Summer expedition with Mzungu and Russian Geographical Society to the Dolgans - reindeer herders during their nomadic period and to the Popigai Meteorite crater.






TAYMYR

Dates: August 5–13, 2024

Duration: 9 days / 8 nights

Participants: 6–11

Cost per Person:

– 395,000 rubles for 11 participants,
– 425,000 rubles for 10 participants,
– 455,000 rubles for 9 participants,
– 495,000 rubles for 7–8 participants,
– 555,000 rubles for 6 participants.

10% early booking discount (in case you book before March 5, 2024)

Everything included, except for:

– Flights to Khatanga (Krasnoyarsk Krai) and back,
– Medical insurance,
– Russian visas (if required),
– Lunches and dinners in Khatanga.

Estimated cost of Moscow–Khatanga–Moscow flights (via Krasnoyarsk): 70,000–85,000 rubles. (Tickets Moscow–Krasnoyarsk–Moscow are usually bought on your own. Tickets for flights of KrasAvia airline from Krasnoyarsk to Khatanga and back can be purchased through our representative).

Single supplement: 27,000 rubles (available only in Khatanga for an additional fee).

TRAVEL PROGRAM: RGS Tour to Taymyr
Day 0. August 4, 2024 (Sunday). DEPARTURE TO KRASNOYARSK

Evening departure from Moscow (or another city) to Krasnoyarsk.

Meals: Not included
Accommodation: None

*Recommended flights: from Moscow to Krasnoyarsk:
– On August 4 at 20:25 with arrival in Krasnoyarsk at 05:05 am on August 5 by Aeroflot,
– On August 4 at 20:45 with arrival in Krasnoyarsk at 05:20 am on August 5 by S7,
– Or any other flight from any city arriving in Krasnoyarsk no later than 5:30 am on August 5.


Day 1. August 5, 2024 (Monday). ARRIVAL IN KHATANGA, TAYMYR, AND TRIP TO NGANASANS IN NOVAYA VILLAGE

Early morning arrival in Krasnoyarsk (no later than 5:30 am). At 8:00 am, a flight by Krasavia or Sapsan Airlines (depending on available flights on this date) to Khatanga on the Taymyr Peninsula (three hour flight). Flight may be delayed.
Around noon, arrival on the Taymyr Peninsula, in Khatanga, a settlement located in the Far North, in the Krasnoyarsk Krai, 600 km northeast of Norilsk. Khatanga is one of the northernmost inhabited localities in Russia.
After lunch, we will take a boat to the Novaya village (1 hour ride), where the main population consists of the Nganasans. We will meet Aunt Dasha, the guardian of fading the Nganasan traditions.
The Nganasans, according to some sources, are the oldest of the northern peoples, and certainly the northernmost. Once, the Nganasans inhabited the northern part of the Taymyr Peninsula, hunting for wild reindeer. They were among the last to engage in reindeer herding.
Perhaps, a limited experience did not allow them to survive difficult times, and in the 1990s, having lost their reindeer, they were forced to relocate to modern settlements like the village Novaya. Today there are less than 800 of them, and those who remember the language and traditions are no more than two hundred.
We will visit the Nganasan people. Despite living in modern homes, they maintain a distinctive identity. Remaining loyal to their pagan beliefs, they haven't converted to Christianity. Other peoples of Taymyr had not previously considered the Nganasans as potential marriage partners, because they believed that they had "sewn faces." – the Nganasans put tattoos on their faces. Even more interesting is their traditional clothing. Unlike other northern peoples, the Nganasans sew clothes that contain only three contrasting colors: white, black and red. There is an opinion that this is how they resemble the loon - their totem animal, the most revered among all others. The Nganasans also say that red symbolizes the sun, white symbolizes our world, and black symbolizes the afterlife. Nganasan shoes are unique in their kind. Like no other people, they sew shoes without socks, resembling mammoth feet! This once again hints at the age of these people.
The Nganasans were once considered unsuitable marriage partners due to their "sewn faces," tattoos, and unique three-color traditional clothing – white, black, and red, symbolizing the sun, our world, and the afterlife. Their footwear, crafted without toe compartments, resembles mammoth feet, hinting at the age of their culture.
In the evening return to Khatanga. Accommodation at the Mammoth 4* hotel.

Meals: lunchboxes
Accommodation: Mammoth Hotel 4*

* Recommended flight from Krasnoyarsk to Khatanga:
- by Krasavia airline or Sapsan airline, departure from Krasnoyarsk at 8 am on August 5, arrival in Khatanga around 11 am on August 5 (the flight schedule will be available later. The schedule may change!)


Day 2. August 6, 2024 (Tuesday). Helicopter flight to Old Popigai.

