Distinctive features. If there is somewhere the edge of the Earth, it is the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. And the point is not even that this is the easternmost region of Russia, including its extreme eastern continental point - Cape Dezhnev (which, by the way, opened Chukotka for Russia). Harsh climate, permafrost, vast deserted areas covered with snow. It would seem - what to look for in such a place?
America, distant for us, is very close to the inhabitants of Chukotka - just beyond the Bering Strait. But there is a border regime here, so admission to the part of the territory closest to the United States is possible only with the permission of the Border Guard Service. And foreigners can get to Chukotka only with the permission of the FSB.
Due to its proximity to the United States, our nuclear shield was located here during the Soviet era. When the Cold War ended, Chukotka was no longer needed. And the county fell into desolation. Despite this, the natural resources of Chukotka are still of some value. No wonder Roman Abramovich spent a lot of efforts to become the governor of the district. And although Abramovich did not achieve great results in business in Chukotka, his contribution to the development of the infrastructure of the region can hardly be overestimated.
Nature is the main wealth of the Chukchi land. There are a number of wildlife sanctuaries, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unique animal and vegetable world Chukotka attracts many extreme tourists.
Geographic location... Chukotka Autonomous Okrug is located in the north-east of Russia and belongs to the Far Eastern Federal District. It occupies the entire Chukchi Peninsula, as well as coastal islands. The county breaks all records for the number of "most eastern". This is the district itself, and the easternmost city of Russia - Anadyr, the easternmost settlement - Uelen and the most eastern points - Cape Dezhnev (continental) and Ratmanov Island (geographical).
The shores of Chukotka are washed by two oceans at once - the Arctic (Bering Sea) in the north and the Pacific (Chukchi Sea) in the east.
The Arctic Circle (66 ° 33′44 ″) passes through the district. The entire territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug belongs to the lands of the Far North.
Most of the territory of Chukotka is characterized by permafrost, which creates a characteristic Chukchi landscape. In warm weather upper layer permafrost recedes only 1 - 1.8 meters. More than half of the area is occupied by tundra and deserts.
Many of Chukotka's 8,000 rivers freeze to the bottom. The largest rivers are Anadyr, Omolon, Velikaya, Amguema.
Population... Of course, in such harsh natural conditions, survival is not an easy task. After the discovery of Chukotka in 1648, it was mainly adventurers, merchants, scientists, military men ... and prisoners who came here. Now the population of the seventh district in Russia in terms of area (721,481 sq. Km.) Is only 50,780 people. 49.61% of the population are Russians. In second place in terms of numbers, guess who? That's right, Chukchi (26.74%). In addition to the Chukchi, other local peoples live here - the Evens, Yukaghirs, Eskimos.
The indigenous population retains its traditional way of life and is in no hurry to join the benefits of civilization. And it seems that they are happy with the benefits, but few people want to engage in active economic activity. People prefer traditional trades - hunting, reindeer herding, fishing.
The population dynamics in Chukotka changed depending on who was in power in the region. By 1991, the population of the district was 158 thousand people. All these people were not needed by the state. The absolutely disregarding attitude on the part of both the federal and local authorities led to the fact that people did not receive a salary for years and even abandoned their apartments to go to the mainland. At the time of Roman Abramovich's coming to power, by the beginning of 2001, the population of the district numbered only 57 thousand people. Then the number stabilized at the level of 50 thousand.
In fairness, it should be noted that today Chukotka belongs to the group of regions where the birth rate exceeds the death rate (+2.6 per thousand population). Although the average life expectancy is extremely low - only 58 years.
Crime... In the criminal rating of the regions, the Chukotka Autonomous District is in 54th place (next to the Yaroslavl Region). There are a lot of domestic crimes here, the advantage of being "drunk". Drunkenness is generally very common in the district. It is both the climate and the long-term devastation that has poisoned the souls of the local population.
They say that when after Abramovich came to power, people were given a salary that they had not received for years, then the next day no one went to work - everyone fell into drunkenness. At the same time, many died from alcohol overdose, sometimes even whole families, including children.
There is also organized crime in Chukotka. But little is heard about her, since the authorities are not inclined to cover this topic.
Unemployment rate in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug it is quite low - 4.26%. In the capital of the district - Anadyr, this figure generally tends to zero. Which is not surprising. There are no random people here, and those who come here already "break through" their jobs in advance.
