Explosion at the Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 has caused a lot of trouble for humanity. Today, the exclusion zone, which was formed right after the accident because of the hazardous levels of radiation, is an attractive tourist destination. Foreigners all over the world come every year, regardless of the season or weather, to see the ghost town Pripyat, abandoned schools, kindergartens, churches, old Soviet buildings. So, the Chernobyl tour is an exciting adventure to the most extraordinary territory in Europe. For doubtful humans — the routes of such trips are completely safe, so it is possible to stay even for a couple of days.
Locations you will never visit during official Chernobyl tours
And while agencies propose safe excursion programs with an opportunity to delve into the post-apocalyptic atmosphere, there are still some spots prohibited for a tourist. Such locations evoke great interest. And so-called stalkers illegally enter areas with critical and even lethal levels where nuclear particles can still harm you. Mostly, they do it to impress YouTube viewers or Instagram subscribers with their courage. But it’s fair to call such behavior as dumb and irresponsible. Nevertheless, scientists or photographers may go into some forbidden places. But only having permission and protective equipment. Anyway, let’s consider some of these perilous places.
Elephant’s Foot. The basement of the Chernobyl 4th unit is considered as the most dangerous room on Earth. The largest radioactive accumulation of probably the most toxic substance ever created by the man is still there, inside the destroyed power plant. It is nuclear lava that received the gloomy name for its color and appearance — Elephant’s Foot. The basement of the reactor is the place that you never want to visit. How did it form? The explosion destroyed the reactor, and a molten radioactive mass (nuclear fuel) spread around. This lava contained zirconium and uranium mixed with some concrete, glass, sand. The resulting poisonous drop (weighing 11 tons) had an emission of about 8 thousand x-rays per hour because of the uranium, radionuclides, and other elements. On the Internet, you can find a photo of this alloy because many managed to get inside to take pictures for scientific purposes. However, you won’t see it on your own eyes, as during tours of Chernobyl, the only thing you can get is an exciting story about the terrifying formation of elephant foot from your guide.
Pripyat hospital. But the basement of the reactor is not the only famous basement that can be harmful. Thanks to HBO TV series, everyone had a chance to see the story of firefighters who arrived at the place of the disaster on the night of April 26, 1986, to fight the terrible beast called radiation. Then, no one could know that a few hours near the burning power plant will be fatal. But they did their job, knowing that it was their calling. As a result, the first signs of radiation sickness began to appear immediately. And all the firefighters were taken to the hospital. The staff, being aware of the effects of radiation, decided to throw firefighters’ clothes into the basement. It was contaminated and could harm others. With the inability to help the victims of the liquidation, they were sent to Moscow, where they died within a few weeks. And now, their uniform lies in the basement, radiating levels hundreds of times higher than the norm for a human body.
A graveyard of robots. Several robots were used to clean up the roof of the reactor. Soviet authorities even got a lunar rover intended for moon exploration. Also, West German offered its own robot “Joker”. But the radiation was so high that equipment died within a few minutes. So, it was decided to use “biorobots”: hundreds of soldiers were involved in the process of cleaning the roof from graphite. After, a little graveyard for radioactive robots was created. Also, in the zone, there is a cemetery of vehicles that were used to eliminate the consequences.
The basement of the Jupiter factory. And it is the third basement on the list of hazardous places of the Chernobyl zone. There are lots of theories about this plant. Officially, Jupiter was producing tape recorders. But it is believed that the real goal was the manufacturing of electronics for the military industry. More likely, tape recorders were a cover-up of military production. Being a secret military facility, some believe that even nuclear weapons were developed there. But this assumption is easy to refute. Stalkers who sneak into the building of this plant demonstrate high levels of radiation on their dosimeters. The thing is that after the explosion, the basement of Jupiter served as a radiological laboratory for testing various methods of decontamination and the development of dosimetry devices until 1996. After 1996, it was closed, so no one can see the real situation of the factory now. But if you are lucky to go on a tour with a passionate guide, then he/she will tell you everything, and you will discover new, exciting information.
How to go on a Chernobyl tour?
For unforgettable emotions, it is extremely crucial to choose the best agency that provides guarantees of safety, an interesting program of the trip, comfortable Chernobyl tours from Kiev. Experts must provide all needed instructions, send you the email with a list of must-have things with you, what you need to dress, how you should behave, what additional services you will get. Book a convenient date in advance (two weeks before the travel), as a chosen agency must prepare permission documents allowing to visit the zone. Check whether the team of experts proposes safety measures, like a personal dosimeter or respiratory mask, and whether tours include meals. Choosing the type of tour, decide what you want to see, as there are 1-day or 2-days trip options. If you really want to get an extraordinary journey of your life, then consider Go2Chernobyl. This agency guarantees a dose of adrenaline and lots of impressions.