After breakfast, a 4-hour helicopter flight from Hatanga to Old Popigai. Landing in Sopochnoye (New Popigai) to meet a guide and a cook, and to take rubber boats, outboard motors, and supplies for the expedition.

Arrival in Popigai in the afternoon. Setting up the camp. Overnight in tents in the village of Stary Popigai or in the house of our guide Uncle Gosha.

The village of Popigai, now abandoned, is located in the crater of the Popigai meteorite - the fourth largest impact crater on Earth! The diameter of the crater is about 100 kilometers, the depth of the bottom is 200 meters. The Popigai impact structure is the destroyed remains of an impact crater. A crater with a diameter of 100 kilometers was created by a bolide impact approximately 35 million years ago during the late Eocene Epoch. According to some reports, this resulted in a significant reduction in life on the planet.

Popigai impact structure is designated by UNESCO as a Geopark, a site of special geological heritage. For decades, the Popigai impact structure has fascinated paleontologists and geologists, but the entire area was completely off limits because of the diamonds found there. However, a major investigatory expedition was undertaken in 1997, which greatly advanced understanding of the structure. It is assumed that the impactor was an asteroid. This assumption is based on layers of ejecta identified in studies conducted in Italy. Moreover, it is believed that the impactor had a diameter of several kilometers. The shock pressures from the impact instantaneously transformed graphite in the ground into diamonds within a 13.6 km radius of the impact point. These diamonds are usually 0.5 to 2 mm in diameter, though a few exceptional specimens are 10 mm in size.

Meals: breakfast, lunchboxes, and dinner.
Accommodation: In tents or in a village house.


Day 3. August 7, 2024 (Wednesday). Exploration of the Popigai impact crater and abandoned village.

After breakfast, we will explore the surroundings of Popigai. The nearest settlement to the crater, Novy Popigai (Sopochnoe), is located 130 km from the center of the crater. Previously, its inhabitants lived directly in the crater, which became home to a unique ecosystem.

Guided by our local expert, we'll go into the forest where Uncle Dzhoko will showcase hunting traps and share stories of mammoth tusk searches. Perhaps, we'll even try to find mammoth tusks ourselves! Even today, on the Taymyr Peninsula, mammoth tusks and bones of other ancient animals that once inhabited the region can be found. From year to year, permafrost squeezes the skeletons and tusks of mammoths to the surface. Local adventurers regularly embark on expeditions in search of these tusks, leading to the common saying, "go to the tundra for tusks."

In the evening we will meet the only inhabitant of Popigai, a hermit. Dinner and camping sauna.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Accommodation: In tents or in a village house.


Day 4. August 8, 2024 (Thursday). Rafting on the Popigai River and Transfer to the Dolgan Reindeer Herders' Camp

Early in the morning, after breakfast, we start a rafting journey down the Popigai River. On three rubber boats with outboard motors, we navigate through the Sopochnoe village, currently inhabited by resettlers from Old Popigai. New Popigai is located on the 72nd parallel, more than 600 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle.

During the journey, we'll make stops for fishing in prime spots along the Popigai's tributaries.

Upon reaching the riverbank, we'll be welcomed by the Dolgans, traditional reindeer herders. Using "burans" or reindeer-drawn sledges, we'll cross over to their camp (the Dolgans will move closer to the river upon our arrival).

The Dolgans are a Turkic people who mostly inhabit the Taymyr Peninsula in the Far North of Russia. They are considered the youngest ethnic group in Russia, officially recognized only in the late 1950s.

In the 18th century, the Tungus (Evenki) people, who once inhabited the southern part of Taymyr and practiced reindeer herding, were influenced by Yakut culture and language. From the west, the now dying out Samodeic people of the Enets brought their characteristics to the culture of the Tungus, who belonged to the Dolgan (Dulgan) clan. Thus, in the mid-19th – early 20th centuries, the cultural identity of the Dolgans began to take shape, although until the 1950s they called themselves "Sakha". Today it is generally accepted that the Dolgans are, in fact, "Tungus culturalized by Yakuts".

Upon our later arrival, we'll have introductions, partake in a traditional dinner, and spend the night in "baloks," the Dolgan's traditional dwellings.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Accommodation: Balok (traditional Dolgan dwelling).


Days 5-6. August 9-10, 2024 (Friday-Saturday). Exploration of the Life and Culture of Dolgan Reindeer Herders during Nomadic Period

We spend two full days in the Dolgan reindeer herders' camp, actively participating in the nomadic life.

Trip to the herd, catching a reindeer. During this period, the Dolgans actively nomadize (as they say here, "argishat") and carry out corral work, fully preparing the herd for the new season.

