Tourism In CHERNOBYL

April 1986 saw the terrible nuclear accident at Chernobyl. Millions of square kilometers were contaminated by the massive radioactive material emitted by the explosion of reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant into the atmosphere. Built to house the workers of the power plant, the neighboring town of Pripyat was evacuated in two days, its 50,000 residents compelled to flee their houses.

The catastrophe left behind was bleak right away. At the explosion site, thirty people died and thousands more died in the years that followed from radiation-related illnesses. Pripyat became an eerie ghost town caught in time, rendered uninhabitable.

Pripyat is today a terrible monument to the Chernobyl catastrophe. The city is still empty even if the radiation levels have dropped to reasonable levels. Still, it has drawn an inquisitive and adventurous type of guest.

Travel firms in Kiev have been providing guided trips of Chernobyl and Pripyat for several years. From one-day excursions to overnight stays, these trips provide a rare chance to see the terrible aftermath of the disaster directly. Examining abandoned buildings, schools, and hospitals helps visitors to viscerally grasp the impact of the disaster.

These Chernobyl excursions are expensive. From Kiev, the most reasonably priced choice is 67 euros; more complex trips could run over 300 euros. While group trips and Russian-language tours provide a more affordable option, private tours and English-language trips usually demand more money.

Although natural worries about radiation exposure exist, guests should relax knowing safety precautions are in place. Participants in every tour go through a radiation check to guarantee their health at the conclusion.

The Chernobyl accident reminds us very sharply of the possible risks associated with nuclear power. But it has also resulted in an unanticipated phenomena known as disaster travel. Even if one could argue about the ethics of visiting such a site, many people find great morbid fascination there. The Chernobyl tours provide a window into a world permanently altered by catastrophe, one in which the past resists disappearing.