A winter tour to the “dead zone” of Chernobyl

After plenty of researches the Belorussian authorities decided to open the area, that was staying strictly closed since 26 April 1986 – the day when the explosion on the Chernobyl (our days – Ukraine) nuclear energy plant took place. It is the land of “frozen time”, the abandoned towns and villages of the Soviet Union, and wildlife that hasn’t seen human beings for more than 30 years…

Before opening it for tourists, a group of officials, journalists, and the owners of eco-barns visited this 30 km (19 mi.) zone to see how it may be interesting to travelers in the future.

The group of pioneers first had to walk along the road connecting the evicted village of Savichi with the district center (the checkpoint of the reserve is located right on its outskirts). To the left from the road there’re abandoned villages, on the right there are former fields overgrown with fruit trees. However, those trees were planted not by people, but by wild boars, who unwittingly spread the seeds along with their droppings.

This is how the former cultural and the today’s natural landscapes coexist in the territory of the reserve. The former village of Solnechny (Sunny) is, probably, the most striking example of such interference. Until 1986 it used to be a farm breeding calves. Now those days of prosperity are only marked by the abandoned five-story houses surrounded by a young forest, which has grown here later. An unfinished building of a shopping and entertainment center is also merged with the thicket.

Today’s inhabitants of Solnechny are only animals. Hares have laid their paths through its streets, according to the tracks, foxes also come here often. The gloomy winter weather did not allow us to fully appreciate the atmosphere of this place, but in spring, when the greenery appears, its abandonment will certainly become even more contrasting. 

Of course, it is difficult to compare Solnechny with the city of Pripyat located on the Ukrainian side of the Chernobyl zone (visitors can, e.g. see the sarcophagus over the Chernobyl reactor there). However, the Belorussian part of the zone (which was turned into a sanctuary) is first of all a place of unique wildlife, which has managed to win back a lot from people in the 30 + years since the accident.

As if to confirm these words, the road to the participants of the tour was blocked by a rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus) enjoying the remains of a hare that lost the fight for survival. As the van drew closer, the bird of prey reluctantly flew to the tree, giving way to a magpie. And a few kilometers later there was a meeting with a white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). Its prey turned out to be a raccoon dog.

In this part of the sanctuary there used to be large areas of reclaimed peat lands before the explosion. However, in order to prevent fires it was decided to re-water them in the early 2000s. After earth dams had appeared on the collecting channels, the water level increased. As a result it became possible to restore the bogs. This was immediately appreciated by the animals. Today 10 pairs of the Great Spotted Eagle (Clanga clanga) nest in this part of the reserve, a large population of grey geese (Anser anser) has appeared, and the number of other wetland birds has increased.

In the evening the participants of the tour visited the regional museum of. The entire second floor is dedicated to the Chernobyl accident and its consequences. There are very few such exhibitions in Belarus.

Another exhibition of that kind exists in the Museum of the State Radiation and Ecological Reserve of Poliesie (the official name of the “dead zone”) located near the checkpoint "Babchin". It should become a kind of "entrance gate" through which the future tourists will get to the territory of the reserve. Each of the settled villages located on its territory has its own characteristics.  

For example, Pogonnoye used to be one of the largest villages in this area. In addition to private houses, which still have the furnishings inside, visitors can see the club, school, workshops, and other brick buildings. One of the picturesque old riverbeds of Pripyat is located near Krasnosel. On its bank there’re still the rusty hulks of boats that were abandoned here after the accident. Tourists will also have the opportunity to climb the tower, from which one can see the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the sarcophagus over the nuclear reactor, and the famous Ferris wheel in Pripyat on a shiny day.  

On the road, if you are lucky, you can meet a wolf, or other large predator: there are many tracks, according to those, in one place a whole pack of wolves was moving over the melted ice to the other side of the old riverbed.  

Participants of the tour were able to evaluate the advantages of taking it in the winter. It is at this time of year when the European bisons (Bison bonasus), which have a population of about 150 individuals on the territory of the reserve, go out for feeding. Some of them allowed visitors to approach them very close, unlike the wild animals from other places. Just because of the constant protection and lack of people, they are not afraid of visitors, who are inside the fenced area, while bisons roam freely in the forest.

As for radiation, some tour participants were disappointed: the dosimeter was never making an alarm beep that would warn of dangerously high levels of radiation. This was partly because of the snow, which played the role of the screen, and partly due to the accurate choice of the route, which passed through relatively "clean" areas of the reserve. But in any case, the background was almost always slightly higher than the average for Belarus.  

Only in one place the radiation level was 10 times higher than normal.

The Director of the sanctuary brought the participants of the advertising tour to that place on purpose: he wanted to demonstrate that the Chernobyl zone is still a dangerous place. Thus any tourist should follow the safe routes with a guided group.

During the final discussion it became clear that tourism in the Chernobyl zone will neither have a too mass character, neither it can be independent. No one is going to cancel the checkpoint, and visitors will be able to move only on vehicles belonging to the reserve, and accompanied by employees of the scientific Department.

Most people are likely to be satisfied with a 3-4-hour tour with a visit to the Museum reserve and several villages that have been settled. For scientists and foreign tourists interested in nature, it is possible to organize multi-day tours. Because this sanctuary is not just a closed area difficult to get into.  

Due to the absence of human intervention, natural processes have been going on here for decades. Animals sometimes use the abandoned buildings in unexpected ways (for example, badgers (Meles meles) often build their towns under the foundations of houses, and Przhevalski's horses (Equus przewalskii caballus) wait out the bad weather in the stalls of the abandoned stables). Some species are not found anywhere else in Belarus. It is the opportunity to see the unique nature of the “dead zone” that should be the main incentive to visit the Belarusian part of the Chernobyl area.

Translated by M. Shaturin