We'll witness the entire process, from building corrals to reindeer capture using the "maut" (lasso), organizing caravans ("argish"), and transitioning with the herd and all their belongings to a new location in the tundra, with reindeer harnessed to sleds, towing their homes on runners ("balki").

Originally, the Dolgans were nomadic hunters and reindeer herders using the "chum," a traditional dwelling similar to their neighbors, the Nenets. However, in Soviet times, everything significantly changed. The Dolgans are famous for their "baloks" – square dwellings covered with reindeer skins. Unlike other indigenous peoples of the Russian Far North, such as Nenets, Khanty, or Chukchi, who must dismantle and rebuild their dwellings (chums, yarangas) with each migration across the tundra, Dolgans save time as their homes stand directly on sledges. In the first half of the 20th century, Dolgan reindeer herders invented the "balok," replacing the chum during the winter season. This innovation, now a tradition, helps the Dolgans to migrate in the extreme temperatures of the Far North, where in winter it often drops below -60 degrees Celsius.

We engage in discussions with reindeer herders around the campfire, sharing stories about the tundra, culture, and religion. While the majority of the Dolgans practice ancient shamanistic beliefs, some adhere to the Orthodox Christian faith.

For lunch and dinner – traditional food of nomads (raw meat "stroganina", different types of nordic white fish, "shurpa" soup etc.). Ritual reindeer slaughter is possible, accompanied by a master class on traditional venison preparation and "stroganina." We'll also get acquainted with northern cuisine.

We go to the tundra for seasonal hunting and fishing.

In the evenings, we'll hunt for the Northern Lights. If luck is on our side, we might even catch a glimpse of meteors! This is not a joke. During our first visit to Taymyr, we witnessed a falling bolide. Dolgans mentioned that while this phenomenon is rare, each of them has seen it several times in their lives. Evidently, the sparse atmosphere of these regions doesn't manage to "cool down" meteors. The famous Tunguska meteorite fell not far from here. We'll try to explore all of this!

Nights will be spent in "baloks" with the Dolgans.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Accommodation: Balok (traditional Dolgan dwelling).


Day 7. August 11, 2024 (Sunday). Boat transfer to Khatanga.

Early departure to Sopochnoe. Return from Sopochnoe to Khatanga by scheduled boat. Departure at 6:30 AM.

We'll travel by boat along the Popigai and Khatanga rivers (about 300 km), with a stop in the Novorybnaya village for lunch. The wave on the Khatanga River is high, almost like the sea, due to its wide estuary. Therefore, the boat moves slowly for our safety.

Late return to Khatanga around 1:00 am, depending on the weather.

Overnight stay in Khatanga. Accommodation at the Mammoth 4* hotel.

Meals: breakfast, lunchboxes for lunch and dinner.
Accommodation: Mammoth 4* hotel.


Day 8. August 12, 2024 (Monday). Excursions in Khatanga.

After breakfast, visit the northernmost Orthodox church in Russia – Holy Epiphany Church, the local Museum of Khatanga (Museum of Taimyr Reserves), and, if accessible, the Mammoth Museum. The Mammoth Museum is built in an old abandoned glacier near the river port, where thousands of mammoth tusks and bones, along with other ancient animal remains, can be found.

On this day, we may also take a trip to the village of Novaya to visit the Nganasans, in case it couldn't be arranged on the first day due to flight schedule changes.

Dinner at the restaurant, where you might have the opportunity to taste wild goose or reindeer steak with cranberry jam.

*This day can serve as a backup in case of bad weather or changes in flight schedules.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Mammoth 4* hotel.


Day 9. August 13, 2024 (Tuesday). Flight from Khatanga to Krasnoyarsk.

Late breakfast and transfer to the airport. At 14:00 (schedule may change), departure to Krasnoyarsk by Krasavia or Sapsan airlines (depending on available flights on this date). Arrival in Krasnoyarsk around 17:30.

Evening flight to Moscow, or overnight stay in Krasnoyarsk and a direct morning flight to Moscow.

Meals: Breakfast.
Accommodation: Not included.

*Recommended departure from Khatanga to Krasnoyarsk:
– by Krasavia or Sapsan, departure from Khatanga to Krasnoyarsk around 14:00 on August 13, arriving in Krasnoyarsk around 5:30 PM on August 13 (flight schedule will be available later and it may change).

*Recommended departure from Krasnoyarsk to Moscow (or another city):
– anytime not earlier than 22:00 on August 13,
– alternatively, a direct morning flight from Krasnoyarsk to Moscow (or another city) on August 14 (hotel in Krasnoyarsk is paid separately in this case).

