Beyond the Trans-Siberian Railroad

…a journey into remote northern Siberia from Krasnoyarsk to Yakutsk

Everyone has heard of Russia’s legendary Trans-Siberian Railroad. It begins in Moscow and churns its way east for six days and through eight time zones before reaching the Far East outpost of Vladivostok. The mythical route has become increasingly popular among foreign tourists over the last five years. Those who’ve plowed the route are still considered pioneers in the travel community. However, only a tiny minority of those travelers venture far off the Trans-Siberian’s traditional route…I’m one who did.

First Things First: Getting to Central Siberia Along the Trans-Siberian

St. Petersburg to Moscow

Though the Trans-Siberian starts in Moscow, real rail enthusiasts begin in Russia’s grandest city, St. Petersburg. From there, you can take Russia’s most famous train, the Krasnaya Strela (Red Arrow) to Moscow. The Red Arrow has traversed the route daily since 1931, and service was only interrupted during the Siege of Leningrad. In Soviet times, the train was reserved for Communist Party elites.

I was lucky enough to take the train on my birthday, and the provodnik (conductor) brought me a souvenir coffee mug, with a Russian greeting (in Cyrillic, of course), which I later translated to say “Russian Railways wishes you a happy birthday!” So cool!

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Moscow to Krasnoyarsk: Into the Heart of Siberia

The actual Trans-Siberian begins in Moscow. Most foreign tourists take the Rossiya, train No. 002, which runs all the way to Vladivostok. (The Trans-Siberian will be discussed in detail in a future article). Over two weeks, I slowly made my way from Moscow to Krasnoyarsk, a pretty city in central Siberia. For distance perspective, the train from Moscow to Krasnoyarsk takes about 2 1/2 days…straight…on a train.

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The Trans-Siberian’s little brother: The Baikal Amur Mainline (“BAM”)

After two amazing days hiking around Krasnoyarsk, I boarded the Baikal Amur Mainline to points north and east.

A History of the BAM

Like so many Soviet era mega-projects, the BAM was ill-conceived from the start. The first leg of the route was built by in the 30’s by slave labor from Stalin’s gulags. When Stalin died in 1953, the route was nowhere near complete. Construction essentially stopped when Khrushchev freed the gulags, thereby drying up the forced labor market. So, the route sat unfinished for roughly 20 years.Brezhnev rebranded the BAM as “The Construction Project of the Century” in the early 1970’s in an effort to rally Soviet pride, and convinced numerous Soviet workers to head east to complete the line, with promising of high wages.

Many workers moved their families to the vast Siberian wilderness to finish the project, which was finally completed in 1984, but not fully opened to passengers until the Iron Curtain’s fall in 1991. The track traverses through more than two thousand miles of the harshest, most unforgiving terrain on earth, where winter temperatures frequently drop to -50F (-45C) in winter, and rise to over 100F (38C) in summer. Today, the remote, single-track line is a testament to Soviet-era waste and mismanagement.

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The Allure of the BAM

The BAM’s allure comes from the innate human curiosity to push further and further into the great beyond. I have that curiosity, and I know I’m not alone. When reading about the futility of the project, and about the workers who sacrificed so much for so little, I was captivated. I had to experience it for myself. For me, the BAM is a microcosm of the failure of the Soviet Union itself: grand, utopian ideas with shockingly poor implementation.

The Beauty of the BAM

Practically, the BAM is much prettier than the Trans-Siberian. The route forges through dense taiga forests in a relentless push towards the Pacific. You’re constantly cloaked in taiga–massive, deep green boreal forests that cover much of Canada, Scandinavia, and Russia–for days on end. The BAM’s taiga is also displayed alongside scenic mountains. In contrast, the Trans-Siberian runs through flat-as-a-board Siberian steppe, with only pockets of taiga.

Further, the BAM is so remote that pollution is unheard of, making way for soft, airy blue skies. (If you’ve ever seen a clear day in northern Scotland or Alaska, you’ll know what I mean.)

Northern Baikal: BAM’s Biggest Selling Point

Lake Baikal, the deepest lake on earth, holds almost 25% of the world’s fresh water. Just think about that! Baikal is also Siberia’s biggest tourist destination, by far. I didn’t meet a tourist on the either train who wasn’t stopping there for at least 3-4 days. However, over 90% of tourists visit Baikal’s flat, southern shore near Irkutsk, which means southern Baikal can get crowded in summer with foreign tourists…but especially Russian tourists. On the contrary, northern Baikal is void of large throngs of holiday makers. Plus, it’s surrounded my pristine mountains, and the water is clean enough to drink. Seriously.

You’re Convinced Now, I know it!

Here’s How to Get Started on the BAM: Booking Tickets on Russian Railways

In stark contrast to getting a Russian visa, booking Russian train tickets is modern, efficient, and simple. Always start by looking up tickets at Real Russia. Real Russia is an outstanding travel agency specializing in Russia, and an excellent site to get your bearings and find trains the fit your schedule. However, if you choose to buy directly from Real Russia, note that the tickets are marked up roughly 20%. If you’re looking to save money, I highly recommend using Tutu to buy tickets with significantly lower added fees. Still, start at Real Russia. If you are booking international train tickets from Russia to another country, i.e., Mongolia, I strongly recommend buying through Real Russia.

Domestic tickets are generally delivered via email and can be printed out and scanned by the conductor, or provodnik, who will speak ZERO English. Be prepared and have your tickets ready! Though the provodniks appear stern, they are quite friendly and helpful.

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Classes of Service

There are usually three classes of service on long-distance Russian trains. (Only two on BAM) Firmenny trains are the fastest, highest quality long distance trains. They have train numbers from 1-150. If you start your travel on the Trans-Siberian, you will likely be on a firmenny train.

First Class

1st class, or spalny wagon “SV,” has 2 beds and a lockable door. Only fancy “named”firmenny trains like the Rossiya will have SV coaches. Meals are often served, and bedding is laid out by the provodnik. It’s a great way to travel as a couple. However, SV is very expensive, and unnecessary if you’re on a budget.

Second Class

Most trains start with 2nd class, or “kupe,” which I recommend. Kupe has 4 bunk beds in a closed cabin, with 2 lower and 2 upper beds. Kupe is perfectly comfortable for a long journey. Note that if you reserve a top bunk, you are not confined to the top bunk for waking hours, as the lower bunk is made into a couch. I actually recommend a top bunk for those who like naps. However, if it makes you uneasy to ask a stranger (in a language you don’t speak), to move so that you can sit down, book a bottom bunk.

Third Class

3rd class is called “platzkart,” and is akin to a dormitory on wheels. It is not recommended for long journeys unless you’re on a tight budget. Platzkart is an open carriage design with 54 sleeping berths. There are no enclosed rooms. Platzkart can be great to meet people, but it lacks the relaxation element that makes train travel so pleasant. However, for a short journey, platzkart is highly recommended, it’s the true Russian experience…vodka and all!

train practicalities

Some, but not all, trains serve decent meals. The Real Russia website will alert you if your train serves meals. I found all meals on Russian trains to be simple and tasty. However, you should bring your own food supplies as well. The journeys are extremely long and it’s always nice to have snacks, water, or even a few beers! Always bring toilet paper. I shouldn’t have to explain why.

The BAM to Tynda

Krasnoyarsk to Severobaykalsk

The initial segment, from Krasnoyarsk to Severobaykalsk, is just over 28 hours. Severobaykalsk is a purpose-built “city” of about 30,000 on the northwestern shore of Lake Baikal. It was built to house BAM workers during Brezhnev’s “Construction Project of the Century.” Today, it is one of the largest cities on the BAM. The town itself is purely Soviet, full of the ubiquitous Khrushchyovka, but surrounding by a magical natural setting. It’s a great spot to stop off for a few days.

