Trips to Chernobyl Zone

You may find it hard to believe but Chernobyl in Ukraine is a desired tourist destination. You may only remember the city because of the nuclear leak from a reactor at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant that caused 16,000 residents of Chernobyl and 49,400 residents of Pripyat to evacuate the area. Pripyat was a city established to house workers of the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl. After the leak, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was built where the radiation was deemed most severe. The disaster occurred in 1986 and now 31 years later, Chernobyl excursions by tourists are becoming more common.

The reason for increasing tourist interest in this region is that good tourist companies know the exact routes which are completely safe from radiation. This means that you now have the chance to see the place where one of the history’s most significant disasters took place.

It might be surprising for you but people actually live in Chernobyl. These are people in charge of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone or other people who evacuated at the time of the incident but eventually came back to their homes. The zone itself is safe to visit under the supervision of a tour guide who can not only take you through the abandoned city of Pripyat but show you the nuclear plant which caused so much misfortune.

The city of Pripyat itself is located only 4 km away from the plant. It was only 7 years old at the time of the incident. When you visit it, you will see the empty apartment buildings, gyms, swimming pools, amusement park, super markets and stadiums. All of the people in this city had to leave urgently, allowed to carry nothing but clothes and essentials worth 2 to 3 days. The whole city which thrived and flourished for 7 years was evacuated in almost 4 hours.

Pripyat and Chernobyl stand as reminders of the lives that were lived, abandoned and lost there. The deleterious effects of the nuclear power plant remained many years after the disaster and may still be prevalent in certain areas. Therefore, tourist companies licensed to bring tourists are always extremely careful in ensuring the heath of the people who come to visit these areas. Moreover, Pripyat was subject to a lot of theft in the years following Ukraine’s independence from Russia as there was a lack of personnel to guard the zone of exclusion. Thus, you have to watch your step because numerous manholes have been stolen. Usually, the tour guides know the safest routes so if you listen to them, you should be fine.

Numerous accounts of people on Quora and other social media websites also suggest that the place is safe to visit as long as there is a person from the Ministry of Emergencies of Ukraine accompanying your team. You will absolutely love the quietude and wilderness that has grown all over the city. Moreover, you will find emblems of the Russian-controlled Ukraine which should make any history geek’s heart throb. It is definitely worth spending money and time to go on a Chernobyl excursion to witness the aftermath of one of history’s biggest nuclear incident.

Oliver Perez is a copywriter from Sydney, Australia. He enjoys writing articles on different topics, sharing his ideas with readers. Oliver likes to travel a lot and he has visited many European countries by this time.