Private 1-2 day tour to Chernobyl and Prypiat

The exclusion zone is a wonderful and extremely photogenic place. Lots of people who come here for the first time can’t stop taking pictures of every single corner. Especially when people have a visit to Pripyat – it’s just impossible not to stop for a minute between grey abandoned haunted houses to feel this crazy empty atmosphere, not to take a picture of a tree growing from the window, a creepy doll in the kindergarten, moldy medical card near the hospital and so much more.

But on a group tour there isn’t much time for each location, so everyone is rushed. A group tour “Pripyat - Chernobyl” usually has nearly 15 people on the bus and it’s impossible to wait for everyone because it won’t be enough time to see all interesting locations. That’s why a private tour to Chernobyl is a way better option if you value your time and don’t like to be in a rush.

What can I see during this tour?

Depending on your tastes you are able to choose between different locations, starting from all famous must-see spots, ending with unknown villages out of the beaten track. Tell your guide about your interests and they can tailor your tour so you can choose the area you want to focus on:

• Biology (rare animal species and their life without people, the influence of radiation on plants, concrete and trees relationship)
• History and politics (Soviet propaganda, monuments of the Second World War, Lenin busts and other soviet remains)
• Engineering and physics (the structure of the reactor, how it worked, the power plant history, what was built and was planned to be built, reasons that led to the explosion, building process of both sarcophaguses)

   

• Architecture (typical soviet residence houses in the city and villages, brutalist style buildings, famous soviet uniformity)
• Photo locations (our guides know what spots are perfect for the best shoots, so do not hesitate to ask)

Or, alternatively, you can have a bit of everything to have the whole big picture of this amazing place. People like to call these private journeys as “Pripyat stalker tour” because you do feel a bit like stalker – small car, no crowd around you, calm and slow pace, and feeling of being alone in the wild – everything to enjoy the trip. Like a stalker but fully safe and 100% legal.

Why private tour is better?

While it’s pretty obvious that private means more comfort, we would like to be more precise and explain what you can expect on a private tour:

• Small car – less time is needed to load/unload at each location. Which means, your valuable time would be rather spent on sightseeing, not on waiting. Also smaller car means faster border controls, better speed of moving between locations - so it does save you lots of time.
• Pick up and bringing you back to your hotel. You do not need to think of how to call a taxi, or worse – deal with Ukrainian public transport in the middle of the rush hour. Relax and enjoy your day as a proper Chernobyl tourist, we will take care of all the logistics, paperwork, etc.
• Tailored tour according to your preferences. You don’t need to listen to something you are not interested in. Establish your goals and our skilful guide will make everything possible to satisfy your hunger. If you only want to tour Prypiat for 2 days straight – okay, we are happy to do that. If you want to visit the self-settlers in an unpopular village far away and drink vodka with them – we are also eager to bring you there.
• No queues for a picture. It’s crucial to say that Chernobyl tourism is booming during the last year. Many people come to visit Chernobyl, Ukraine is a new interesting destination. No wonders that during the high season there can be so many visitors that you’ll need to queue to take a picture. That’s why the private tour is better – we won’t have any schedule to follow and can easily come to some spots at their “less popular time”. Yes, we do know the secret timing tricks in the zone ;)

So, as you can see, this option really has lots of advantages. If your time in Ukraine is limited and you don’t know whether you’ll be back in future, it is highly recommended to choose a private option, so that you can enjoy your journey in full.

Where will I stay if I book a 2-day tour?

There are 3 hotels in the Exclusion Zone, all of them are operating at the moment and accept visitors. Usually, we book twin rooms in a hotel “Desyatka”. It isn’t the best hotel in Ukraine of course, but it’s good enough to have a rest after the active day of exploration. Breakfasts and dinners are included in your ticket price and the café is inside the hotel. Lunches on both days are booked at the simple canteen – nothing fancy.

FAQ