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activities in severobaykalsk

• Enjoy Lake Baikal: on a warm summer day you can take a (short) dip in the lake and sunbathe on the beach, or even go for a boat ride. If visiting in winter, you can ice skate or cross country ski! Fishing is possible in both seasons.
• Hiking: there are endless hiking opportunities for hiking around Severobaykalsk, including the Appalachian Trail inspired Baikal Trail. For more information, click here!
• Visiting Baikalskoe: this lovely fishing village is about 30 minutes south of Severobaykalsk by car. The town has a beautiful array of traditional Siberian homes. If you take a guided tour (highly recommended,) you can have lunch in a local home. It’s amazing!
• Goudzhekit Hot Springs: a few trains a day leave Severobaykalsk and head north to the springs. They’re absurdly hot, but they apparently have magical healing powers.
• Baikal Trail House: this is where I stayed, and where you should stay…if it is still open. While researching this article, I have been unable to determine one way or the other. If it is open, this apartment hostel is pure Siberian hospitality. Evgeny, and his daughter Anna, are fantastic. Anna speaks perfect English. They can arrange tours for you–they arranged a tour of Baikalskoe for me, with the town’s English teacher, and one of her students. Such a cool day!

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Severobaykalsk to Tynda

After my three days in Severobaykalsk, it was back on the BAM to Tynda. Another purpose built BAMtown, Tynda is roughly the halfway point between Tayhset (near Krasnoyarsk) and Sovetskaya Gavan.

This is the part of the journey where you begin to feel completely off the grid. It’s unimaginably remote. I’m not sure there’s anywhere else on earth that’s so remote, and accessible without a plane. If you know of one, I’m keen to go. The ride itself is spectacular. Mountains. Taiga. Rivers. Lakes. Nature. NO PEOPLE.

The train journey itself takes a little over 27 hours, and leaves Severobaykalsk at noon. If traveling in summer, you’ll traverse the prettiest part of the route in daylight. To be honest, it’s pretty much always daylight in high summer anyways.

points of interests

• Severomuysk Mountains: picturesque mountain range covered in Siberian taiga. Keep your camera ready at all times!
• Severomuysky Tunnel: A 15 km long tunnel built in continuous permafrost. The tunnel was only completed in December of 2003! It’s pretty scary to be under a mountain range in permafrost!
• Taksimo: Another BAMtown of about 10,000 that can be used to break up your journey.
• Kodar Mountains: Another pretty mountain range covered in taiga.

Tynda is considered the BAM’s “hub.” It’s total population is about a Manhattan block. Lynda’s reason for continued existence is that it’s a junction for the “Little BAM,” which has connection service to the Trans-Siberian. Tynda also connects to the yet-unfinished Amur Yakutsk Mainline (AYaM), that runs north and will supposedly connect with Yakutsk, the world’s coldest city, and a diamond mining boomtown. Tynda’s lone highlight is its George Jetson themed train station.

Tynda to Neryungri: the Amur Yakutsk Mainline

If you’re interested in continuing eastward on the BAM, the main point of interest east of Tynda is Komsomolsk-on-Amur, a pretty city of about 250,000. Komsomolsk is famous for aircraft manufacturing, such as the Sukhoi Superjet 100. (I’ve flown on one!) You can connect to the Trans-Siberian from Komsomolsk, re-joining at Khabarovsk, a major city in Russia’s Far East.

However, I decided to go deeper into the great blue yonder…and take the AYaM north towards Yakutsk. The AYaM is yet another Russian folly. It’s an “incomplete complete” line, meaning the track is built all the way to the Lena River (which is virtually Yakutsk), but passenger service ends at Aldan, a Siberian hamlet. Even sillier, no passengers actually travel all the way to Aldan–everyone headed north to Yakutsk (and that’s virtually everyone)–gets off at the mining town of Neryungri and takes a van to Yakutsk.

Tynda to Neryungri

The lethargic AYaM leaves Tynda a few hours before dark, and trundles north towards Neryungri, a frigid Siberian mining town in Russia’s Alaska: the Sakha Republic. The train is purely Soviet, and the carriages are relics of the Brezhnev years. If you’re traveling in summer it can be hot as hell in the apparently non-AC train, and Siberia can be sweltering in the summer.

The ride itself was a continuation of the BAM, just shorter. The train arrives in Neryungri just before midnight…where the true adventure begins.

