There is a small hotel in Chernobyl town where our trips spend the night. On our trips to Chernobyl you'll spend two days exploring the abandoned ruins and the towns and villages that nature has reclaimed. Today there are around people living within the outer Exclusion Zone. Chernobyl is now safe to visit, with very low radiation levels similar to those on a trans-Atlantic flight, but it is subject to very strict regulations. It is only possible to visit the Exclusion Zone with an official Chernobyl guide.
Visitors to Chernobyl are scanned on entering and leaving the Exclusion Zone to check radiation levels. Occasionally - rarely - a reading will come back higher than recommended and in those cases you may need to leave behind an item of clothing in the zone.
During the two days we spend in the Exclusion Zone you'll receive a dose of radiation comparable to a small dose from an X-ray scan: in numbers, you'll receive micro Sieverts of gamma radiation, which is a non-harmful dose of radiation. Pack closed toe and comfortable walking shoes or boots. You'll be doing a lot of walking, and we recommend using older shoes that can be easily washed or thrown away in unlikely case they have a radiation reading on leaving the zone. In the Exclusion Zone there is often broken glass on the floor, so it is important to have shoes with sturdy tread.
Take long trousers and long sleeved shirts. July and August tend to be the hottest months so lightweight cotton clothing would be advised. When the Chernobyl reactor exploded, it released deadly levels of radiation, but radioactive fallout wasn't distributed evenly across the surrounding area, due to weather conditions and changing winds. Locations that were farther away from the reactor became radioactive hotspots , "and there were villages that were reasonably close to the plant that didn't get much contamination," said Fred Mettler, a professor emeritus and clinical professor with the Department of Radiology at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.
Even within villages, radiation was unequally distributed and could vary from street to street, as Mettler learned when he visited the region from to with the U. The ruins of the Chernobyl reactor, now contained under a metal shell, are still highly radioactive and will likely remain so for up to 20, years. However, the zones in Chernobyl that are now open to the public may have initially received lower doses of radiation, despite their proximity to the damaged reactor, Mettler told Live Science.
Background levels of radiation around Chernobyl overall were also lower than the global average before the accident, which may have helped to mitigate the radiation boost from the accident, Mettler added.
Nevertheless, ongoing radiation-safety concerns dictate that tourists are restricted to certain areas and are not permitted to wander on their own, tour leaders with Chernobyl Tour wrote on the Ukrainian company's website. An average one-day visit to Chernobyl begins and ends with passage through an official checkpoint for dosimetry control, or radiation measurement, and there is an additional radiation checkpoint midway through the tour, according to the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management.
Visitors may not touch any structures or plants or remove anything from the zone, and they are prohibited from sitting or placing any camera equipment on the ground, Chernobyl Tour representatives said.
Chernobyl is around k north of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, or a two-hour drive. Because the exclusion zone has meant almost no human interference for more than 30 years, wildlife surrounding Chernobyl has thrived: visitors can spot species such as tame foxes and giant catfish, as well as wild horses, bison, bears and wolves — although these are rarely seen.
Also the fairground, the Ferris wheel is one of the iconic Chernobyl images. It was scheduled to open a few days after the explosion so the wheel and the dodgems never had paying riders. Although on a two-day tour to Chernobyl, visitors will be exposed to a lower level of radiation than on a long-haul flight, there are safety checks in place.
There is also a curfew in Chernobyl if you overnight there. The Independent journalist Emma Thomson visited Chernobyl first-hand. Read about her experience here. British travellers are required to provide proof of health insurance that covers Covid for the duration of their stay.
Insurance must be purchased from a company registered in Ukraine or a foreign company that has a representative office or an insurance partner in Ukraine.
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