Pripyat, Ukraine - April 2011

[ukmayhem]

Spent 2 days in Chernobyl and Pripyat at the start of April. Had the best time of my life. Went with my usual Urbex crew Randomnut, Liv, Jim, Catscratch, Dark Zac and wifebeater.

History

Pripyat was founded in 1970 to house workers for the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. It was officially proclaimed a city in 1979, but was abandoned in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster. It was the ninth nuclear city in Russian, literally ("atom city") in the Soviet Union at its time. Its population had been around 50,000 before the accident. The annual rate of natural increase was estimated at around 800 persons, plus over 500 newcomers from all corners of the Soviet Union each year. It had been planned that the Pripyat's population should rise to 78,000 in the near future. Pripyat had a railroad link to Yazov station (Kiev railroad line) as well as a navigable river nearby.

My Pictures

Video

I also filmed a lot and here's a video i put together

[nomedia]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVf6nclRTXw[/nomedia]


All can be found at my My Flickr, still have 100's to upload.

Matt

 

[klempner69]

Crackin stuff Uk,we hope to follow in your tracks next year to see this place.Nicely captured too

 

[Curious Dragon]

I dearly want to visit and am so envious right now.

You have taken some really great images and very humbling ones. Great little report, thank you

 

[King Al]

Great pics ukmayhem!! amazing stuff

 

[UrbanX]

Right, can everyone stop posting Pripyat reports? I'm going next week, and I want mine to be the best. How on earth am I suppose to compete with these?
Sigh, great report. Jealous. I hate HDR, but like these. How long did you go for?

Where was the chair with styrups? Maternity hospital?

P.S Shameless plug -my preperations are at www.urbanxphotography.co.uk/chernobyl

 

[GE066]

How much did you have to pay? I think they wanted a 100euro when I was there a few years ago. You're pics are tempting me to go back, and slip in some Moldova action as well.

 

[waley_bean]

Amazing pictures, really moving.

 

[Snips86x]

I have an obsession with Chernobyl and everytime I see pictures from people who have visited, I'm not only jealous, but in awe of this magnificent abandoned city. I know it was tragic, but its the remains that I find interesting and wish so so much I was able to visit this place. Thanks for posting! More fantastic images!

 

[BahrainPete]

Great stuff ukmayhem and its always good to see different shots. I always wonder if any of the ex-residence ever look at new images with the 'I used to live there' thought. Sadly, I'm sure they do.

 

[UrbanX]

How much did you have to pay? I think they wanted a 100euro when I was there a few years ago. You're pics are tempting me to go back, and slip in some Moldova action as well.

Very personal question!

The amount you pay can vary by 10 times either way on the same tour! I've known people to pay £120, and £1200 for the same thing, Depends on the guide, and Also depend show long your there!

Most of the tourist trips are 4 hours (11am-3pm) I'm dong a tour this week following 2 full shifts of workers, including sleeping & eating with the workers overnight for 6 days.

Its well into the five figures for our group, and has taken me five years and a redundancy to save for.

Will it be the best week of my life? Yes.
Will I get more enjoyment out of it than a 2 month cruise, or a new sports car? Yes.

Theres no set price for a 'trip' you get what you pay for, and it's rude to ask. Sorry for the rant, I got asked this 100 times last time I went, and I think it's rude.

What this guys photos show, is that any trip is priceless...

Pripyat 2011 preperations: www.urbanxphotography.co.uk/chernobyl

 

[Snips86x]

That's one hell of a holiday! How much gear? That's insane! I'm looking forward to your report as I've always wanted to visit this place and unlike you, don't think I will get a chance although you never know. I hope its as good as it looks since your covering the entire site!

 

[dizzydebs]

fab pics, i never tire of looking at pics of this place and get emotional each time!

forgive me for being niave but what sort of workers would be there now? there dont seem to be anything there so work on :l this is probably just my blone side emerging lol

 

[GE066]

Very personal question!

The amount you pay can vary by 10 times either way on the same tour! I've known people to pay £120, and £1200 for the same thing, Depends on the guide, and Also depend show long your there!