But it was not always so. Before the appointment of Roman Abramovich to the post of governor, the district was dominated by dullness, filth and general drunkenness. There was no work either. As Alexander Mamut, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of MDM Bank, said, "if I happened to stay in Chukotka, getting a return ticket would become the only meaning of my life."
After 2002, the situation began to improve, the development of mineral deposits, primarily gold, intensified on the territory of the district. Mainly thanks to high level wages in gold mining, and due to high allowances for work in the Far North, the level of wages in Chukotka turned out to be extremely high. Thus, the average salary in 2012 was approximately 62,000 rubles, which is twice the level of Moscow salaries. Thus, Chukotka, together with the Yamalo-Nenets Okrug, is the leader in terms of wages among Russian regions.
But only those who work in the fields can count on such a level of salaries. Ordinary workers and accountants in Anadyr receive only a modest 20-30 thousand a month, and doctors - even less.
Property value... In the 90s, many people in Chukotka sold their apartments for only 22 thousand rubles. That is how much it cost two air tickets to the "mainland". Old-timers say that it was possible to buy an apartment for 6,000 rubles. In the 2000s, the situation changed, huge amounts of money were invested in infrastructure, and construction began. Since then, prices have risen significantly and are almost equal to those in Moscow. So, among the offers for the sale of apartments in Anadyr, one can find the amount of 2.5 - 3.5 million rubles. for "kopeck piece".
Chukotka climate- severe, subarctic. 10 months out of 12 is winter here. In July it is + 10 ° С, and in January the temperature drops to −20 ° С and even to −40 ° С. Even neighboring Alaska is much warmer. The duration of sunshine in Chukotka is from 1000 to 1800 hours per year. There is very little rainfall - 200-500 mm per year.
In addition to these truly hellish conditions, one must also add the terrible winds that blow here for five months a year. The wind speed quite often reaches 15 m / s, and on the coast sometimes it reaches 40 m / s, and such winds last for several days, or even weeks. The strongest squalls, which are record ones, had a speed of as much as 80 m / s.
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug cities
Anadyr- the capital of the district, founded in 1889. Only the construction of the seaport at the end of the 50s led to the fact that the city began to develop more or less. Now the population of the city is 13,500 people. In 2004, the nearby Chukchi settlement Tavaivaam was annexed to it. The economy is based on the fishing industry and mining (there is a gold mine about 300 km from the city). The city receives electricity from the nearby Anadyr wind farm, one of the largest in Russia. Pros: If you're lucky, you can find a high-paying job. Cons: very harsh climate and extreme distance from the central regions.
From the head of the Penzhinskaya Bay to the Bering Strait about 1300 km - as from Moscow to Sevastopol.
Some call this far corner of our country the outskirts of Siberia, others - the northern tip of the Far East.
The Chukchi or Luoravetlans are a small indigenous people of the extreme northeast of Asia, scattered over a vast territory from the Bering Sea to the Indigirka River and from the North Arctic Ocean to the rivers Anadyr and Anyuya.
The traditional food of the tundra people is venison, the coastal food is the meat and fat of sea animals. Reindeer meat was eaten frozen (finely chopped) or lightly boiled. During the mass slaughter of deer, the contents of the deer stomachs were prepared by boiling it with blood and fat.
Fresh and frozen deer blood was also consumed. They prepared soups with vegetables and cereals.
The Primorsky Chukchi considered walrus meat to be especially nourishing. Prepared in the traditional way, it is well preserved. From the dorsal and side parts of the carcass, squares of meat are cut out along with lard and skin. Liver and other cleaned insides are placed in the tenderloin. The edges are sewn with the skin outwards - a roll is obtained ( k'opalgyn-kymgyt). Closer to cold weather, its edges are tightened even more to prevent excessive souring of the contents. K'opalgyn eaten fresh, acidified and frozen. Fresh walrus meat is boiled. Raw and boiled beluga and gray whale meat is eaten, as well as their skin with a layer of fat.
In the northern and southern regions Chukotka, a large place in the diet is occupied by chum salmon, grayling, navaga, sockeye salmon, and flounder. Yukola is harvested from large salmon. Many Chukchi reindeer breeders dry, salted, smoke fish, salt caviar.
