Severe and beautiful, cold and impregnable, Siberia attracts travelers. A cruise along the Lena - the great river of this region - allows you to explore the beauties of the North in very comfortable conditions - from the ship.
Every day new landscapes, interesting and varied excursions on the shore, the possibility of fishing - all this can be obtained during the trip. Moreover, cruise participants do not have to think about accommodation and meals - they get all this on board the ship.
What are the routes along the Lena? How long is the cruise? On which ship to sail? What is the level of comfort and services there? Where does the ship stop and what excursions are planned? We will describe all this in this article.
The Great Lena River
This water artery is the third longest in Russia (after the Yenisei and the Ob) and the 11th in the world. The length of the riverover 4400 kilometers. It has no power plants, no dams, no artificial dams.
Lena rolls her waves along the channel, which was created by nature itself millions of years ago. The large length of the water artery determines that it flows in several geographical zones. Thus, going on cruises along the Lena River, participants can see both the dense taiga and the tundra, admire the white nights, set foot on the Arctic permafrost, visit the “capital of Siberian frosts” Oymyakon, get acquainted with the diamond land of the Republic of Sakha and culture indigenous peoples of the North.
The water artery begins on the northwestern slopes of the Baikal Range, only 12 kilometers from the lake mirror. And the river flows into the Laptev Sea of the Arctic Ocean. Almost a third of its flow falls on the mountainous Cis-Baikal region.
Then the river rolls its waters through the Irkutsk region and Yakutia. The Lena becomes navigable from the Kachuga pier. But only small boats and boats can sail in the upper reaches. A truly waterway to the ocean Lena becomes from the city of Ust-Kut (or rather, from the largest river port in Russia - Sturgeon).
Cruises in Siberia
In this land of severe cold, the navigation period is very short - from 125 (in the lower reaches) to 170 days. Back in May, the Lena River was shackled by a shell of ice. Since the river flows from south to north, the mouth first freezes, and the waters arriving from warmer areas form hummocks.
Ice shell more than a meter thick beginsmelt only at the beginning of May, and the flood occurs at the end of this month. The first fragile cover on the water is formed at night already in September. Thus, the navigation period is limited to the summer months.
It is best to go on a cruise on the Lena in the second half of June to fully enjoy the charm of the white polar night. If you plan to go ashore, you need to take care of protection against the encephalitis tick. This blood-sucking parasite is a real scourge of the Siberian taiga (south of Yakutia and the entire Irkutsk region). A special peak of insect activity is May and the summer months. Vaccination must be done no later than 45 days before travel. By the way, it does not guarantee complete immunity from the disease, but makes it easier.
Motorships
Unlike cruises on other rivers, including Russian ones, only two passenger liners ply the Lena. So the choice of travelers is quite narrow. There are also two departure points. This is either Yakutsk or Ust-Kut (Irkutsk region).
River cruises along the Lena are carried out by the liners Demyan Bedny and Mikhail Svetlov. The rest of the passenger ships are much lower in terms of comfort and simply transport travelers to settlements along the coast.
At the beginning of the navigation period, when the mouth of the Lena is still ice-bound, but the middle course is open, steamships carry out short cruises, for two or three days. Later, the length of travel reaches from ten days to two weeks.
In the height of summer, liners sail to the very mouth of the river - the settlement of Tiksi on the Laptev Sea.
DemyanPoor
The three-deck ship, named after the Russian poet, was manufactured in Austria in 1985. "Demyan Poor" is the flagship of the "Lenaturflot" company. We will not describe here the length and width, passenger capacity and other technical parameters of this vessel.
For those who intend to relax on a cruise along the Lena on a ship, it is much more important to know about the comfort of its cabins and services on board. Unlike sea liners, which have rooms without windows at all (inside wide decks) or with small portholes at water level, in river ships all guests are accommodated with great amenities. Which ones?
All cabins have windows. Rooms are located on the main and boat decks. Cabins are divided into categories standard, junior suite and suite. All of them have their own sanitary unit (washbasin, shower, toilet). Each room has air conditioning, TV and radio.
Standards come in different capacity: from one to four people. Cabins of a higher level of comfort - double. They also have a refrigerator, and the air conditioning is controlled by an individual remote control.
Cinema hall, lounge, music room, restaurant, bar with dance floor, sauna, ironing room, hairdresser, first-aid post are available to cruise participants on board the Demyan Bedny.
Mikhail Svetlov
If you intend to go on a cruise along the Lena from Yakutsk, then most likely your trip will take place on board this three-deck ship. It was also made in Austria, in 1986year, commissioned by the Ob-Irtysh Shipping Company.
