again.
When you go to the side of the zone and walk 500 meters in the direction of Pripyat, you will see the road that connects the Dityatka checkpoint with the non-residential villages Andreevka, Terekhov and Rassokha. To her and you need to keep the path. As soon as you reach it, you need to move in the direction of Rudnya-Veresnya, not only along the main road, but parallel to it. Thus, you will go straight north to the village of Korogod.
After the sparse forests that you have to travel, you will see a large lawn with a barely noticeable path along which you need to move on. You should be extremely careful in the meadow - there are at least three ditches. In order not to get lost, use a compass and move to the northeast. Behind the meadow there will again be a forest. After passing it, you will notice a dirt road, on which it will become much easier to go.
Next you have to cross the river. After you find yourself on the other side, you need to find a stick (which will not be difficult), with which you will make your way through the thickets to the north.
After some difficulties with the road, you will stumble upon a sandy fire strip, along which you can easily get to Korogod.
From this village head to the northeast, choosing paths convenient for walking. With the village of Chistogalovka you are separated by about four kilometers, which can be walked along a smooth asphalt road. It is advisable to get around it once the village of Old Krasnitsa, where the abandoned checkpoint is located. When you find yourself in this village, you will see the railroad tracks, having passed along which about a kilometer, finally enter Pripyat. Since the city itself is small, its center will be easy to find.
Food and things to use when camping
Their number will depend on your route and the duration of the trip. Experienced tourists are advised to take them to a minimum. You will need:
● a backpack of soft color;
● dosimeter;
● flashlight on batteries;
● gas spray for self-defense;
● knife;
● mosquito spray;
● dry alcohol in tablets for heating water, matches or a lighter;
● compass;
● detailed map of Ivankovo district;
● iodine;
● a two-liter plastic bottle for raw and half-liter - for boiled drinking water;
● one tin can instead of a cup, and the second as a stand for a tablet of dry alcohol;
● a piece of thick polyethylene where you can sleep;
● camera
● several plastic bags;
● spare batteries and a pair of socks;
● spoon;
● soap and toilet paper;
● rope (5 meters), adhesive tape;
● needle and thread;
● kilogram of ordinary crackers;
● canned food (several cans);
● fat;
● tea bags, sugar.
clothing
What you are going to should be the best fit for the time of year and the weather. Clothing should be discreet and help you blend in with the environment. Well, if not only in the jacket, but also in the pants there will be a certain number of pockets in order to quickly extract the necessary things from them. The best hat to wear is a cap. The sounds of approaching cars and human steps are perfectly audible in it.
Men’s boots can be worn on their feet, and rubber boots for women. They do not get wet, and pants tucked into them will not catch on knots.
Documents and Pass
Information on how to get to Pripyat will be incomplete if you do not mention one important detail - illegal penetration into the exclusion zone is prosecuted by the laws of Ukraine, so it is better to have a set of all necessary certificates and documents with you.
A single pass is issued at the Dityatka checkpoint or in the Old Falcons only upon presentation of a passport and an indication of the reason for entering Pripyat. Together with him, a receipt is given that only you are responsible for your health and life in general. A pass to the territory of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is drawn up by the bureau of the station itself.