TOUR OVERVIEW

Heard of Chernobyl? You know, possibly the most famous accident in recent history, so disastrous that it’s almost unbelievable. Well this is Kazakhstan’s answer to Chernobyl – but it was done on purpose. The test site at Semeypalatinsk, or the Polygon, is where the Soviet Union did the majority of their nuclear testing, performing 456 nuclear tests between 1949 and 1989, with a total of 2,500 times the power of the bombs dropped at Hiroshima. The area used to be closed off, but is now open to those with permits.

Although our tour is centred around exploring the test site and surrounding areas, including the atomic lake – Lake Chagan, we’ll also visit Kazakhstan’s Soviet industrial north. We’ll see Temirtau which is host to the largest chimney in the world and the largest open coal mine in the world, before ending the tour in futuristic Nur Sultan, formerly known as Astana, formerly known as Akmola, formerly known as Tselinograd, and soon to be something else.

View the full itinerary

This tour can be done as it is, but it is also the start of a 5 Stans Tour , for anyone wishing to see some more of Central Asia while you're here, which starts with the Nomad Games in Astana.

INCLUSIONS:

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $250