Sakha Republic is approximately eight times the size of California, but its population is under one million. A third of those people live in Yakutsk, a city located along the banks of the Lena River in central Sakha Republic (Yakutia). Yakutsk is known as the coldest city in the world, as well as the largest city built entirely on permafrost, and one of the largest that cannot be reached by any road.

Today a special guest star will join us on a walking tour of the city, leading us through plazas, markets, communist monuments leftover from the USSR, and the old city, while educating us on the history, economy, and culture of the city. The city center is small, as is our group, so we will have some flexibility to optimize our tour according to group interests. We will enjoy lunch in town before heading to the Permafrost Institute, where the temperature of the underground ice tunnels is +14F year round. We’ll have a guided visit with a scientist who’ll share with us the complexities of building a city under such conditions, as well as the ways that the Arctic is uniquely impacted by climate change and permafrost melt. We’ll tour the Kingdom of Permafrost, an underground lair with ice sculptures depicting scenes from Olonkho, the Sakha oral epic, as well as preserved (frozen) remains of mammoths. Sakha Republic is known for its abundance of mammoth remains, and after today’s visit, you’ll begin to recognize imagery from Olonkho (and mammoths) depicted all around you.

Accommodations: guesthouse (shared dormitory)

Included Meals: breakfast, dinner

Included Activities: guided tour of Yakutsk, guided visit to Permafrost institute and Kingdom

Special Information: Summer temperatures in Yakutsk range from the 50s to the 90s, with occasional rains. When it rains the street flood, and the streets are inconsistently paved, so it’s best to bring comfortable walking shoes that you don’t have to be too fussy about. Bring layers for the underground tunnels. We can stop at an ATM today to get cash for the trip.