We were addicted. Russia had really gotten under our skin. After all, this was our sixth trip to Russia in less than five years. Yes, somewhat excessive. Even we would have to agree....

Our love affair with Russia has however, taken on a life of its own. It has become an integral part of who we are. It has influenced the way in which we view the world. And how we regard what we once considered was a somewhat hostile and dangerous nation, steeped in mystery and intrigue; preconceptions and misconceptions deeply imprinted after living as impressionable young people through the crazy Cold War years. 

We have come to thoroughly admire the proud tough Russian people; embracing wonderful new friendships and valuing unique opportunities to learn about their culture and gain insights into their way of life. And for me, even learning some Russian language. No longer are Russian people at all foreign to us. In fact, we have found them to be surprisingly similar in many ways to our fellow Australians. But try explaining these sentiments to friends and acquaintances when we return home, wildly euphoric from our extraordinary Russian travel adventures....

Sadly, we have found there is still much suspicion and quite frankly disturbing ignorance about this vast nation; its history, geography, culture and even its ethnically diverse population. But then again, after hearing and reading about our travel experiences a lot of our friends and acquaintances, and more recently the Australian media, are now intrigued and deeply interested about the Russian nation. 

And let's get real. After all, we had similar apprehensions only some five years before.... 

We loved our more recent trips to the Arctic extremes of far northern Russia. Seduced by its wild and remote vastness, its extreme polar climate, topography, wild life and fascinating ethnic communities, and perhaps even its inherent dangers, it has become very much our part of our world - a world we unashamedly love. 

According to the law of physics, opposing poles attract. And interestingly no environment could be more in contrast with our tiny, coastal home village of Crowdy Head, on the temperate New South Wales Mid North Coast, than Extreme Arctic Russia. Perhaps that's the attraction. While we consider we live in paradise, until recent years we have known very little about this huge and massively diverse nation. Extreme Arctic Russia had become a passion.

And talking of "extreme", our tastes in travel had become what could well be described as "far beyond the norm". Trips in 2018 by ice and winter roads - or zimniki* - to the isolated settlements of Pevek and Bilibino in far north eastern Chukotka Autonomous Oblast¹, followed by our travels through the remote coastal villages of the Bering Strait² only served to whet our appetite to experience more of the extreme unknown. Strangely, despite the harsh climate and often being well out of our personal comfort zone, it is an environment where we are most happy and at ease. A perfect match for two self-confessed bizarre soul mates; one recluse and one chronic worrier!

*The combination of ice and winter road routes are known in Russia as "Zimniki"

And after our experience of living in the whaling township of Lorino then travelling the perilous journey in a five and a half meter open whaling "tinnie" boat some 360 kilometers through the Bering Strait to the iconic Cape Dezhnev, the most easterly point in all of the Russian Federation, we agreed there was then no turning back. Tourism in its pure form was of no interest for us at all. It actually never was. 

So when it came to planning our 2020 travels, there was absolutely no deliberation. We were addicted. We wanted to see even more of Extreme Arctic Russia. In winter. 

1. Refer blog: "The 19th Corner: Love Affair with Arctic Russia" 2018 http://v2.travelark.org/travel-blog/crowdywendy/9

In 2017, we were introduced for the first time to Far East Russia. Travelling via Vladivostok to the curious volcanic peninsular of Kamchatka, followed by visits to Magadan to the north, Yakutsk, Yakutia in the north-west and Khabarovsk on the China border to the south, the journey was for us, quite an extraordinary experience. We were enchanted with Far East Russia. And particularly with Magadan, a lovely city sadly more often known for its notorious gulag past and as the beginning of the Road of Bones, named because of its ill-gotten fame for being built on the bones of those wretched souls who perished whilst working in the gulags during the Stalinist years.  

But we had travelled during a balmy summer season; our only discomfort, but in no way insignificant, being the suffocating abundance of mosquitoes and other biting nasties. Our next mission was to visit the region in its winter months. And to hopefully see the much-famed Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). But finding a travel agent to take us was quite a different matter.

Late August 2017 was our first "meeting" with Edward Adrian-Vallance, Managing Director of the Moscow based company Arctic Russia Travel. Edward, an Englishman who has lived in Russia for some twelve years and married to Ekaterina, a young ethnic Yakut woman from Sinsk, shared with us a vital passion: Russia; Extreme Arctic Russia that is. We had seen a number of blogs prepared by Ed and were impressed also with his excellent website and obvious professionalism. Furthermore, his company, which amongst some other rather odd-beat but hugely exciting looking tours, offered a trip which followed the Road of Bones from Yakutia to Bilibino in Chukotka. At that time, the dangerous nature of the road was almost as notorious as its terrible past. We had travelled some 350 kilometers of the 1,733 kilometers road west from Magadan toward Yakutsk. Journeying from the Yakutsk end became a compelling mission.    

We had much difficulty in contacting Edward. In fairness, we had no luck in contacting any travel agent in the Russian Far East. In desperation one evening I tried calling him. The phone rang and rang. Eventually a distant but friendly voice answered. Muffled by a howling Siberian blizzard and the poor connection of a satellite phone Ed responded "Well, I'm right now on the Yamal Peninsular of far northern Arctic Russia. We have no internet here. But we'd love to have you join us one of our tours. We do however have a bit of a problem. Our driver has just died. Call us back in a few months...".

