Accommodation during the trip
Languages
Accommodation during the trip
Languages
Experiences you'll have
During one trip you will see a variety of the Polar Urals’ landscapes, get acquainted with the history of this region’s exploration and the native inhabitants of the tundra.
This tour combines a rich program and comfortable transportation by TRECOL off-road vehicles. You will stay at a comfortable base on the bank of a mountain river for most of the tour, making trips to the tundra and easy hikes in the mountains.
Watch a video from the expedition to the Polar Urals in September 2020:
Highlights of the expedition:
We accept bookings for groups of 6 or more
Itinerary
The journey begins in Vorkuta (Komi Republic), where you should get to on your own. We recommend Rusline airline flights arriving in Vorkuta at 2:10 pm on the first day of the tour (departure from Moscow at 10 am) and from Vorkuta at 2:55 pm on the last day.
We are ready to assist with the purchase of tickets. If necessary, leave a comment in the application.
Day 1 Excursion in Vorkuta
You will be met at Vorkuta airport and taken to your hotel. After checking in you can have lunch at the cafe (extra charge) and then go on a city tour.
Vorkuta is called " the miners’ Northern capital ". The pompous Stalinist architectural ensembles from the 1950s-60s have been preserved here, and you can still see Soviet-style signs and northern traditional ornaments on many of the buildings. During the walk you will also visit the observation deck, which offers a magnificent view of the city.
You will taste northern cuisine and fish delicacies and discuss the upcoming program with your guide over dinner in a restaurant (dinner is an extra charge).
The length of the route is 20 km by bus and on foot.
Day 2 Trip to Nia-Yu River Canyon
In the morning you will check out of the hotel and have breakfast in a local coffee house. Then you will board the TRECOL off-road vehicles and drive to the tundra to the East, to the Polar Ural Mountains.
On the way you will ford the Malaya (Rus. for “Minor”) Usa river, and then have a small snack with hot tea and sandwiches. Then you will go to one of the most beautiful canyons of the Polar Urals, located on the Nia-Yu River. You will take a short walk along the canyon, whose walls are as tall as a nine-story building. After that you will have a picnic.
You will pass the second half of the day on the way to the base, located on the Bolshaya (Rus. for “Major”) Usa River in the foothills of the Polar Urals. On the way you will admire picturesque mountain landscapes. If you are lucky, you can see hares, partridges, polar owls and other representatives of the Northern fauna. Upon arrival to the base you will be accommodated in the guest house and have dinner. In the evening you can listen to a lecture about geographical and geological features of the Polar Urals.
The length of the route is 85 km by off-road vehicle, 1 km on foot.
Day 3 Fishing and hiking
Today you have a free day at the base. If you like, you can go hiking to the nearby mountain — you will be taken to its foothills by motor boat. Or you can walk along the territory of the base and pick blueberries and cowberries.
All those interested can go fishing on the Bolshaya Usa River (fishing tackle will be provided) and fans of water entertainment can have a banana ride. Not far from the base on the river bank you can see the metal hull of the old so-called “caracat” — a hand-made vehicle for moving around the tundra which was used by the locals before the TRECOLs had been invented.
In the evening at the base a fish filleting and cooking workshop will be held. After that you can take a steam bath.
The length of the route is 0-20 km depending on the type of activity.
Day 4 Trekking and boat trip on Khadatayoganlore Lakes
On this day you will travel deep into the Polar Urals by off-road vehicle to one of the most picturesque lakes in this region — Khadatayoganlor. This is a system of two lakes in the course of the Bolshaya (Rus. ofr “Major”) Khadata River, connected to each other by a small strait. The route will go through tundra swamps. On the way you will stop near a Nenets barrow.
Upon arrival to the Khadatayoganlore Lakes you will make a small hike up the nearby mountain. Its top offers a magnificent panoramic view of two lakes and the eastern foothills of the Ural Mountains. Below, on the lakeshore a camp will be organized, where you will have lunch and take some time to rest.
In the second half of the day you will have a boat trip, during which you will see the most picturesque corners of the Bolshoe and Maloye (Rus. for “Major” and “Minor”) Khadatayoganlore Lakes. By dinnertime you will return to the camp and spend the night in tents.
The length of the route is 50 km by off-road vehicle and motor boat and 4 km on foot.
Day 5 Route to Bolshiye Kuzty Mountaon Lake
After breakfast you will visit another picturesque lake in the Polar Urals mountains – Bolshiye (Rus. for “Major”) Kuzty Lake. You will take a walk along the lake, rest on the sandy shore and go fishing if you like.
After lunch you will head back to the base on the Bolshaya Usa River. In the evening you will have dinner and watch some films about the Polar Urals in a cozy living room.
The length of the route is 40 km by off-road vehicle.
Day 6 Meeting the Nenets reindeer breeders
This day you will get acquainted with the natives of the Polar Urals. After breakfast you will drive by off-road vehicles to the camp of the Nenets reindeer breeders (2 hours on route).
You will visit the living and utility “chum” and learn how to set this dwelling up in the tundra in 30 minutes. Then the hosts of the chum will invite you for lunch. You will taste the traditional food of the reindeer breeders and learn a lot of interesting things about the customs of the Nenets and the peculiarities of their life in the tundra. After that you will have a chance to ride a reindeer sled and take pictures with reindeers.
