AH27.Cruise tour Yakutsk - Lena Schyoki (Cheeks) - Yakutsk

Day 1. Yakutsk
Arrival in Yakutsk. Transfer to the River port. Accommodation in cabins. Currency exchange. Lunch. City tour. Visit to the Museum of Local Lore. Souvenir and Jewelry shops.

Yakutsk is a capital of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) with population of almost 300 thousand people which composes 28 % of the total population of the Republic. It was established in 1632 by Petr Beketov, the Enisey Cossack. Yakutsk is situated on the left bank of the river Lena on Tuymaada valley. It is the biggest city located on permafrost zone. Its territory is 122 square km. Yakutsk is an administrative and cultural center of the region (there are 7 theatres including Opera and ballet theatre, Northern circus). The industrial sector is presented by branches that support the life activity of the city.

In the evening – ship departure

Day 2. The Lena Pillars
Stay in the “Lena Pillars” national park where one can see steep rocks - unique natural phenomen - in the form of 200 meters high pillars that are stretched for 80 km along the river. One can distinguish colonnades, arches, battlements in their shapes. You will enjoy a wonderful rest in this fairy “land”. After having a welcome ceremony with ritual dance and “Purifying with fire” ceremony you are guided to rock massif (a trip for strong and tolerant ones!). Up there one can experience unrenderable feelings. From the top of one of the “towers” you will get a grandiose view of the great river, endless taiga zone, rocks and the sky of different color shades that makes a man feel himself a part of virgin nature and the great Universe.

Day 3. The green staging post.
Stay in one of the picturesque banks of the Lena river. On the way the ship passes the left tributary of the Lena river- the Sinyaya river where one can also see the Sinsk pillars. They are archeological monuments presented by ancient writings and sacrificing places. In this area the river entrenches the Prilenskoye plateau. The shut-in is 300 meter deep. The right slope is mostly scree or cuspate, rocky. The river valley is almost direct and well-developed. The Lena river breadth is 4-5 km, in some areas it can reach 10-15 km.

Day 4. To the south (run)
The ship goes up to the Lena River southward. You can enjoy the virgin nature and greatness of the Lena territory in the area of the Olekma river estuary. The first settlements-yasak winter houses-were established in the Olekma river estuary in 1635. This is the place where the Decembrists were exiled. Besides, there were settlements of Old believers. Agriculture including crop farming was widely developed here due to mild climate.Not far from these places there is a river Chara which is known for deposits of rare charoit semi-precious stone of purple color. Charoit stone is widely used in making Yakut souvenirs.

Day 5. Lensk
Lensk is a large river port on reception and goods traffic for the diamond mining stock company ALROSA. It was built in 1963 on the Mukhtuya village area which was founded in XIX century as a post station on Prilensk road. At present it is a modern town with developed industry and cultural center. Lensk has really a tragic history connected with flood which swept away the town for several times. But as a Phoenix bird the town was reconstructed again and again. In 2001 there happened the most ruinous natural disaster. There was founded a new residing block in Lensk instead of ruined houses. The construction was funded by the ALROSA company.
Departure by buses to Mirny city. The Green staging post. Picnic. Travel time – 6 hours

Mirny
A capital of diamond province of Yakutia welcomes you. Mirny is a city where main undustrial objects of ALROSA, a leading world diamond mining company are located. The city was founded in 1955 with development of diamond deposits. It is situated on the river Irelyakh, 850 km westward from Yakutsk and connected with Lensk by automobile road. The population is 37,5 thousand people, a territory – 123 square km. During the tour you will visit a museum of ALROSA stock cpompany, learn about the history of geological survey and prospecting and diamond mining in Yakutia. Besides you will have an opportunity to see a grandiose hige famous diamond pipe “Mir” (h-525 meter, d- 1200 meter)

Day 6. Vitim
Vitim is a right tributary of the Lena river. It is formed by junction of Vitimkan and Cheena, one of the wildest and original rivers of South Siberia. Great expert of the area an academician V.A. Obruchev wrote that Vitim is more original, magnificent and impressive than the slow Lena. The full length of the river is 1978 km. The Vitim river is technically complicated river with various set of natural obstacles. Floating difficulties come due to huge water streams that happen during summer-autumn rain high water. Bodaibo is the only town situated on the bank of the Vitim river.
On the river estuary there is a village of Vitim with population of 6 000 people. In future a city is planned to be constructed in connection with Talakan oil deposit development and within the framework of mega-project implementation.