Just died? It did not bear thinking about the how or why. Anyway, with our next trip planned the following March, we didn't have the luxury of a few months. We ditched our immediate plans of doing the Road of Bones, and instead used our following two trips in 2018 to take us to Chukotka, a Russian province completely off the tourist radar and one we were lucky to be taken to at all. And probably one of the most remote and difficult regions in the world in which to travel.

The following year, we travelled to the Russian North Caucasus³. It had always been one of Alan's dreams to travel to Dagestan and Chechnya. But it had been impossible because of the two horrific Chechen Wars and also with ongoing conflict in Dagestan, Ingushetia, North Ossetia-Alania and other parts of the Caucasus. 

As the region was only just opening up to tourism, we decided to take the opportunity before more conflict broke out.  Even then, our Australian government had stamped a "Do Not Travel Warning" on most parts of the region.

Our next winter trip to Russia would have to wait until 2020. 

3. Refer blog "Forbidden Lands: Journey Through the Russian North Caucasus" http://v2.travelark.org/travel-blog/crowdywendy/11

How We Chose the Yakutsk to Yuryung-Khaya, Anabar Trip. Or How It Chose Us.... 

At one stage we fleetingly thought about a winter visit in 2020 to Scandinavia instead of Russia. Inspired by a delightful Finnish businessman on an Aeroflot flight out of Khabarovsk, the idea sounded perfect; luxury accommodation, fine food and even artificial igloos. It all sounded blissful. But we were just returning from our arduous long travels along the Bering coast and our tired heads were not thinking straight. It only took a matter of moments before we realised that sort of tourism was definitely not for us. 

We were still interested in Edward Vallance's rather "way out there" tours in Arctic Russia.  Surely Ed would have found another driver by then, and perhaps it was time to re-visit our plans to complete the Road of Bones from Yakutsk to Bilibino, Chukotka with a visit to Magadan city. It was particularly attractive to me as I could find any excuse to re-visit my beloved city of Magadan. 

Ed had indeed found another very good driver for his tour "Overland to Chukotka". But the road in some parts was apparently absolutely woeful and we would need a trekol or similar very serious vehicle to get us there. Furthermore, because of an absence of accommodation we would need to spend some nights sleeping with the driver and guide in the trekol. Ed suggested a more economical and comfortable approach may have been to hire a Kamaz, a sturdy Russian truck capable of travelling the roughest terrain, and fitted out with bedrooms and kitchenette.

Sadly, the cost for a private tour for just the two of us was massively prohibitive. Disappointed, we had to admit defeat. The Overland to Chukotka trip was simply out of the question. 

Instead, Ed suggested a 3,000 km winter overland tour from Yakutsk to the Anabar Region, with our final destination being the remote village of Yuryung-Khaya, home to the ethnic Dolgans and the third northernmost settlement in all of the Russian Federation.

Located some 800 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, it would be the furthest north we would have ever travelled in Russia; even further than our beloved settlement of Pevek in Chukotka. 

En route we would travel along the winter roads of the taiga terrain, then along the ice roads of firstly the Lena then the Anabar Rivers until we reached the tundra region of the far north. It was apparently, the most northern motor road in the world.  Ed explained not only would the landscape be diverse, but being so remote and so far north, it would be one of the very best places to view the Northern Lights. We would also have the opportunity to visit numerous isolated villages along the way. Best of all, we would have either hotel or local village home accommodation every night! An added attraction was that the cost, although still hugely expensive, would be far less than the Chukotka tour because we could do the entire trip by Land Cruiser.

The Anabar trip would take us about 15 days, about a week short of the ideal time for us to stay in Russia. After all, it takes us some 12 days just for our return travel to Yakutsk from our home village in Australia. And given the limitation of a 30-day Russian Tourist Visa, around three to four weeks travel is perfect for us while touring in the country.

We decided to add on a five-day 2,000 km return driving trip from Yakutsk to Oymyakon when we came back from Anabar (the road to Oymyakon was the first leg of the Overland to Chukotka tour from Yakutsk to Bilibino). Otherwise known as the Pole of Cold, Oymyakon is the coldest settlement in the world, boasting a record temperature of minus 71.2 C. A real attraction was that we would at least be travelling for some 450 kilometers along the Road of Bones from the Yakutsk end, at least partially fulfilling our passion to complete the whole road. 

There was apparently not much to see or do at Oymyakon, and I must admit that we were a bit concerned that it may be somewhat touristy. But Ed assured us that we would be seeing quite a different mountainous landscape to that en route to Anabar. Furthermore, it also gave us quite a few additional days, just in case we were held up on our Anabar trip because of weather difficulties. Which in the severe Arctic winters was highly likely, according to Ed.  

After we had confirmed our travels, Ed wrote to us. "Oh, and by the way, I meant to add that this trip along the Yakutian zimniki is not a tour. It is actually an expedition".

It sounded just like us.... 

And Expedition Zimnik Yuryung-Khaya became an exciting reality.

We used the services of Arctic Russia Travel for all the organisation of our two tours (Anabar and Oymyakon) in Yakutia. The company also booked all our transfers and accommodation at the Tygyn Darkhan Hotel in Yakutsk. 

Contact Details: Edward Adrian-Vallance, Managing Director, Arctic Russia Travel, Moscow. 

Website: www.arcticrussiatravel.com & www.yamalpeninsulatravel.com

Email: ed@arcticrussiatravel.com

Phone: +79104255571

We arranged ourselves all our flights and accommodation in Russia and return to Sydney via Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Island and Tokyo, Japan .