Yakutia: Discovering Siberian Amazonia

This day will be full of emotions! You’ll spend this day on board the cruise to discover an extraordinary masterpiece of nature protected by UNESCO. More than 40 km of limestone rocks, eroded by the wind and by the centuries, overlooking the river: these are Lena Pillars, a geological formation of extraordinary beauty that rises about 220 meters above the course of the Lena River.

To complete this unique experience you are invited to participate in the Rite Algys. Algys is a rite of purification, blessing, and goodwill, which is performed for the balance of power and prosperous, sustainable development of the whole of humanity and our home – planet Earth.

After the rite, we will have lunch on board. In the evening we will return to Yakutsk for dinner at the restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

This morning we start with an excursion to the Mammoth Museum. The collection of the museum contains more than 2000 bone remains of large mammoth animals. Here you can  even see 3 fully restored skeletons of mammoths! You’ll get to know not only about our past of the Ice Age but also about our future with possible mammoth cloning.

After the Mammoth Museum, we will pay a visit to the Ice Gallery Eternal Frost Empire – a giant non-melting glacier near Yakutsk. At the end of the visit, you’ll be offered to get warm with traditional Russian vodka served in ice shots.

Today’s lunch will be at the ethnographic complex Chochur-Myraan which manages to reconstruct the past, to create a cozy atmosphere, and to surprise you with traditional Yakut cuisine. After lunch, we are going to visit Yakutia Treasury. The museum displays the best examples of the work of Jakut jewelers, and then gold nuggets, gems and diamonds found in Yakutia.

In the evening we will return to Yakutsk for dinner in the local restaurant and overnight at the hotel.

This day at 5 o’clock in the morning we are going to have transfer to the airport for the departure to the city of Mirny. Upon arrival, you will meet the local guide and start the excursion program. We are going to visit the Kimberlites museum, Center of diamonds sorting and Mir mine (kimberlite diamond pipe).

The life in Mirny city is connected with the existence of the Mir kimberlite pipe discovered in 1955 and active diamond mining. Initially, it was conducted in an open way. The result is one of the largest quarries in the world. Its depth is 525 meters, and its width exceeds 1200. The bottom of the open pit is flooded.

After lunch, we will continue our city tour and go to Alrosa Museum. The kimberlite collection has been formed since the 1970s. The United Museum of Kimberlites of Yakutia was founded in 1992.

In the evening we will go to the hotel in Mirny for dinner and overnight.

Today we are going to leave Mirny and return to Yakutsk. After breakfast, you will have a transfer to the airport and a morning flight to Yakutsk. There will be lunch at the local restaurant upon arrival.

In the second part of the day, we will continue our city tour with a visit to the ethnographic complex Us-Kut. The name of the center is translated as a “sacred mountain”. The complex stands on a hill, at an altitude of 200 m, and from here you can observe the entire panorama of the city. The center is a small wooden architectural complex. On the walls, you can see ritual shaman costumes and paraphernalia.

After the excursion program, we will have our farewell dinner in Yakutsk.