Recently Ukraine’s government allowed tourists into the area surrounding Chernobyl, the site of the worst nuclear disaster in the history of man. Visitors to Ukraine who are interested in seeing the site first hand and are not afraid of a little bit of radiation can now take a one day trip to the nuclear site and meet people who still live in the surrounding area who refused to give up their homes.
The trip leaves Kiev at exactly 9am and travels north to the ‘exclusion zone’, a 214 kilometre perimeter that surrounds the nuclear plant. At 10:30, visitors will pass the ‘Dytyatky’ checkpoint which is located on the border of the 30 kilometre zone – also known as the estrangement zone and compulsory resettlement area. Once past the checkpoint, visitors will travel a half hour to the site and then learn about the scientific work being done in the estrangement zone where scientists and specialists are learning about radiation and how power plants can be made stronger.
Visitors will then travel to the 10 kilometre zone, the closest anyone is allowed to the power plant. They will be able to see the ‘Sarcophagus’ – the concrete and steel shroud that covers the radioactive elements and debris left from the explosion – visit the review pavilion and the ‘red forest’ and see the burial village as well as the ghost town of Prypyat.
After lunch visitors to Chernobyl will be able to speak with the residents of Paryshiv, the self-settlers and elderly who refused to leave their homes and resettle somewhere else. Visitors will leave the area at 5pm and return to Kiev by 7pm.
While the one day excursion could be considered a very sobering day, it is also a way to witness in first person the site and to speak one on one with survivors about the days after the explosion, learning their stories to pass on to the next generation.
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