I have some sort of weird attraction to dark tourism.
A place with a dark past is strangely appealing to visit, as you get to experience something completely out of the ordinary, something amazing and terrible, something utterly mind-blowing.
Rob and I visited Prypyat and Chernobyl during our time in Kiev. The photos we got were haunting – abandoned townships and schools, crumbling buildings, and soviet propaganda. We rented a geiger counter to test the level of radiation, which was so high in some areas that it was melting the snow.
I’ve also got a post on how to travel inside the exclusion zone, which includes some answers to FAQs about the Chernobyl tour.
Great Article Ashlea, were there no security guards or anything around the place? Love the photos, looks like a post apocalyptic wasteland, the picture of the teddy bear’s is just creepy lol!
Thanks Paul, I’m glad you enjoyed it! There were multiple checkpoints to go through with security guards at each one, but none wandering around. It was very eerie and empty. The teddy bear (actually the entire kindergarten) was definitely the creepiest part of the trip!
Loved these pictures, especially ’cause it’s winter! We’ve just recently started planning to visit Chernobyl, too (cheap flights from Finland to Ukraine atm, 😉 How was your day trip and with what company it was? Have you written about the tour itself? Would love to read about it.
I’m glad you like them Piritta! I can imagine you’d get some great deals to Ukraine at the moment. I haven’t written a post about the tour but I answered some questions about it on Reddit, so have a look through for more info on the tour and my experience 🙂
This article is very interesting and so unique! I wasn’t even aware that you could visit Chernobyl now.
It must’ve been an amazing but scary experience.
Loved your photos Ashlea!
xx
Angeliqa
It was pretty crazy – really the only reason we went to Ukraine! You have to visit on a guided tour, but it’s totally worth it. Thanks Angeliqa!
Wow, these are so cool. I would love to visit Chernobyl one day, as creepy as it is. You should definitely share your trip information and the company you went with. I would be interested to hear about it incase I ever do get around to going there!
Well I was actually thinking about putting together some of the video footage I got into a separate post so I may very well elaborate on the details of the trip! Thanks Sabrina 🙂