Most of the tourist trips are 4 hours (11am-3pm) I'm dong a tour this week following 2 full shifts of workers, including sleeping & eating with the workers overnight for 6 days.

Its well into the five figures for our group, and has taken me five years and a redundancy to save for.

Will it be the best week of my life? Yes.
Will I get more enjoyment out of it than a 2 month cruise, or a new sports car? Yes.

Theres no set price for a 'trip' you get what you pay for, and it's rude to ask. Sorry for the rant, I got asked this 100 times last time I went, and I think it's rude.

What this guys photos show, is that any trip is priceless...

Pripyat 2011 preperations: www.urbanxphotography.co.uk/chernobyl

Really? I didn't consider it rude. To get there you have to go on a tour. The OP put up inspiring pics, it's certainly jerked my interest and likely others, I was curious as to what the going rate was. I didn't ask the OP's financial situation, sexuality or girth. Maybe you're a bit too sensitive.

It looks like the average price for a day trip is around $160 or £110. It doesn't make clear what UA80* is, the mandatory insurance.

http://www.tourkiev.com/chernobyltour/*
http://www.ukrainianweb.com/chernobyl_ukraine.htm#Chernobyl Tour
http://tour2chernobyl.com/ (It should be noted this tour promises 'no zombies')

 

[UrbanX]

I really want to know how long th OP went for!
I thought I 'done it all' on my first tour (tourist 4 hour trip 11:00-15:00), then I saw how much of the city I'd covered on a map (not even 5%)
This wasn't enough, and I spent the next year convincing them to let me go there for longer.I think anyone that goes, gets the Pripyat bug!
Soz if I was sharp. Cant wait to get back there for a lengthy tour / sleepover...tomorrow!

 

[GE066]

you'll be able to get a job in a Ready Brek advert when you return, should help pay for the trip

 

[ukmayhem]

Thanks guys, we were there 2 days about 4 hours first evening spent the night in the workers accommodation then done a 6-7 hour day then returned to Kiev.

We done Reactor 4 and a bit of Pripyat, then day 2 more Pripyat, Train Station and Bus station then the abandoned parts or Chernobyl.

In Chernobyl around 3000 people work there doing 2 week shifts then off for 2 weeks. They are slowly rebuilding it. There's quite bait of action at the power plant, Pripyat is totally abandoned apart from Police guards.

Matt

 

[ukmayhem]

We paid about £450 each that was everything included Flights, 2 nights in Kiev, the tour with night in Chernobyl, food and transfers.

Matt

 

[heeftmeer]

Not bad... Nice toning. Like it very much

 

[stateless68]

fantastic photos.. each time i look at Prpyat photos i am becoming more and more aware of what i missed when i went there in early April this year, and how i should be thinking of getting out there again to have another shot at it. These are excellent - i especially love the faded black and white 'lockers'.

You do get what you pay for. If you chose the tour of 8 persons plus, which wil lkeep your costs down, be ready to accept that you are hot-footing it on and off your minibus, you get 10-15 minutes at one place then are whisked off to the next, as it is a one day tour, and by the time you are there, being 70 mile from Kiev, you have 4 hours of photography. And you have to work around everybody else to get the best shot. I booked through a travel agent in Wigan, cost me £550 for flights, two nights in Kiev, one night at the Chernobyl hotel, and to very full days of photography, me and another photographer, we shared a room at the Hotel and an apartment in Kiev to keep costs down, and we could spend as much time as we wanted at any one place - we made our own itinerary - we could have spent two days in one room in the hospital had we wanted. It was well worth it.

an extraordinary place and some great pics here

 

[Nobby1974]

I've seen a lot of Pripyat shots, but not many that have been taken by someone with a good eye, who uses HDR the way I like to see it used, knows the value of tone, and who uses a wide angle lens to distort in a way which adds to the distress and sadness, like you have with these mayhem.

Don't get me wrong, I can fully appreciate simple iphone snapshots which just record a place for what it is - for the purposes of this website I think they are just as good and worthy - but these images are something else altogether. All told, I think these are *excellent* and well worth your effort. Thank you for sharing them.