Chukotka: journey to the 180th meridian

On the second day we will go to explore Anadyr. During the sightseeing tour, you will learn about the history of the city and visit the most iconic places here: the main square, the worship cross, the incredibly beautiful and majestic cathedral built of wood, and the monument to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker located near the cathedral. After a hearty lunch, you will get acquainted with the Ergyron ensemble, learn first-hand about the Chukchi-Eskimo culture, and even take part in a master class on traditional throat singing and dancing. The program ends with a visit to the Chukotka Heritage Museum.

After breakfast we go to Gudym - a city that has never been on the maps. There was a secret military base here during the Cold War, but Gudym was finally abandoned in 2002 and has been gradually destroyed since then. We will walk along empty streets, look into houses and even go down into the mines of underground military facilities. After lunch in nature, we will visit the village of Coal Mines. This village, which was once one of the largest settlements in Chukotka, is also partially abandoned, but there are still residents here. After a walk through the Coal Mines, we go to a fishing village, to a picturesque place on the shore of the estuary. Here you will learn about the simple life of fishermen and taste red caviar. In the evening we return to Anadyr.

We leave Anadyr. In the morning we will head to the airport, from where we fly to the village of Egvekinot. What is interesting about this small settlement, located on the shores of the Bay of the Cross, surrounded by hills? First of all, because it is located beyond the 180th meridian, that is, already in the western hemisphere! The beautiful nature around the village deserves special attention and the fact that there are no traces of desolation and abandonment that could have struck you before. Egvekinot is a very prosperous, cozy and charming village in its own way. On the first day of your stay, you will find a light program: a sightseeing tour and a visit to the local museum. We will live in small comfortable cottages.

Today we will go to Cape Opasny, which offers incredible views. The nature of Chukotka is harsh, not always bright, but immensely atmospheric and memorable. Here we will visit a completely new ethnopark, where the life of sea hunters of past centuries is reproduced with attention to detail. During a tour of the park, you will learn a lot about traditional Chukchi crafts and how important whaling was (and still is) in the lives of the indigenous people. We will have lunch in the park and return to Egvekinot in the afternoon.

The most recognizable location in the vicinity of Egvekinot is the Arctic Circle arch, erected on the highway in the place where the road crosses the Arctic Circle. This is an amazing, symbolic place where you want to linger, take memorable photographs and feel how vast the vastness of our planet is. After having a snack in the gazebo by the picturesque stream, we will also visit the lake with the complex name Ravkergygytgyn. From Chukchi it is translated as “Transparent Lake”, but in good weather the waters here are not transparent, but rather rich emerald, which, combined with the dark slopes covered with rusty inclusions of rock, creates an absolutely fantastic impression.

The day before we crossed the Arctic Circle, but this is not the most amazing geographical point in Chukotka. On the last excursion day in Egvekinot, we go to an iconic location - the place where the 180 meridian separating the hemispheres intersects with the line of the Arctic Circle. What adds to the uniqueness is the fact that the remaining “meetings” of the important meridian along the equator and the tropics are located in the sea - this is the only intersection on land! In addition to the sign, there is also a massive structure - the sign of the Sun. We will have a picnic right next to the monument and, of course, take dozens of photos for memory.