* The operator reserves the right to change the order of execution of the program subject to keeping of all activities. The program can also be changed subject to weather/road conditions

** It's important to note that flights to/from Khatanga do not operate daily, potentially affecting the duration of the stay. The program may be revised in case of changes to the flight schedule of airlines serving Khatanga. The tour operator is not responsible for changes to the schedules of Krasavia and Sapsan airlines or boat schedules. In such cases, the program will be adapted to the updated flight schedule while retaining essential activities if possible.

*** Expedition participants to Taimyr must be motivated: show respect for the Dolgan and Nganasan cultures, be aware of the trip's objectives, and be adaptable to possible plan adjustments due to weather conditions or decisions by the indigenous population. Access to the river or tundra is weather-dependent and may be restricted for safety reasons at any time. Participants should be in good physical condition and capable of adapting to an unfamiliar group and culture.

**** It should be considered that flights from Khatanga to Krasnoyarsk may experience delays or cancellations due to weather conditions. Therefore, it is recommended to purchase the Krasnoyarsk–Moscow flight ticket with a refundable fare.
ся покупать по возвратному тарифу.

Cost includes:

• Chartered MI-8 or MT helicopter from Khatanga to Sopochnoe to Old Popigai.
• Inflatable boats with motors and pilots from Old Popigai to Sopochnoe to the Reindeer Herders' Camp.
• Scheduled boat from Sopochnoe to Khatanga.
• Boat from Khatanga to Novaya village and back according to the program.
• Transfers to and from the airport in Khatanga (minibus or car).
• Accommodation in a 4* hotel in Khatanga (double occupancy).
• Accommodation in the Dolgan camp in baloks (shared).
• Camping accommodation (double occupancy) or in a village house (shared).
• Three meals a day in the Dolgan camp (national cuisine) and in Old Popigai.
• Drinking water in the Dolgan camp (national cuisine) and in Old Popigai.
• Meals on the road in the tundra (packed lunches).
• Breakfasts in Khatanga.
• All activities in the Dolgan camp and Old Popigai as per the program (participation in Dolgan life).
• All events and workshops as per the program.
• Visit to the Nganasans in Novaya.
• Visits to museums in Khatanga.
• Boats, motors, fuel, camping equipment, and utensils for the expedition part of the route.
• Professional local guides and a cook for the expedition part of the route.
• Experienced Russian-speaking driver-guides in the tundra.
• Services of a Russian-speaking local guide in Khatanga.
• Highly experienced driver-guide for the expedition part of the route.
• Services of a Russian- and English-speaking team leader/photographer throughout the route.
• Two professional practicing scientists throughout the route.
• Lectures by scientists throughout the route.
• Participation in scientific work: introduction to "anthropological cuisine," studying the "fields," collecting ethnographic materials (diaries, photos, interviews, etc.).
• Participant of the Russian Geographical Society throughout the route.
• Processing of permits for entry into the border zone (if necessary).
• Visa support.
• Satellite communication for safety.
• Photo and video shooting.
• Transportation services in the tundra (snowmobiles, sleds).


Cost excludes (additional charges apply):

• Flight to and from Khatanga (Krasnoyarsk Krai).
• Medical insurance.
• Russian visa (if required).
• Lunches and dinners in Khatanga (not specified in the program).
• Additional services specified as optional in the program, such as the reindeer ritual killing ceremony.
• Alcoholic beverages and drinks, personal expenses.
• Surcharge for single accommodation in hotels and tents.


To take with you:

• Sets of clothing suitable for various weather conditions, including light clothing sets (shorts, t-shirts, light pants) and warm items (fleece, pants, windproof jacket), as well as long-sleeved shirts.
• Rubber boots.
• Headgear for different weather conditions: baseball cap/hat/sun hat and a warm hat.
• Comfortable closed hiking boots and lightweight footwear (sneakers).
• Swimsuits/trunks (optional).
• Raincoat.
• Sleeping bag for a comfort temperature of +5 degrees Celsius.
• Self-inflating mattress or camping foam.
• Mosquito net for sleeping.
• Personal hygiene items: towel, shampoo/soap, wet wipes.
• Personal medications (including painkillers, antiseptics, antibiotics, specific medications for you, antivirals, gastrointestinal medications).
• Sun protection (cream, spray), wind protection.
• Mosquito repellent (optional).
• Headlamp.
• Sunglasses (mandatory).
• Buff (optional).
• Thermos (optional).
• Fishing rod (optional).
• Repellents: sprays, creams.
• Large backpack or suitcase for belongings.
• Small backpack for walks (25-30 liters).
• Minimal supply of favorite foods and beverages (there won't be a place to buy).
• Photo and video equipment, drone, tripod, spare batteries.
• Thermal bag for electronics and documents (optional).