Day 7 The Lena Schyoki (“Cheeks”) – 1 420 km from Yakutsk
They are located 269 km far from Kirensk downstream and 172 km from the Vitim estuary upstream. These fancy arched rocks covered by forests are one of the most beautiful and known places in the Lena river area. According to description of I.A. Goncharov in his book “Fregate Pallas: ”These are huge magnificent rocks that I hardly saw on sea shores. They are terribly digged. It is wild and horrible, and people try to pass them very quickly”. The Lena Schyoki has a narrow canyon with three rock formations of red copper color that are 200 meters high above the river. The river sheers from the first “cheek”, comes to the second located right opposite the first one and then goes to the third, the biggest rock formation. The walls of the flexuose canyon reflect a sound of the ship 24 times. On the left bank there is a rock called “Drunk bull”. This area is the narrowest on the Lena river (only 200 meters) and the most dangerous one.

Day 8. The Ura river
A picturesque green site on the left bank of the Lena river which is located 887 km upper Yakutsk city, on the place of inflow of the Ura river which conditionally divides the Lena river into two equal parts –a source and an estuary. Sailors often call the Ura river estuary a “Lensk equator”. According to tradition everyone who has visited these places should dive into water. Extreme lovers can even try swimming in “warm” waters of the Lena river (but it is recommended only to “ice swimmers”!) You will experience climbimg up to mountain. From the top of the fairy rock you will see a wonderful panorama of the Lena and Ura rivers, a view to our ship. Siberian taiga and its inhabitants will leave much pleasant memories about this quiet part of Yakutia.

Day 9. Dapparai.
Annual flood is a real disaster for people of Yakutia. During several decades many villages suffered from spring flood. Thus, people thought about moving to other more safety places in order to avoid annual flood. For example, the “Almazy Anabara” (“Diamonds of the Anabar”) company provided an assistantship constructing 30 houses in the area Dapparai for people from the Kyllakh village which was flooded several times. In 7 months there was founded a new village instead of the black deserted fields. The Dapparai village is situated on the most picturesque place on the high right bank of the Lena river. Here one can see high fur trees; forests are rich in berries and mushrooms.

Day 10. Diring Urekh.
Lower the Lena Pillars there is an estuary of the small stream Diring Urekh. During many years archeologists have conducted excavations in this area. Here they found many remains of the material culture of ancient people of Eurasia including stone choppers, ancient working tools. Similar half processed stone tools made of silicious pebbles were earlier found only in Africa and Africa was considered to be an ancestral home for mankind. Results of theses findings are unique not only in terms of archeology but also geology. Geological deformations, opened by prospecting shafts and runnels of archeologists witness complicated variations of ancient climates and related geological processes. However every understood line of this natural book and humanity development creates new doubts, issues and ideas. No limit to curious thought of researchers of pre-historic past of the ancient Prilensk land.

Day 11. Sottintsy
An excursion to historic-architecture open-air museum “Druzhba” (“Friendship”) located on the place of the primary foundation of the “Lensk stockaded town” founded by Russian cossacks, the future city of Yakutsk. The Museum presents samples of ancient wooden architecture in traditional Russian and Yakut styles. Expositions of wooden home utensils, national Yakut clothes and monuments of Russian Orthodoxy are of great interest. Wonderful landscapes and interesting historical excursions make the museum visit both informative and pleasant.

Day 12. Farewell, Yakutia
Breakfast. Luggage check. Transfer to airport. Departure from Yakutsk.

Lectures on Yakutia are offered everyday, Russian classes for foreigners, foreign language classes for Russians. Movie demonstration. In the evening you will have captain cocktail, thematical entertaining program in musical saloon.

Notes: The program is subject to changes due to weather and other objective reasons.

We also invites you to have cruise along the Lena river on “Mikhail Svetlov” comfortable ship and offers you additional tours: “The Lena Pillars” (3 days/2 nights), “Yakutsk-Sottintsy-the Lena Pillars” (2 days), “Yakutsk-Tiksi-Yakutsk” (14 days/13 nights).