After serving one navigation there, the vessel changed its home port. In fact, "Mikhail Svetlov" is the twin brother of "Demyan Poor". At least the cabins and amenities on board are exactly the same.
Passengers of all cruises are provided with four meals a day (if the ship is full, it is provided in two shifts).
Routes. Arctic cruise on the Lena (14 days)
As we have already mentioned, you can travel along the river for three days or two weeks. Consider the longest route. It starts in Yakutsk. Motor ship "Mikhail Svetlov" delivers passengers to the Lena Pillars. This is the name of the high cliffs that stretch along the coast for 40 kilometers.
Planned landing in the national park and the ritual of "purification by fire". The next stop at the mouth of the Buotama River will allow you to see the bison brought here from Canada. Landings are planned in Zhigansk, Kyusyur. There, cruise participants can get acquainted with the culture of the Evenks and learn about the policy of the USSR towards the small peoples of the North, the so-called Churapcha tragedy.
Tiksi is the extreme northern point of the journey. There is a landing in the tundra with a tasting of national food. According to tourists in the reviews, the cruise along the Lena is built in such a way that the return trip will be no less interesting than swimming in Tiksi.
The ship returns to Yakutsk along the Lena Pipe - a narrow channel, squeezed on both sides by high rocks. The boat stops forphoto sessions at the inscription "Arctic Circle". He passes the tract "Forty Islands". There is also a green stop with kebabs and songs with a guitar at the “bonfire of friendship”.
Other routes of "Mikhail Svetlov"
In 2018, "Arctic cruises on the Lena" (from Yakutsk to Tiksi and back) are scheduled for July 7 and 23, as well as for August 8 and 22. The cost of such a trip starts from 80 thousand rubles.
But if you book a cruise in advance (45 days before it starts), you can book a place in a cabin for half the price. From the home port - Yakutsk - the ship "Mikhail Svetlov" also makes shorter cruises:
- To the Lena Pillars,
- To Tamenny Island (as part of the special tour "I love fish"),
- Pokrovsk - Olemkinsk - Lensk.
- Sangar - Vilyuysk - Verkhnevilyuysk - Nyurba (travel "He alth Wave").
Routes of "Demyan Poor"
The flagship of the river flotilla in 2018 operated flights from Ust-Kut to Yakutsk and back. He also carried out a cruise to Lena Scheks. This is a very interesting place. There, the river makes sharp 90-degree turns between high coastal cliffs.
In 2017, the Demyan Bedny cruised to Tiksi, to the coast of the Arctic Ocean. Now the ship works on order or performs short pleasure trips.
Description of the trip on board the Demyan Bedny liner
Until the end of navigation in 2018, only one 12-day cruise on the Lena River is planned. Reviews about him are verycommendable. The ship leaves Yakutsk on September 3 and follows to Leninskie Cheki. En route stops at:
- mouth of the Buotama River;
- Dapparay village;
- mouth of Ur;
- city of Lensk;
- Mirny settlement;
- Vitime.
After passing through the Lena Cheeks, the liner turns back. It doesn't make the tour program boring.
Participants of the cruise will see the cities of Lensk and Olekminsk, as well as the notorious Pillars. In the village of Sottintsy, they will have a farewell dinner at the Bonfire of Friendship. The cost of such a cruise starts from 64 thousand rubles.
River cruises on the Lena: reviews
These journeys along the mighty Siberian river leave no one indifferent. And while most people associate the word “cruise” with tropical seas and southern latitudes, swimming in the Arctic will give you the opportunity to experience no less powerful emotions.
The harsh nature of the North is as beautiful as the Snow Queen. And the Lena River is a unique miracle of nature. Its shores are bordered by rocks that come close to the water. Sometimes they retreat, and the Lena overflows to a width of 12-20 kilometers.
In this vast area you can see islands, which are home to many species of birds. As for the cruise time, it is always good. In June you will find a polar day, in July and August - white nights.
Starting in September, there is a high chance of seeing aurora in the sky. True, in the fall it is black and white. Colored aurora is onlywinter.
Tourists highly appreciated the service. The price of the cruise includes transfer from the railway station or airport to the river port, meals, land excursions, lectures, animation.
Which tours are the most popular? Tourists enjoy a two-week cruise in Tiksi. There are also many commendable reviews about the tours "Diamond Way" (Yakutsk - Lena Cheki - Mirny) and "Roads of Pioneers" (from Ust-Kut to the capital of the Republic of Sakha).