By dinnertime you will return to the base. In the evening you are welcome to rest in the bathhouse and hear a lecture about the history of coal mining in Vorkuta and the construction of a coal mine.
The length of the route is 30 km by off-road vehicle.
Day 7 Excursion to the abandoned miners’ settlements
After breakfast you will leave the base and drive back to Vorkuta. On the way you will stop at one of the abandoned settlements of the so called "Vorkuta Ring".
The "Vorkuta Ring" is a network of urban settlements at the coal mines centered around Vorkuta. Some of them are now abandoned. You will walk through empty streets surrounded by abandoned apartment buildings, schools, and stores, as if frozen out of time.
During the trip you will stop to have tea and sandwiches. Once back in the city you will stay in a hotel and have dinner in a restaurant (extra charge).
The length of the route is 75 km by off-road vehicle.
Day 8 Departure
After breakfast you will be taken to the airport with a stop at the souvenir store on the way.
The length of the route is 10 km by a minibus.
Accommodation during the trip
Languages
Accommodation during the trip
For the first and final nights of the tour you will stay at the “Vorkuta” hotel, located in the heart of the city. You will be accommodated in standard twin rooms with two single beds, TV, free Wi-Fi and private bathroom. There is a restaurant on site.
You will spend most of the trip (days 2-4, 5-7) at the "Badjashor" base, located on the Bolshaya Usa Rver in the foothills of the Polar Urals. You will be accommodated in a large guest house in spacious room on the second floor, divided into two zones – men’s and ladies’. It offers a beautiful view of the mountains from the windows. There are a cozy living room with an area for lectures and watching movies on the first floor of the house, a kitchen, a washbasin, and a separate room for storing outerwear and drying shoes. The toilet is located in a separate area next to the guest house. There is a sauna at the base (there is a boiler with hot water in the washing room, you can take a shower every day, and the steam sauna will be heated on days 3 and 6).
You will spend one night during the tour in tents camping on the shore of the Khadata-Yugan-Lor mountain lake. You will be accommodated in BASK camping tents, each with two compartments to accommodate 2 people (a camping mat and sleeping bag will be provided if needed). You can stay in a single-occupancy tent if needed.
Common questions
An experienced guide will accompany you throughout the tour.
Three meals per day included during the active part of the tour. You will have breakfast and dinner in the dining room at the base, and daily snacks with hot drinks will be provided for you on the trails. The meals are prepared by a professional chef at the base and by the guide during the 2-day trip to the lakes.
The menu will include traditional local venison and fish dishes (char, grayling, whitefish), as well as drinks and jams made of northern berries.
Additionally, you will have to pay for meals in Vorkuta: lunch and dinner on day 1, breakfast on day 2 and dinner on day 7.
All transfers in Vorkuta will be made by minibus or by car (depending on the number of people in the group).
During the expedition part to the mountains of the Polar Urals an off-road TRECOL vehicle on low-pressure tires (9 people + driver) will be used, as well as a motor boat with Yamaha engine for fishing on the Bolshaya Usa River and its inflows.
If you wish, you can go fishing for grayling and pike on the Bolshaya Usa River, as well as on the lakes Khadatayoganlor and Bolshiye Kuzty where salmon is abundant (fishing tackle provided if necessary). It is necessary to respect the nature, observe the "Catch and release" sport fishing rule and to use fishing tackle with a single 7mm max hook only.
It will be possible to call from the base via satellite Internet (mobile service operator is irrelevant). There will be no connection while moving across tundra.
In summer months the temperature ranges from +5 to +25 °C, in September - from 0 to +10 °C, so you should take warm clothes with you.
Booking
Accommodation during the trip
Languages
accommodation in a hotel in Vorkuta (2 nights), in a guest house at the base (4 nights), in a tent (1 night)
breakfasts, lunches, and dinners during the tour (except for meals in Vorkuta)
all transfers per program
transport service (microbuses, TRECOL all-terrain off-road vehicles on low-pressure tires)
guide services and services of reindeer breeders
English interpreter's service (for the group from 4 people)
excursion program and workshops
rental of required tourist gear (tents, tourist mats)
fishing (day 3), motor boat and fishing tackle rental
visits to the bathhouse (sauna) at the base
airfare to Vorkuta (starting at 235 EURO for a round-trip ticket)
meals in Vorkuta
accommodation in a hotel in Vorkuta (2 nights), in a guest house at the base (4 nights), in a tent (1 night)
breakfasts, lunches, and dinners during the tour (except for meals in Vorkuta)
all transfers per program
transport service (microbuses, TRECOL all-terrain off-road vehicles on low-pressure tires)
guide services and services of reindeer breeders
English interpreter's service (for the group from 4 people)
excursion program and workshops
rental of required tourist gear (tents, tourist mats)
fishing (day 3), motor boat and fishing tackle rental
visits to the bathhouse (sauna) at the base
airfare to Vorkuta (starting at 235 EURO for a round-trip ticket)
meals in Vorkuta
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