In the wilds of the tundra. A trip to Yamal

The ethnographic tour will allow you to touch the secrets of the preserved culture of the indigenous population of the Far North in its original form. You will live in a real plague together with a nomad family, take an active part in national rituals and traditional types of hunting and fishing. 

Location

Russia, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Salekhard
from
$912
+ tickets to the starting point of the tour
No need to pay now
Duration
5 Days
4 Nights
Departures
  • Group departures
    • 13 – 17 December
    • Dates for next season
    • 3 – 7 January, 2025
    • 17 – 21 January, 2025
    • 31 January – 4 February, 2025
    • 21 – 25 February, 2025
or
Accommodation
  • Hotel
    2 nights
  • Camp Site
    2 nights
Comfort
  • Basic
  • Upscale
Difficulty
Easy
Suitable for everyone
Group
Up to 12 people
Minimum age
12 years old
Group meet at
Russia, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Salekhard
Contact the tour coordinator
Weekdays: 8am - 8pm
Weekends: 8am - 7pm (GMT +3)
Or text us in messengers

Tour highlights

Accommodation in the plague
We will live in a real plague together with a family of nomads
Daily life of the aborigines
Let's get acquainted with the lifestyle of a modern plague worker in Yamal
A herd of deer
Let's learn how to rope a deer, harness a team and drive it

Itinerary

  • Day 1 - Arrival in Salekhard

    08.00 We will meet you at Salekhard airport, get acquainted with the guide and take a minibus to the Arctic 3* hotel. We check into the hotel (double rooms). You will have the opportunity to recover after an overnight flight and just have a little rest from the road. That is why on this day we start the excursion program in the afternoon. We will tell you where you can have a snack and take a walk.

    14.15-16.15 We study Salekhard.

    What to see:

    • Obdorsky prison. Let's take a walk through the open-air architectural complex, which repeats the appearance of an ancient fortress. The complex is new, but built using traditional technology without a single nail. Obdorsky ostrog marked the beginning of modern Salekhard and at the time of its foundation in 1593 was the northernmost in Siberia. Let's look at the harsh life of the 16th century, go up to the observation deck, inspect the watchtowers and look into the forge.
    • The Mammoth. Let's take a picture next to the charming symbol of Salekhard – the mammoth Mitya. This is a sculpture that the townspeople love very much and sometimes dress up in different costumes.
    • The church in the name of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. We will visit the only functioning 19th century temple in the city and the district. This is the world's first stone Orthodox church, built on permafrost in 1894. A difficult fate awaited him, he was partially destroyed, but restored to its former glory in 1998.
    • An open-air museum of polar aviation and a monument to aviators of the Far North. We will see an unusual museum of small northern aviation with real airplanes and helicopters that flew from the 50s to the 90s. Few of us managed to meet such in everyday life, so their inspection will be interesting for both children and adults.
    • The stele "Romantics of the 70s" is a symbol of the development of the North in the 60-70s of the XX century, when Komsomol members from different parts of the Soviet Union came here to explore and raise the northern territories. And this could only be done by people with a burning heart, an iron will, faith in themselves and others – real romantics. Let's look at the stele, look for a drilling rig and a gas torch in its outlines, maybe we'll argue, find out the story and, of course, take a picture.
    • The objects of the 501st construction site during the Gulag. Let's take a look at one of the dark pages of our history. Part of the "road to nowhere" took place in Salekhard – the section of the Chum–Salekhard–Igarka railway. We will visit the memorial dedicated to the victims of repression.
    • Murals. In the northern cities of Russia, houses are often painted in bright colors. Salekhard is known for its huge murals (paintings on houses). There are more than a dozen of them now, and they are worth seeing!

    16:30-18:30. We go to the I.S. Shemanovsky Museum and Exhibition Complex.

    The first and largest museum in Yamal holds a unique exhibit - the remains of the mammoth Lyuba, found in 2007. The permafrost has completely preserved the skin, trunk, all other parts of the body and even the contents of the mammalian stomach. The discovery has become a sensation for the entire scientific world! And there is also an almost complete skeleton of a mammoth and a woolly rhinoceros.

