Way to Russia Talk Lounge

ania-dabrowska · Just Starting Joined: 27 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

Hi,
Anyone had travelled to the northern Siberia (on the level of the Arctic circle: Arkhangelsk, Vorkuta, Verkhoyansk, and so on)? I would love to go there but don't know if it's even possible, as I didn’t find any information about roads or transportation between the cities! Is it possible to rent a car in Russia and go to the north of Siberia with it? If not, is there any public transportation?
I will be very grateful for any information about that
Ania

greg222 · VIP Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 534

You can take a train from Moscow to Arkhangelsk easily enough (they go at least once daily I believe). You might want to stop off at Vologda on the way - it's supposed to be a beautiful city.

ania-dabrowska · Just Starting Joined: 27 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

Thank you

And what if i wanted to go more east after that.
In fact my and my boyfriend's dream would be to cross Siberia from the west to the east following the Arctic Circle. But it might be to crazy Sad

Does anyone have any information about transportation form Archangelsk to Vorkuta or to Salekhard? The ideal would be the northern version of tharssiberian train Wink

I don't tink it exists though Mad

greg222 · VIP Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 534

I just had a quick look - I couldn't see any direct link between Arkhangelsk and those cities (bus, train or otherwise). But you can get the train if you go from Arkhangelsk to Vorkuta via Vologda. Maybe you could also do this route by city-hopping on local trains and buses, but this would be near impossible to plan. Then there is a train between Vorkuta and Salekhard (every second day it seems).

You could try this site. It's only in Russian, but their goal was to list all local transport options in Russia (inter-city buses, ferries, etc). It doesn't seem to have been updated for a while, but it could still give you a rough idea:

http://all-transport.info/

ania-dabrowska · Just Starting Joined: 27 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

Thanks, that's very helpfull Very Happy

the only thing is that ... we don't speak any russian Shocked

of course we're going to learn some before departure, we're Polish so it should go fast (different alphabet though).
We will need to find someone to read those schedules for us

Ideally we would like to travel until the Bering Streight, i'm affraid busses or thains may not go up to there and I know we need a permit to enter Chukotka Sad

Anyone has some more information?
Anyone traveled to the north east?

vox16 · WayToRussified Joined: 01 Jun 2006 Posts: 324

Regarding railroad transpotation - http://parovoz.com/maps/supermap/
It is a map of all railroads in Russia, state-owned or private. The northernmost latitudinal route by rail is BAM-Transsib. Novosibirsk-Labytnangi is posiible by boat. There are no regular transportation in west-east direction by buses ( because of no roads ) to the north of Transsib in Siberia.

dfnsk · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:34 am Post subject:

UsualSuspect · Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:06 am Post subject: Boat

Ania,
Norilsk/Dudinka to Krasnoyarsk by boat is possible. But then you're a few thousand kilometres from the Arctic Circle once you hit Krasnoyask.

Usualsuspect

ania-dabrowska · Just Starting Joined: 27 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

Thank you very much guys!
But it doesn't look like North is accessible Confused

i'm wandering how people travel between the villages maybe they just don't move...

what about small charter flights inside Syberia?
or a different way of trnsportation?
(i guess,I'm just inviting anything, as i really want to go!)

surfguy · Lounge Wizard Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 6996

vox16 · WayToRussified Joined: 01 Jun 2006 Posts: 324

ania-dabrowska · Just Starting Joined: 27 Aug 2007 Posts: 5

thank you guys for your reply.
I gess I'm just a naive dreamer Mad

surfguy · Lounge Wizard Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 6996

to some...Mt Everest was a dream...to others it became a reality...never lose sight of your dreams!

saint_chrisburg · Frequent Guest Joined: 03 Oct 2007 Posts: 46

I don't know if you're still interested, but I know some about the far North, as my ex-wife's maternal family is from Yakutia and she lived in the very far north for a while (Vilyusk - this is Northeastern Siberia, or simply in Russian "Sever" - "the North"). Basically the area is largely inacessible. The "roads" are just sand pathways for the most part, which makes driving them difficult and dangerous. You know how bad roads can be after a typical winter? Well imagine what would happen to paved roads in a North Siberian winter (9 months of snow, -50 C in winter, etc.). It is possible to boat up river from Yakutsk during the summer months to reach some of the up-river towns.

Life there is very much "roughing it": At the time my ex-wife lived there (early 90s) places didn't have indoor plumbing (people fetched water and did #1 and #2 in buckets) - by now this may have changed, but I doubt it as there's a layer of permafrost that prevents any deep digging beneath ground level, another reason why paved roads aren't a viable option.

The bigger issues are that NOBODY will speak English (hell, the really old people don't even speak Russian) and good luck finding any resources on learning Evenk or any other of the regional languages (by the way, the regional languages are in the Turkic language branch, in case you do want to try - and case in point, when I was learning Turkish my wife told me it sounded like Yakut, and she could understand some of the Turkish words). You will not be welcomed unless you have family or close friends already living there. Also, many of the places still require official permission from the Russian government to allow you to visit the area. Even where it isn't required, local officials will still want to see documentation as to why you're there in the first place, and "sight-seeing" probably won't go over too well.

I had a set of English friends who had the same idea about traveling in that region, and so my ex-wife called up her family in the North, and they as well spoke with their friends and officials, and all the above information is what was passed onto us, which was passed onto my English friends, which I now pass onto you. Basically it was a "no way, Jose'".

But then again, there's always the chance the first person you meet when you arrive is super nice, befriends you, and off-and-away you go on your North-Siberian adventure! And despite all the pessimism, it in theory could still be done if you've got the guts to try. Hell, that McGregor actor guy managed to ride his damn motorcycle all the way across the world (but then again, he's a well-known actor with a pretty deep wallet).

saius · Just Starting Joined: 16 Mar 2008 Posts: 1

[quote="ania-dabrowska"]Hi,
Hi, ania-dabrowska. I just read your message. Have you been in yakutia? Because next winter i would like to make Magadan-Yakutsk on Kolyma Highway and stopfor some days in Oymyaon, Tomtor and verkhoyansk. Maybe you can give me some tips. Very Happy

Thank you very much.