The meat of sea animals is very fatty, therefore, herbal supplements are required. The deer and seaside Chukchi traditionally ate a lot of wild herbs, roots, berries, seaweed. Dwarf willow leaves, sorrel, edible roots were frozen, fermented, mixed with fat, blood. The roots, crushed with meat and walrus fat, were used to make koloboks. From ancient times, they have cooked porridge from imported flour, and fried flat cakes in seal fat.
The products of marine hunting for the coastal Chukchi were of great importance. The meat of the slaughtered animals formed the basis of their diet.
It was also used as food for sled dogs. Seal skins were used for sewing summer clothes and shoes; walrus skins were used for making a yaranga (summer tire, bedding on the floor), for tight-fitting a canoe, etc .; soles and belts of various widths and thicknesses were made from bearded seal skins for household and fishing needs. Dog harness was made entirely from the skins of marine animals. The walrus tusk was used for small crafts, the bones of the whale were used for sledges, etc. Thus, the well-being of the coastal population depended entirely on a successful hunt for sea animals.
Seals were hunted individually, and walrus and, especially, whale hunting was carried out collectively. The walrus was hunted mainly in spring and summer (from early May to October). They went fishing on a canoe. On the bow of the kayaks there were one or two harpooners, in the middle — 5 or 6 rowers, at the stern — the “kayak master” (the owner of the kayak).
Finding walruses swimming among the ice, the hunters overtook them, and the harpooners threw harpoons at them. A float made of a seal skin, removed with a "stocking" and inflated with air (buoy), tied to a harpoon belt, impeded the movement of the wounded walrus, who was trying to escape, and also prevented the killed animal from sinking and indicated its location. The exhausted walrus was finished off with a spear, towed to the nearest ice floe and skinned there.
Several canoes took part in the whale hunt. Carefully approaching the whale with oars, the hunters threw harpoons at it, longer than walrus ones, and equipped with 2-3 pairs of floats. They finished off the exhausted whale with a special long spear and towed it to the shore.
In the second half of the XIX century. widespread firearms (rifled magazine and special whaling guns); its application led to the disappearance of some of the described hunting methods and to the simplification of others.
In winter and spring, they began to kill seals from the air with a rifle. During the spring hunt, there was no need to crawl close to the dormant seal, and in this regard, the camouflage with all its accessories (special clothing and scrapers) disappeared. Sometimes they hunted right from the sled. Sensing the animal, the team of dogs rushed so fast that the seal did not have time to go under the ice, and the hunter, jumping off the sled, shot at him. Driving dogs to the edge of the ice, the hunters took a small canoe on a sled. A seal killed from a rifle was pulled out by throwing it out - a special device with hooks on a long belt.
There are places in the world, as if specially created for testing a person "for strength". Chukotka is one of them. Edge permafrost, winds and blizzards, cutting two oceans with a rocky wedge, Chukotka reveals its unique beauty only to those who are bravely ready to face difficulties.
The extreme climate has formed a very special life philosophy of the indigenous peoples, whose way of life was initially subordinated to the highest goal - survival. That is why in Chukotka it has always been considered very important to educate the strength of mind and strength of the body, physical endurance and dexterity.
This ancient land seems to breathe eternity itself. The entire look of Chukotka is permeated with clarity, directness and nudity. And in the third millennium, you can see the same landscape that once appeared to the eyes of Russian pioneers: convincingly simple outlines of coasts and mountains, like straight valleys carved with a chisel, placers of lakes and the purest rivers flowing into the icy seas.
Do you know how warm it is even in the coldest cold in the yaranga? Have you ever ridden a dog or a reindeer sled? Can you imagine how they hunt walrus and how tasty is the smelt caught with your own hands?
Chukotka is an amazing land that has managed to preserve life and the ability to flourish in the harsh polar conditions. During the short northern summer, in permafrost conditions, a miracle happens here every year - a real riot of nature revival, conquering people with its unique beauty. The hubbub of bird markets, the piercing blue of estuaries merging with the sky, the bright colors of the tundra, reminiscent of a motley carpet ...
Ethnic stereotypes in relation to some peoples of Russia often have nothing to do with their real nature and behavior. The Chukchi people were especially "lucky" in this regard. They, for example, do not always say "however": their language is rich enough to do without weed words. And the unhurried nature of this people, the apparent slowness - are just necessary components of human survival in the Far North. Chukotka's climate is extremely harsh. There is less oxygen in the air, maximum days without sun. And in terms of wind speed, the number of storms and hurricanes, Chukotka has no equal.
