About Chernobyl Tour Package

In the early morning hours of April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine (formerly part of the Soviet Union) exploded, creating what has been described as the worst nuclear disaster the world has ever seen.

The day before the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, plant operators were preparing for a one-time shutdown to perform routine maintenance on reactor number 4. In violation of safety regulations, operators disabled plant equipment including the automatic shutdown mechanisms, according to the U.N. Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR).

At 1:23 a.m. on April 26, when extremely hot nuclear fuel rods were lowered into cooling water, an immense amount of steam was created, which — because of the RBMK reactors' design flaws — created more reactivity in the nuclear core of reactor number 4. The resultant power surge caused an immense explosion that detached the 1,000-ton plate covering the reactor core, releasing radiation into the atmosphere and cutting off the flow of coolant into the reactor.

On April 27, the residents of Pripyat were evacuated — about 36 hours after the accident had occurred. By that time, many were already complaining about vomiting, headaches and other signs of radiation sickness. Officials eventually closed off an 18-mile (30 km) area around the plant; residents were told they would be able to return after a few days, so many left their personal belongings and valuables behind.

Chernobyl today

The region today is widely known as one of the world's most unique wildlife sanctuaries. Thriving populations of wolves, deer, lynx, beaver, eagles, boar, elk, bears and other animals have been documented in the dense woodlands that now surround the silent plant. Only a handful of radiation effects, such as stunted trees growing in the zone of highest radiation and animals with high levels of cesium-137 in their bodies, are known to occur.

Chernobyl Town

The administrative centre of controlling the radiation-dangerous territories alienated in 1986, the population of the town was about 13,000 people before the accident. The main facilities involved in maintaining the zone in an environmentally safe state are situated here. Also the personnel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, guarding the territory of the 30 kilometre exclusion zone and controlling illegal entry of unauthorized persons into this territory are based here.

Secret Duga Radar

The over-the-horizon radar station (“Chernobyl-2”) is the most secret site of the Soviet Union and was marked as a “summer camp” on all topographic maps of that time. The distinctive sound in the air while the radar was working (knocking) was called the “Russian Woodpecker”. The height of the station is about 150 metres. After the circumstances of 1986, it was frozen and exploitation was discontinued due to possible damage to the electronic equipment.

Soviet Command Centre

The control of the secret Duga Radar of the Soviet Union, which enabled tracking of high-flying targets at a distance of 900 to 3000 kilometres in the circumpolar region was carried out from the command centre in the military town of Chernobyl 2. Employees had to have two passes to enter the facility which provided more control and security. The control panels, buttons, Soviet slogans and study rooms for training recruits are preserved here. There is a rumour it has kept the Soviet military secrets to this day.

Buried Village

Kopachi is an abandoned village at a distance of 4km from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. At the time of the accident, the village was turned into the zone of the so-called “Western footprint” – one of the ways of moving radioactive emissions through the wind. The village was liquidated by complete burial due to the high level of radiation; the building of the kindergarten is the only one that survived. Kopachi Village was even in the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Call of Pripyat. At the moment, the territory is uninhabited and has become a favourite place for different animals.

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

An explosion occurred during the project test and completely destroyed the reactor at about 1:24 a.m. on 26th April 1986. The leakage of radiation from the explosion equates to the equivalent of 500 atomic bombs being dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. The distribution of radioactive material was on such a large scale that radioactive rain fell throughout Europe and even in Ireland. According to various sources, 600,000 to 800,000 people took part in the management of the aftermath from all over the USSR.

New Safe Confinement

This is an insulating arched structure that sits above the destroyed 4th Power unit of Chernobyl that was destroyed in the accident. The cost of the project, which was invested by one of the companies of the French Industrial Group, amounted to 2.15 billion Euros. It was necessary to solve a number of complex technical problems to implement the project. The dismantling of the ventilation pipe between the 3rd and 4th power unites cost 11.7 million. The arch has become the largest mobile ground structure, covering the outdated “Shelter” and should work for another 70 to 100 years.

Red Forest

A relatively small section of a forest belt, about 10 square kilometres, absorbed the largest share of the release of the radioactive dust during the explosion. A powerful radiation leak “painted” the forest a bright red colour. The destruction of these trees saved a lot of people’s lives and delayed dozens of tons of radioactive dust by acting as a filter. The pine crown is very dense and retains the dust very efficiently. This is one of the most unique places of the Chernobyl zone where you can visually observe the effect of radiation on living organisms even today.

Pripyat

This is the abandoned city with a lot of radioactive fallout at present. Dust firmly sticks to the ground, trees and housed. The city is overgrown with Artemisia which also grew in the vicinity before the accident. Empty buildings gradually come into disrepair under the influence of the environment. The oldest buildings in the city are the ones that have deteriorated most rapidly. For example, the building of the first secondary school had a collapse first in 2005 and suffered further damage and other collapses in 2013.

Amusement Park

The non-functioning park is located in the centre of Pripyat, behind the square with the buildings of the department store, the Energetik Palace of Culture and Polissya Hotel. The most famous object in the park is the Ferris Wheel, which became of the symbols of both Pripyat and the entire Chernobyl exclusion zone as a whole later. The wheel never worked, it’s launch was planned for 1st May 1986. The park is one of the heavily infected sites in Pripyat.