The Traveller's Magazine
For the first time in 30 years this Ukrainian city will be open for tourism. Chernobyl, once the site of of a largest ever nuclear disaster, this red zone has now been deemed safe.
Ukraine’s newest tourist attraction will make its way into numerous tourist brochures and guide books next year following the decision made by the Ukrainian emergency situations ministry that the area was safe for visitors.
Reactor number four at Chernobyl’s nuclear plant exploded on April 26th, 1986 consequently covering northern Europe with radioactive material. Experts have no way of knowing exactly how many people died in the explosion (anywhere between hundreds to thousands) while they do know that the explosion forced more than 350,00 people to relocate permanently away from their homes to Belarus, Russia and elsewhere in Ukraine.
Unofficial visits have been permitted for the last few years, guided by government officials inside the 30-mile red zone. Future tours will be tightly monitored, making sure that visitors to the “ghost town” remain in the most safe areas.
What will the tour include?
- the legendary nuclear plant that changed history
- the remains of nuclear reactor four
- passage through Dytyatky control point
- the chance to personally measure radiation levels and learn about nuclear safety
Today more than 2,500 people live near the nuclear reactor working to maintain the condition of the plant. They work short shifts to minimize their exposure to potential radioactivity.
Exciting and informative? Flights to Kiev start at £83 in the new year.
Img: Andrzej Karón / Flickr cc.
