Tank and APC Tours

 Soviet Tank Tour  

This legendary heavy tank saw service in the Soviet army back in the 20th century and is still used by the Ukrainian army today.

During your tour you will have a chance to experience the full power of this 40-tonne monster! The tour takes place on a tank range located 80 km north-east of Kyiv: usually this is an hour drive from the city center (an hour and a half in rush hour).

Typically, we collect our guests at 10 AM at their hotel and drive them out to the range. The range belongs to an active military base, and taking photos on certain parts of the base is not allowed (please ask!).  It’s a short drive from the base proper to the range, where our instructors will be waiting.
After we meet the instructors, there is a quick safety briefing, and then it’s time to climb onto the roof of the tank, and hold on for a roller coaster of a ride over open country and off-road trails!☺
During the first part of the lesson, our driver will drive the tank himself and demonstrate the main driving features to our guests. This part of the program lasts twenty minutes. When this is done, it’s time to get behind the wheel and drive the tank yourself (our instructors will stay in the tank to help you, naturally)! You will learn how to start the engine, shift and use gears, and how to operate the tank in general. The instructions are complete, so even a beginner, or somebody who has never driven a car before, can learn to drive our tank with confidence! ☺

The total length of this tour is about four to five hours (depending on the number of participants).
Preferred group size is not more than ten people.
The cost of this tour covers all aspects of the excursion, including pick-up and drop-off (in a comfortable car or mini-van) food and drinks (beer!☺). We also can provide VIP or luxury transfers to a location of your choice.

PLEASE NOTE: Shooting from the Tank is strictly prohibited!

 BTR-80 and BRDM-2 Light Soviet APC Tours

These tours feature two light Armoured Personnel Carriers that the Soviets used to transport soldiers. The BTR-80, which is the larger model, is an eight-wheel vehicle, and weighs 15 tonnes.  
These APCs are smaller, but no less intriguing, and no less fascinating to drive than the legendary T-64 tank.

The BTR-80 tour follows much the same format as the tank one. We pick up our guests at their hotel at 10 AM and drive them to a military base located 75 km south-west of Kyiv. This is a one-hour drive.
When we arrive, our instructors are be waiting and ready to go! 

First we meet the driver, and listen to a quick briefing. Then we climb into the APC for a twenty-minute ride down the highway, rocketing to the vehicle’s top speed of 100 km/h (yeah, it’s fast!).  ☺ After twenty minutes we reach a private woodland range where our guests can learn to drive the vehicle for themselves. This is a wide open space without barriers, which makes it both easy and thrilling to operate the APC in the forest.

Depending on your preferences, GAMMA TRAVEL can also offer you the treat of an outdoor lunch. If you like, we can bring the chow wagon (field kitchen) and cook the meal in the out of doors, next to the training area, the way the military does on exercises.  Otherwise, if you like, we can eat at a restaurant. The choice is yours! ☺
After lunch we drive our guests back to their hotel. The length of this tour is about 4 to 5 hours (depending on group size). 

 The BRDM-2 follows a similar pattern. This is also an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), but it’s smaller, with four wheels, and weighs 10 tonnes. Driving this vehicle is a lot of fun because it’s fast and agile: it can crash through the bushes, and even SWIM over rivers (wanna try?)! It’s less expensive than the other armoured vehicles, and is housed on the same military base as the BTR-80. This means when we have a large group we can frequently accommodate our guests by taking the two APCs to the practice area. Driving and comparing the way the two APCs work means double fun!