Оймякон
Oymyakon is a small village in the east of Yakutia, claiming “frost superiority” in the Northern Hemisphere. The settlement is part of the Oymyakonsky ulus (district), located in the Indigirka River basin. Oymyakon is called not only the famous village, but also the area in which it is located – a vast bowl-shaped valley known as the Oymyakon depression (hollow). This is one of the harshest places on the planet, a region where record low temperatures are recorded and unique natural phenomena are observed. Undoubtedly, Oymyakon does not remain without attention of travelers, in whom the spirit of discoverers, thirst for knowledge and desire to test their strength are alive.
Video: Oymyakon
Contents- Highlights
- History of Oymyakon
- Geography
- Climate
Harsh life - Tourism in Oymyakon
- Local cuisine
- Where to stay
- How to get there
Highlights
The village of Oymyakon is located 430 km by road from the administrative district center of Ust-Nera and 920 km northeast of Yakutsk, the capital of the Sakha Republic. About 500 people live here permanently, accustomed to super extreme conditions: in winter the air temperature can fall below -60 ° C, and in summer there are days when the thermometer columns overcome the 30-degree mark with a “plus” sign. In summer glaciers do not melt in these places, in winter thermal streams do not freeze, and in the frostiest nights you can hear the “whisper of the stars” – a mysterious rustling, arising from the instantaneous freezing of vapors of human breath.
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History of Oymyakon
In 1935, the district center Oymyakon appeared on the geographical map of the Soviet Union, uniting the settlement of the same name and a number of small neighboring settlements. All of them appeared on the site of temporary camps of Yakut reindeer herders, to whom these lands became known, perhaps, as early as the end of the XVII century. Here, in the Indigirka valley, even in the bitterest frosts the water in the streams fed by warm springs does not freeze. This phenomenon probably gave the name of the area, and then the settlement Oymyakon: in the language of local peoples there is a consonant word “eiumu”, meaning “unfrozen water”, “melt water.”
.It is known that the yurts of nomads stood in groups between modern Oymyakon and Tomtor, located in a kind of dead end of the Oymyakon valley. These camps became permanent settlements under the Soviet regime, which wanted to put an end to the uncontrolled lifestyle of nomadic reindeer herders. During the Stalinist repressions about 30 Gulag camps were located on the territory of the present-day Oymyakonsky ulus. Through the Oymyakonsky valley passed the old section of the Kolyma tract, nicknamed the Road on Bones, as it was built by prisoners.
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In 1942, 40 kilometers from the village of Oymyakon and 2 kilometers from Tomtor, an airfield appeared. It was built at a rapid pace after the signing of a lend-lease agreement between the USSR and the United States. Oymyakon airport became an important link of the Alsib (Alaska – Siberia) air route. American planes landed here until 1945, then the airport with two runways served civilian transportation. Until the 90’s An-2 and An-24 flew here even in the bitter cold, flights were performed at temperatures of about -60 ° C. The airport’s employees lived nearby. Employees of the airport lived nearby. Together with the northern pilots they showed incredible ingenuity, ingenuity, helping to take off and land machines, which often iced up.
.The airport is still in operation today, although flights are irregular. There is a room in the ramshackle and ramshackle log building where the dispatchers huddle, but there is no infrastructure, including transportation. In fact, it is just a field airfield. Passengers are met by private cars at the edge of the runway.
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The settlement of Oymyakon remained the center of the district until 1954, when this status was transferred to Ust-Nera, where one of the Dalstroy camps was located, gold and tungsten ore deposits were developed, a power plant operated, and telephone communication was established. Ust-Nera is still the main and largest settlement of Oymyakonsky ulus. Since 2004, the village of Oymyakon itself has become the center of the Borogonsky 1st legacy (the lowest administrative unit of Yakutia).