The Lena Highway

Neryungri to Yakutsk via the Lena Highway

Info on how to get from Neryungri to Yakutsk overland was virtually non-existent. The only “credible” blurb was from Lonely Planet’s Trans-Siberian Railway guidebook, which claimed there were Russian UAZ vans waiting at the Neryungri station to drive onward passengers the 15-20 hours up to Yakutsk!! I’d decided to put my faith in Lonely Planet–which is getting riskier and riskier! To my delight, there were 4 or 5 UAZ vans waiting to take passengers up the Lena Highway to Yakutsk.I haven’t always been so fortunate.

Hardly Hell’s Highway

True to Siberian hospitality, I was given the front seat because I was a tourist. I wonder how many foreign tourist they see a year on this route? Can’t be more than 20. When the van filled up, we set off. From what I’d read on the Lena Highway, I expected the ride to mimic bull riding. Sure, the road had some potholed patches, but the majority was newly minted tarmac. My driver, Evgeny, was another story. He had an affinity for high speeds, Russian rap music, and falling asleep at the wheel.

Evgeny must have fallen asleep at the wheel at least 5 times during the drive, and each time I shook him as the van veered off towards the taiga. So much for sleep. After about 9 hours of white knuckled speed, we arrived at the Lena Highway’s terminus: the Lena River. There is no bridge across the Lena, so cars ferry across the river in summer to reach Yakutsk. You can only reach Yakutsk by “road” in the winter, when the river is frozen and you just drive across it. The river is impassible in spring and fall due to forming/melting ice, and Yakutsk is only accessible by air.

When we arrived at the “ferry terminal,” a shack selling beer and vodka, around 9 am, I opted for a Siberian beer. I’d earned it over the last few hours. Plus, two older Russian women were slamming vodka on the entire route, and they offered to buy me one. We waited about 30 minutes for the ferry, then loaded up and crossed. The ferry itself took no more that 20 minutes. The Lena River itself is beautiful, with huge banks to hold the massive spring thaw. Back on land, it was another 45 wild minutes to Yakutsk, with Evgeny passing everyone on the road.

Yakutsk: the World’s Coldest City

Evgeny gleefully dropped me off at my hotel first, and I quickly ditched my bags to go an explore the world’s coldest city in shorts and flip flops. The high temp was 88F (31C), and it was forecast for 92F (33C) the next day! Compare this to the winter temperatures, where the average January low is -42F (-40C), with a record low of -84F (-65C)!

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I walked around town and confirmed that all modern buildings were built on stilts due to the continuous permafrost. permafrost. If buildings are built on the ground, the heat from the buildings radiates and melts the permafrost, causing the buildings to collapse on themselves. The water lines, sewage lines, etcetera, are all built above ground too. I recommend at least 2 days in Yakutsk (you’ll have earned it!), followed by a Lena River cruise to see the famous Lena Pillars.

Recommendations for Yakutsk:

• Accommodation: there are numerous up-market hotels for business travelers. I opted for Bed & Breakfast Bravo, a nice guesthouse in an apartment block with English speaking staff. There’s a new hostel available, HostelRUS, but it’s far from the center.
• Permafrost Kingdom: A few kilometers outside of Yakutsk, this place is a must see. It’s a museum built into the side of a hill…in permafrost. The museum is filled with ice sculptures, but the big draw is the frozen wooly mammoth.
• Chochur Moran: Great restaurant and lodge right next to the Permafrost Kingdom. It’s a neat place to walk around even if you’re not eating…there are pictures of the American boxer Roy Jones, Jr. everywhere, and the food is wonderful.
• Stary Gorod: Walk around Yakutsk’s old town center and wonder how people have survived here for 400+ years, then grab a drink at the Irish Pub Dikaya Utka, proving that there are Irish Pubs literally everywhere, then grab dinner at Makhtal, which serves traditional Yakut food, such as reindeer and frozen raw fish.
• Mammoth Museum: excellent offering of information on the wooly mammoth, including well-preserved skeletons
• A Cruise to the Lena Pillars: Since you’ve come this far, why not see the Yakutia’s prime attraction on a river cruise? Trips are either 36 or 48 hours. I was stupid and didn’t book ahead so I couldn’t get on one, but locals told me it was a must do. Book with Lena Tur Flot.
• Further Activities: VisitYakutia can plan tours further afield in Sakha, such as Oymyakon, which recorded the coldest temperature ever outside Antarctica.

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Please let me know if you have any questions regarding these routes!