    In addition, in the museum we will see unique products made of clay, bone, metal, stone, organic materials (wood, birch bark, leather, etc.), illustrating the daily life of the people of the North from the Mesolithic era (6th millennium BC) to Modern Times (XVI–XIX centuries),

    All guests of Yamal are happy to visit this museum, because it is completely different from the usual city museums. That is why we definitely include his visit in our programs.

    19.00 Return to the hotel and free time to discuss impressions, relax and have a delicious dinner at one of the restaurants in the city. We will definitely give you all the appearances and passwords so that the evening will be a success.

    Dinner (not included in the price). 

    A guided tour of Salekhard, museum visits, and master classes are available on request (see options).

  • Day 2 - Arrival at the reindeer herders' camp
  • Day 3 - Reindeer herders' camp
  • Day 4 - Reindeer herders' camp – return to Salekhard
  • Day 5 - Departure
Difficulty
Suitable for everyone

Accommodation

Accommodation
  • Hotel
    2 nights
  • Camp Site
    2 nights
Comfort
  • Basic
  • Upscale

The tour provides accommodation: 2 nights in a hotel, 2 nights in a plague.

The surcharge for single accommodation in a hotel is 4,000 rubles/day. 

The cost of the tour for 1 person depends on the number of people in the group:

The number of people in the group, people.23456 or more
Price per person, rub.153 200117 800103 40094 10085 600

Prices are valid until 12/31/2024. From 01.01.2025, the cost will increase by 15%.

Hotel Arctic 3* 2 nights

Arktika Hotel is located in Salekhard, 1.7 km from Salekhard and 3.3 km from Monashkin Island. It offers a 24–hour front desk, a restaurant and free Wi-Fi throughout. Room service is available. Other facilities offered at the property include an ATM and luggage storage.

Each room at the hotel has a desk, a flat-screen TV and a private bathroom. Towels and bed linen are provided. A safety deposit box is provided in the rooms. Some rooms have a view of the river. There is also a wardrobe and a kettle.

A continental breakfast or a la carte breakfast is served every morning at the Arktika Hotel.

4 more photos
The plague 2 nights

Tour conditions

Group
up to 12 tourists
Minimum age
12 years old
Duration
5 days 4 nights
Group meets at
Russia, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Salekhard

Included in price

  • airport-hotel-airport transfer;
  • transportation services according to the program (minibus, l/a, snowmobiles, snowmobile, reindeer sleds);
  • accommodation in the Arctic 3* hotel (double occupancy);
  • breakfast at the hotel;
  • accommodation in the camp;
  • 3 meals a day in the plague (national cuisine);
  • escort services.

Paid extra

  • air and railway tickets to Salekhard and back;
  • lunch and dinner in the city;
  • single accommodation in a hotel (4,000 rubles/day);
  • taxi services;
  • medical insurance;
  • purchase of souvenirs;
  • translation services for foreign tourists;
  • additional services of reindeer herders.

It's important to know

Personal equipment you need for the tour
  • sleeping bag (comfort temperature -20C) – it is possible to rent 800 rubles/day
  • sets of clothes suitable for weather conditions (snowmobile or ski suit, wool socks, cotton socks, wool sweater, thermal underwear, hat, mittens/gloves, scarf/balaclava, snowmobile mask) – it is possible to rent a suit – 700 rubles / day;
  • boots, boots – it is possible to rent 300 rubles/ day;
  • personal hygiene products;
  • a minimum supply of favorite foods (sweets, drinking water, etc.);
  • personal medicines;
  • sun and wind protection products;
  • documents.
Are plane tickets included in the price of the tour?
Tour Features

Dates and Prices

  • from
    $912
    13 – 17 Dec 5 days 4 nights
    Submit request
    No need to pay now
  • from
    $912
    3 – 7 Jan, 2025 5 days 4 nights
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    No need to pay now
  • from
    $912
    17 – 21 Jan, 2025 5 days 4 nights
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    No need to pay now
  • from
    $912
    31 Jan – 4 Feb, 2025 5 days 4 nights
    Submit request
    No need to pay now
  • from
    $912
    21 – 25 Feb, 2025 5 days 4 nights
    Submit request
    No need to pay now