Photo: Barber in the camp
The Chukchi sleep little, and this despite the fact that they lead a very active lifestyle, they move a lot. They say it is dangerous to be a slave to sleep. 4-5 hours is enough to recuperate. To survive in Chukotka, you need to constantly work. The Chukchi are so accustomed to this that they can stay awake for several days quite calmly.
Do you know why the Chukchi have dark skin? She perceives and conserves energy better. It is widely believed that people in the North are inhibited. But it only seems so at first glance. In fact, they just show their emotions less. From early childhood, the Chukchi are taught that one cannot look at a person unkindly, swear, or, on the contrary, be too happy. Everything in order to maintain the integrity of the body, energy health. Look at the southerners - that's where the emotions are! All due to the fact that there is the southern sun and it is easy for people to get vitamins from plant foods.
Nature is scarce and vulnerable. The northern continent receives little sun, therefore, the recovery processes are very long.
Indeed, the northern peoples have a completely different cuisine. They absorb carbohydrate foods worse. And the products of their usual protein-fat cuisine were even fermented before. The product "matured" in certain conditions: Protein molecules are broken down into amino acids, which are immediately absorbed by the body. As a result, fewer calories were spent on digestion.
The situation with names among the Chukchi is generally very difficult. It often happens that the surname recorded in the passport is actually a first name.
“My current surname,” says Larisa Vykvyragtyrgyrgyna, a publishing methodologist at the Chukotka Center of the Institute for Educational Development and Professional Development, “this is the name of my husband, given to him at birth. When he received his passport, the name was written down as a surname, we do this often. My husband's name is translated as "returning to a stone dwelling" or there is another version of "returning to a dwelling with a stone."
Before marriage, I had my own name. In our country, a person who was born is named in connection with an event that occurs during his birthday. I was born in the summer, at a time when the tops of green leaves protruded from the buds with sharp teeth. So they called me - Ryskintonav. When I was given a birth certificate, my mother was recorded as Guanaut, my father - Tammu - without a name, patronymic, and I was Ryskintonav. And also without a middle name. After all, the father's name was recorded as a surname. The same can happen with our child, and he will have a different "last name".
The character of the Chukchi, their calmness, equanimity, restraint, patience affect the way they speak. They share little of their emotions, trying not to spill what is inside them. After all, this is wealth that is easy to lose. It used to be that when you talk too much about something, it leaves you, and the spirits can take advantage of what you do not value.
Even in love, the Chukchi are confessed more restrainedly than other peoples. A man will never tell a woman, "I love you." It even sounds clumsy in Chukchi. More often, feelings are hinted at by some deed or sign. In extreme cases, they can say: "I always think about you" or "It is difficult for me to do without you." Chukchi women understand and appreciate such confessions.
In Chukotka, in Russian times, state farms were made to feed deer. In the Shmitov region, this was the state farm "Pioneer". The Chukchi reindeer herders were divided into brigades: any separate camp is a separate brigade, which has its own separate serial number.
Being a reindeer breeder is a laborious job, within the power of a hardy person. Not every snow-white man has been able to handle reindeer. At first glance: the deer graze on their own, look exclusively, so as not to scatter, but look at the edges, they were protected from predators.
Well no. Deer in Chukotka are wild, fearful, shy away from any outside rustle. Well, not every shepherd will obey. The meat of the reindeer is “not pork” - it is harsh, therefore it is impossible to continuously chase the tundra while grazing the reindeer. And the disposition and character, like every earthly creature, every one has its own. So try to keep track of anyone. It is necessary to rush this personally nimbly, for a long time, not to frighten the deer, but to have time to look at the edges so that the wolves do not attack.
The reindeer will be fattened, taken away and taken to the slaughter. In the Shmitov region, the support given near the village of Millionaires to a large adult community, who understands the meaning of these matters. Everything must pass quickly, specifically, until the deer feel and run away.
This means that the leading hero of my story, Kruzhenkov, took part in one of these events. He is Russian. He was a fisherman in the brigade. Helped reindeer herders to graze herds. And the Chukchi instructed him to transport the reindeer to the slaughter in the village. Apparently he drove it away for a long time, got tired. Arriving, he handed the herd into the right hands and, with the feeling of being done, he fell asleep strongly.
