Key tour highlights: Road of Bones, Vladivostok, old villages and ghost towns, GULAG camps, exciting road, seafood, local cuisine
Included services:
Services not included:
Possible connections:
Vladivostok – Khabarovsk – Blagoveshchensk – Never – Aldan – Yakutsk – Khandiga – Kubeme – Tomtor – Ust-Nera – Susuman – Ust-Omchug – Magadan
Day 1. Vladivostok, arrival
Getting bikes, making final preparations, meeting with the team and welcome dinner.
Important: to prevent any timing issues, please, make sure your arrival time is before 3 p.m.
Day 2. Vladivostok - Khabarovsk, 760 km
Long riding day to one of the most beautiful cities of the Far East regions. Unfortunately, we don't have much time to enjoy it, but we will have at least several hours to walk around.
Day 3. Khabarovsk - Blagoveschensk, 730 km
Another long riding day to reach Blagoveshchensk, a city located right on the Chinese border. China will be on the other side of the Amur river. We try Chinese food in the evening and go to sleep not too late. Real adventure starts tomorrow.
Day 4. Blagoveschensk, rest day
Today we change tires from road to off-road and do final preparations before entering gravel segments of the road. Next 1000 km it will be 50/50 paved/unpaved.
Day 5. Blagoveschensk - Never, 600 km
Our last day on the Trans-Siberian highway. We will aproach the Skovorodino district and the neighborhood of Never and stay for a night in the hotel wich is located only 2 km. away from the intersection with the Lena highway that will lead us North to Yakutsk.
Day 6. Never - Aldan, 630 km (turn from Trans-Siberian Route to the direction of Magadan/Road of Bones)
Finally we are making this right turn to the direction of Magadan. Lena highway will start right after it (from Trans-Siberian Route to Yakutsk it’s Lena highway approx. 1200 km. long; from Yakutsk to Magadan - Kolyma highway more than 2000 km. long). In 2006 road to Yakutsk was named by one of the world leading car magazines as the most dangerous road on the Earth, overcoming infamous “Death Road” in Bolivia and several other tough roads. But the good news is that during last years situation has changed and today the road is under construction, some segments are already paved, other are in process. So today situation is not so bad.
Day 7. Aldan - Yakutsk, 540 km
Yakutsk is the capital of Saha republic, it’s a city with a population of more than 300 000 people. After five riding days we have a rest day here.
Day 8. Yakutsk, rest day
In the first half of the day we have a city tour. There is a free time after that.
Day 9. Yakutsk - Khandiga, 410 km
In 50 km from Yakutsk a paved road will be over and next 2000 km to Magadan will be a gravel road - legendary Kolyma highway. Khandiga, a place we stay for a night today, is one of the few "large" towns on our way to Magadan.
Day 10. Khandiga - Kubeme, 350 km
This segment is probably the most beautiful in the whole entire trip. Gravel serpentines and passes surrounded by gorgeous Northern nature are there for us. As soon as we approach the Kubeme village with its famous petrol station covered with stickers from all over the world, we make a camping place at the bank of the same name river. Today we are staying in tents.
Day 11. Kubeme - Tomtor, 150 km
If there are no issues with the weather, we cover the segment of the original Road of Bones. Running along the swampy valleys it brings us to most coldest place on Earth - Tomtor. In winter temperature goes down to -50-70 degrees, and people do live here. This is the place where Old Summer Road starts from.
Day 12. Tomtor, rest day
Rest day at the Pole of Cold. We visit local "Ice cave" museum, old Tomtor airport and recover after previous days.
Day 13. Tomtor - Ust-Nera, 400 km
Ust-Nera is one of the gold mining districts of this region. Most of the people who live here are shift workers, so talking to them is a nice opportunity to find out some interesting details about their hard labor.
Day 14. Ust-Nera - Susuman, 390 km
Today we visit ghost city Kadikchan. In previous times it was a small town with several factories/plants that gave job to local people. As the authorities closed all the factories, there was no more electricity and heating system so all the citizens quickly left the place. Today it’s one of the most famous ghost cities in Russia.
Day 15. Susuman - Ust-Omchug, 320 km
Another spectacular riding day along the mountain area of Magadan. We ride over mountain passes and stop at spectacular viewpoints. On the way we visit a former Gulag camp which later was turned into a prison. Now it is totally abandoned, so no issues for us to have a look at it.
Day 16. Ust-Omchug - Magadan, 310 km
Our last 100 km. to Magadan are paved – a certain sign of civilazation. We take a so awaited photo at the border of the city and eventually approach the hotel.
Day 17. Magadan, rest day
City tour and farewell dinner.
Day 18. Magadan, departure