.Geography
The Oymyakonsky ulus is located in the very center of mountain ranges and highlands extending in the northeastern part of Yakutia. The intermountain basins of the massifs trap the cold atmosphere, and in one of them, Oymyakonskaya, the still air is cooled to extremely low limits. The settlements located here are tightly enclosed by mountains from all sides. The main settlements in this area are Oymyakon and Tomtor – the administrative centers of the legions (Borogonsky 1st and Borogonsky 2nd respectively).
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In addition to the village of Oymyakon, the Borogonsky 1st legacy includes the very small settlements of Khara Tumul and Bereg-Yurdya. All three administrative units are located on the left bank of the Indigirka River, which cuts through the mountain ranges and carries its waters into the Arctic Ocean. The total length of this water artery is 1726 kilometers, and its basin is rich in deposits of gold, silver, tungsten, antimony.
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The vicinity of the village abounds with non-freezing streams. This is the water that underground lakes, freezing and increasing in volume, push to the surface. One of the streams is called “Separation”. According to local legend, it was the place of secret rendezvous of prisoners from women’s and men’s camps. By the creek there is a pole marked with scraps of cloth, which is a customary way to pay the spirits. Similar poles can also be seen on the borders of Yakut uluses.
135 kilometers southwest of Oymyakonsky ulus stretches the ridges of the mountain massif Suntar-Khayata with the peak Mus-Khaya (2959 m, according to other data – 3011 m). This peak claims to be the highest in Yakutia. In the north of the district there is a ridge of the Chersky mountain system. Even in the height of summer the mountain tops are covered with snow. The majesty and severity of these landscapes invariably make an indelible impression on travelers.
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Mountain vegetation in Oymyakonye, despite the harsh climatic conditions, is quite diverse. The slopes are covered with endemic chozenia, poplar, everywhere cedar shrubbery is widespread, growing in the form of stalked shrubs or small trees. Edelweiss, snow poppies, and rhodiolas occur. Rare larch forests prevail in the valleys.
.The animal world is also very diverse. In Oymyakonsky ulus there are brown bears, wolves, foxes, hares, chipmunks. There are also moose, wild reindeer and their miniature relatives – musk deer, snow sheep Chubuku. Arctic foxes and wolverines occasionally wander in from the tundra. Hunting is officially allowed only in winter.
.Oymyakon is located in circumpolar latitudes, south of the Arctic Circle. From May 24 to July 21 white nights reign here, and in December there is light outside the window for just over 3 hours.
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Climate
Harsh Life
Traveling to Oymyakon will make you forget about comfort, but will allow you to experience incredible sensations, expand your horizons and be among the chosen ones who risked to find out how people really live in extremely harsh conditions. Mostly Russians and Yakuts live in the village. Only the most resilient people do not leave. As a rule, they are quite reserved but friendly. The locals, in the absence of any production, are engaged in breeding and herding deer, cows, fishing, hunting. With the development of tourism, they have the opportunity to rent rooms to travelers, part-time, accompanying guests to fishing, hunting.
.The village is conditionally divided into two parts by ravines and lowlands, which during floods are flooded. There are boiler houses and a diesel power station, but only part of the houses are centrally heated. Local residents have to heat their homes with wood or coal for 8 cold months, which is quite costly. The village has high-speed Internet and mobile communication, but there is no sewerage and water supply, and amenities are usually located in the yard. Drinking water is brought here and poured into barrels that stand by each house, the owners carry it in buckets to the warm room.
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There is no public transportation through the village of Oymyakon, and it is difficult to do without your own car. Owners of “iron horses” try to arrange insulated garages for them, and those who have to leave their cars in the open air keep their engines running for days on end. At extreme frosts it is enough for a car to stand in the cold for 2 hours not to start. But even with the engine on, a car left in the cold for more than 4 hours, the rubber on the wheels turns into oval-shaped stones, because of which drivers overcome the first kilometers of the road with great effort.
