Ukraine Tours
Kiev and Chernobyl Group Tour 2012
Highlights: 6 day tour
Unique to Regent Holidays - this tour stays overnight in the town of Chernobyl, giving an unparalleled insight into one of the most devestating environmental disasters in human history.
Price from: £995 pp
This small group tour is a fascinating introduction to Kiev, the pleasant Ukrainian capital, but its main focus is an in-depth tour of Chernobyl, a place ever synonymous with the massive nuclear disaster that rocked the Soviet Union and the world in 1986. To this day, a 30km exclusion zone set in place by Ukraine’s “Ministry of Emergencies” circles the area, and the disaster is still vey real for the great number of people who have been, and are still being affected by its after effects.
Spending two days touring inside the “Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Exclusion Zone,” including one night in Chernobyl itself (in a small hotel built for scientific advisors) we will gain an insight into the complete picture of the Chernobyl story, from the past to the present. This tour also includes a full free day in Kiev for one to explore at leisure.
This tour to Chernobyl and Kiev is limited to just fourteen participants and will be escorted by a Tours Manager from Regent Holidays.
For every booking made for the tour, we will donate £20 to the Chernobyl Heart Charity. This tour provides a genuine opportunity to get a better understanding of what went wrong in Chernobyl and to see how the community has recovered in the intervening years.
All images were taken by our Tours Manager Carl Meadows on his trip to Kiev and Chernobyl in November 2010. For any more information on this Kiev and Chernobyl Group Tour - please contact Carl Meadows
Tour dates: 1-6 Oct 2012
Price Includes:
Return flights in economy class with Aerosvit from London Gatwick, accommodation in hotels as specified, meals as specified (B=breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner), all transfers and transportation, sightseeing as specified with English-speaking guide, all entrance fees and permits required for Chernobyl excursion and Tour Leader from Regent Holidays
Price Excludes:
Travel insurance, meals/services other than those mentioned
Notes:
Single room supplement £150
6 Day Itinerary
Fly to Kiev and transfer to Hotel Rus for 2 nights.
Today enjoy a full-day city tour of Kiev with morning visits to Kreschatyk, the Golden Gates, the St. Sophia and St. Michael Cathedral (exterior) and the Chernobyl Museum. After lunch in the Tsarke Selo Restaurant, visit the Cave Monastery before continuing to the Great Patriotic War Museum (and adjacent park). At the end of the excursion, return to your hotel and have the rest of the afternoon/evening free to explore at leisure. (B,L)
After breakfast, depart Kiev and drive towards Chernobyl, a journey of around 2 ½ hours. On arriving at the outer boundary of the exclusion zone, you will go through the control checkpoint, before entering the zone. On arrival in the town of Chernobly you will have lunch, followed by an introductory presentation on the history of the area and what you will see over the coming two days. In the afternoon, head further into the zone, visiting the exterior of Reactor No. 4, and take an extended tour of the ghost city of Pripyat. Here, explore the ruined city, visiting numerous sites such as the school, sports centre, swimming pool and the fairground. At the end of the excursion, you will return to Chernobyl, where you will have dinner and overnight stay at the Chernobyl Hotel. (Please note that a 6PM curfew is in place in this area, so you will need to stay in or near the hotel). (B,L,D)
Continue this morning, with a tour of Chernobyl and surroundings, visiting further sites in and around Pripyat, the Cooling Reservoir and the Yanov Train Station. After lunch, visit some of the re-settlers villages and have the chance to meet some locals who have, despite government warnings and laws, decided to settle inside the zone. Late this afternoon, leave Chernobyl (after being checked for radiation exposure!) and return to Kiev. Arriving into Kiev in the evening, check back into the Hotel Rus for a 2 night stay. (B,L)
Day free to explore Kiev at leisure. (B)
Transfer from hotel to airport for flight back to the UK. (B)
