We approached a barbwire fence, this was it, this was perimeter of the exclusion zone!
Lights were extinguished and we navigated the wilderness by moonlight. The surrounding woods took on their own unique beauty in the night as we trekked onwards.
I always wanted to visit the zone myself and be able to witness the result of the disaster. My mind was set on achieving this. I heard of various companies and agencies offering such an experience. I began my research and not long later I had found several tours that offer what I was after. After much reading into what these companies offered, I have heard and watched several documentaries on these so called “illegal” hiking tours. After some time searching online I found Chernobyl Urbex Tour on instagram , I was amazed by the pictures and videos from the zone that he had in his portfolio. I made contact with the operator of this agency. I asked some questions and we discussed dates. My guide John was immensely helpful and spoke very good english.
The sunlight was fading and we began trekking into the woods. We approached a barbwire fence, this was it, this was the perimeter of the exclusion zone! Lights were extinguished and we navigated the wilderness by moonlight. The surrounding woods took on their own unique beauty in the night as we trekked onwards. We reached an old village and set up camp in one of the houses for the night.
Waking up, we prepared for the next journey of the hike, we explored the village and the surrounding areas it was beautiful to see how nature had taken over. The old houses were becoming one with the wild. We pushed onwards through the woodlands some places were so thick you could barely get through but our experienced guides knew the best paths and we had no problems.
We have reached our next stop, dudes!” our guide John said with a smile, I looked around and didn't see much but the undergrowth peeled back revealing the facility known as “Volkhov” this was used as a anti aircraft base back during the cold war. We explored and rested for a while taking in the brutalistic beauty of the structure.
Darkness had fallen and the zone transformed completely. I was feeling anxious excited and scared all at once. In the distance I could see the red lights of the Chernobyl NPP in the night sky, my goal was close yet so far.
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With our bellies full and our weary bodies rested we set out for the next stage in the trip. The infamous road to Pripyat. For the most part it was fairly uneventful, but without the cover of the woods I felt for the most part quite vulnerable. The group continued on, the silence of the night occasionally cut short by hushed small talk within the group.The road ahead stretched out in the moonlight and became one with the horizon. Suddenly time froze for a split second. In the distance behind us we could see the all to familiar headlights of a vehicle coming towards us, “Car! Car!” Jurgen said this with urgency, his German accent making the words sound all the more frightening. The group dispersed into the bushes along the side of the road and hid themselves, various curse words in several different languages could be heard, We all fell silent, the vehicle rumbled past us, light was thrown about everywhere, lighting up the landscape around us. I could feel my heart almost beating out of my chest, all of my senses were in overdrive…. I never felt so alive.
After some time we all stopped briefly for a break on the side of the road, directly in front of us in the distance was the famed Chernobyl NPP. I couldn't believe it after all these years and reading so much about it i have finally witnessed it with my own eyes, for what seemed so menacing and dangerous in documentaries and various other articles it was actually quite peaceful. The new confinement structure completely changed the look of the powerplant from other pictures I have seen before. The rest of the night was fairly uneventful traffic wise, which was a blessing in itself.
Over time on the journey, large black shadows appeared through the trees. We were entering the outskirts of Pripyat. These dark shadows soon revealed themselves to be looming buildings closing in all around us.
For the most part I thought Pripyat would be somewhat scary and frightening, but it was actually the opposite. The night air was silent, the only signs of life I heard was the quiet crunching of the Soil underneath our boots as we walked towards an apartment. We all sat down in the lounge room together and ate a late dinner.