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In winter, walking with children here is impossible without a sled. The kids are wrapped up in the “cabbage method”, from head to toe, and this outfit does not allow them to move independently. In the same way, parents take junior high school students to school. The school works as long as the temperature does not fall below -52 ° C.
.In the closet of local residents – mostly things made of natural fabrics, fur. Clothes made of artificial materials in the Oymyakon frosts literally cripple and break. People wear fur coats, down jackets, hats made of fox, Arctic fox, mink fur. On their feet they wear unty, which are sewn from the skin of the lower part of the deer’s legs (in Yakutian – kamus). There should be no open parts between the outer clothing and the utes, otherwise you can get frostbite. The most important attribute of local attire is a scarf. In the bitter cold you should breathe through it so that at least a little warm air gets into your lungs. This helps not to waste oxygen.
.Viral colds are rare in Oymyakon, the locals suffer mainly from lack of vitamins. The most available berries here are cowberries and cloudberries. Among nutritious foods the most common are fish, reindeer meat, horse meat, milk.
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Of all domestic animals only horses and reindeer are kept outside in winter. Cows are let out of the stable only when the yard is not less than -30 ° C, and their udders are insulated with special bras. But small Yakut horses do not need shelter and manage to graze in any conditions, breaking frozen ground with their hooves. The owners feed these animals so that they do not go far away. The koumiss from their milk is extremely nutritious and healthy, with a flavor similar to strong ale. The meat of an adult horse is quite rough, so preference is given to foals. By the way, this is usually what is served in Yakut restaurants.
.One should treat revelatory drinks in Oymyakon with caution. In winter, prudent villagers do not abuse alcohol or raise their spirits at home, without going outdoors: a breakdown of coordination with an accidental fall into the snow can end tragically. And you can’t drink vodka in the open air in the cold, because it immediately freezes. It is dangerous to “warm up” during such extreme entertainments as swimming in ice-holes or in a non-freezing channel, where water temperature is +3 °С. In recent years, local residents, not wishing to lag behind their compatriots from other latitudes, organize baptismal bathing, despite the 55-degree frost. They say it’s not so scary to dive into the icy water, but the reverse process turns into a real ordeal.
.Tourism in Oymyakon
There are plans to turn Oymyakon into a center of international extreme tourism. The project has already been developed and is estimated at 1 billion rubles, the start of construction of the first phase of facilities is scheduled for 2022-2023. Extreme tourism with comfort will require laying or replacing all engineering communications, it is also planned to lay summer hiking and biking routes, build a hotel and museum complex, and arrange an amusement park. But so far, non-systematic tours to Oymyakon or independent travelers have a number of difficulties, the main ones being transportation and lack of infrastructure.
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Tourists go to Oymyakonye as part of groups that are formed in Yakutsk, or individually, having agreed with local guides. The duration of organized trips is 6-10 days. In the “high” winter season (December 1 – March 15) is usually offered 4 tours, in summer – 1-2, the cost of the adventure – from 100,000 rubles per person.
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Organized and event 3-5-day tours, for example, to the festival “Pole of Cold”, which is usually held in Oymyakon in March. You can also gather a group of like-minded people, friends (no more than 20 people) and book a separate tour in one of the Yakut travel agencies. Local agencies can also organize a trip for 2-3 people, taking into account the wishes of customers and providing them with transportation and private guide services. The cost starts from 125,000 rubles per person. For a fee tourists are offered to rent a full set of clothes that will provide protection from the cold.
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Long tourist routes (from Yakutsk to Magadan), routes of medium duration with a visit to the Lena Pillars (starting and ending point – Yakutsk) pass through Oymyakon. Those who wish to visit Oymyakonye directly can go there by a short route: Yakutsk – Khandyga – Tomtor – Oymyakon – Yakutsk. The road from Khandyga to the Oymyakon valley stretches through the Verkhoyansk ridges, showing magnificent panoramas. Part of the way passes through the Kolyma tract, on the way tourists can see the ice-free Shaman Brook, a memorial cross to the victims of the Gulag, visit the meteorological station “Eastern Khandyga”, from where spectacular views of the valley.
.In Tomtor, the most infrastructurally developed center of Oymyakonye, travelers can visit the ethnographic museum, the Gulag museum, horse breeding base, where Yakut horses are bred. The main local attraction is the Ice Residence of Chyshaan, the keeper of the cold, Yakut Santa Claus. The cave, carved into the thickness of ice, is cut through by narrow tunnels, sparkling in the glow of frost particles, ice crystals and sculptures created by local craftsmen. The fairytale kingdom is skillfully illuminated with colored illumination.
In the village of Oymyakon tourists are offered ice fishing, baths, in the evening in the house of culture of Archy organized folklore performance with a demonstration of traditional Yakut rituals. Travelers are given certificates to remember their visit to the famous village. It is also possible to take a photo at the stele “Pole of Cold”, which marks the temperature record.
.Tourists coming to the “Pole of Cold” festival can expect colorful events in Tomtor and Oymyakon. In the residence of Chyskhaan there are theatrical performances, tasting of national cold dishes. Santa Claus from Lapland and Ded Moroz from Veliky Ustyug come to visit the Yakut lord of cold. The festival includes photo exhibitions, Miss Pole of Cold contest, reindeer sledding, performances of ethnic groups, ice fishing competitions. On the day of the summer solstice on a special site near the village of Oymyakon there are colorful concerts dedicated to the Ysyakh holiday, the main holiday in Yakutia.
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Local cuisine
Travelers going on event tours, when there are fairs, tastings, have a good opportunity to get acquainted with the local cuisine of Oymyakon. You can learn the taste of bear meat by trying an unusual roast, taste stroganina, dried caviar, chylkaan (porridge made of boiled fish mixed with cloudberries), delicacy holiday dish duktemi (freshly caught fish dried over a fire with smoke). Drinks include korchak (whipped frothy reindeer milk), tea with reindeer milk.
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There is no such assortment in local cafes, and there are not so many culinary establishments in Oymyakonye. Rare roadside cafes are not always open, and tourists often have to make do with dry rations and tea on the way. In Tomtor there is one cafe where you can order, for example, French fries and nuggets, a dish favored by the locals. Tourists staying overnight in Oymyakon are treated for a fee by the owners of the houses where they stay. The menu usually includes stroganina, venison soup, fish salads with salt and pepper.
.Where to stay
For all of Oymyakonye today there are about 20 guest houses. Depending on the season, the cost of a daily stay ranges from 2,000 to 5,000 rubles.
In Tomtor, in Zalozhny Lane, 16, there is a guest house “U Susanna”. Here the living room and small bedrooms are arranged. There is hot water, indoor toilet, Wi-Fi works. The hostess offers a wide range of home-cooked dishes. You can also stay at the hotel Өiүү (Obrucheva St.), where tourists can find two 2-bed and one 4-bed rooms.
.In the village of Oymyakon there are relatively well-appointed guest houses for 4-10 beds. You can also rent a room in a private house without amenities, paying from 1500 rubles per day.
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How to get there
Oymyakon airport also receives twin-engine Czech Let L-410 airplanes of Polar Airlines. The airliners depart from Magan Airport, located in the village of the same name, 12 kilometers from Yakutsk. Flights are irregular, and tourists traveling independently will have to adjust to the schedule, which, in turn, depends on weather conditions.
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To get from the airport to the village of Oymyakon is possible only by car, the distance is 32 km. In the colder months, it is necessary for the meeting transportation to be at the runway already by the time the plane lands. There is no warm waiting room at the airport.
.Tourists traveling in groups are provided with comfortable SUVs or minibuses in Yakutsk. Transportation goes at a speed of about 40 km/h. Travel time depends on the number of stops made on the nearly 1000-kilometer journey to Oymyakon.
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