Well, at this time, the whole village was trying to drive the reindeer into a “stall”.
No experienced reindeer herder, a native inhabitant of Chukotka, has ever seen such an alarming herd for always work, not remembering more closely about ordinary Soviet peasants who came to build socialism in Chukotka. The herd was so frolicking, so reveling, as if it was not people who framed it, but a pack of wolves. The deer did not obey, they did not listen to a single shout from the masters, as if they had spoken. They all booted and ran away. As they say, the whole world tried, all to no avail. Or Kruzhenkov during the journey yelled at the deer, urged them on to quickly reach the village.
Or "nashamanil" somehow, tamed him to himself, and they became addicted to him and on this moment waiting for commands only from their own owner. It was extremely necessary for people to wake this unfortunate shepherd. And he slept so sweetly, most likely, after this “categorical campaign”. Certainly not in the least, I didn’t want to appear and “strive for a duel”.
Everything, still, would end favorably. “Ours won in the end. Although this situation from the 60s is still remembered by my guardians, and not at all in the absence of laughter, not in the absence of a drop of melancholy. People got tired in those cases, well, Kruzhenkov himself made everyone laugh with his own "professionalism."
Time
There is no time in Chukotka. It is not that there is none at all, it is, but it is not measured in hours and minutes, but in the days of the journey, the intervals between meals, perfect deeds, and God knows what else. The more interesting the journey, the more you want to see sights and wild animals, the more you will need "classic mechanical time". A simple and at the same time extremely difficult axiom for a person "from the mainland". For example, it may take more than a week to get to the regional center from Anadyr, and it is not known how long it will take to get from the regional center to some national village. Once, in one of the regional centers, I waited for a plane for a week, did not wait and left on a motor ship. And the plane flew to the district center only on the 11th day. Fighting with time is not possible, you have to learn to wait.
Another aspect of time while traveling in Chukotka is its extensibility. Within two days (if you are not in a settlement) you will stop perceiving the days of the week, you simply will not need them, and after a few days you will completely lose track of the calendar numbers. Due to the fact that in summer it is a polar day in Chukotka, and the surrounding area is so different from everything you lived before, your biological clock will say that you have 28, 35 or even 48 hours in a day.
A remark from the life of Chukchi tourists: "What? That was the day before yesterday? And I was thinking a week ago."
Weather.
The main character in Chukotka is the weather. It is she who decides whether you will eat, or you will curse the service and idleness at the airport or hotel. Chukchi weather, a very moody girl. It can change several times a day.
Eastern Chukotka(Providensky Chukotsky, Iultinsky districts). Bad weather in the east of Chukotka is mostly associated with fogs and clouds, in which aviation does not fly. In this case, traveling by boat is the only way to get there or from there in a timely manner.
South Chukotka(former Beringovsky, now Anadyr district). In this part of Chukotka falls the largest number precipitation. At least twice as much as in the north. In addition to precipitation and permanent clouds, it is windy here, especially in winter period... It is here in the south that the most stormy place not only in Chukotka, but throughout Russia is located - Cape Navarin.
Central (continental) Chukotka(Bilibinsky and Anadyr districts). The main distinguishing feature of this region is the harsh continental climate. It is very cold in winter (-40-60) and very warm in summer (+ 20 + 25). The climate is stable, and therefore the flight weather is the most stable in Chukotka.
North of Chukotka(Chaunsky district). Pevek, the capital of Chaun-Chukotka, is famous for one eerie but mesmerizing natural phenomenon- "Yuzhakom". Yuzhak, hurricane force wind, arising from the peculiarities of the location of the city. During the Yuzhak, working days are active, life on the streets completely stops. According to local observations, the southerner can blow for one or three days. In general, the weather in the north of Chukotka is more stable than in the south or east.
Anadyr... Anadyr is not the most frosty and not the windiest place in Chukotka, but when these factors combine, even in their average indicators, it becomes very disgusting. In winter, the wind is almost always 5-10 m / s and temperature (-25-35 degrees). In summer (July-August) average temperature 15 degrees, but still windy 5-7 m / s.
A replica from the life of Chukchi tourists:
- Why aren't we flying?
- The weather at the point of arrival is bad. Fog.
- And how much before him?
- 230 km.
- This cannot be. After all, the sun is shining here, it's hot. You probably are not saying something.
Since b O The largest part of Chukotka is mountains, the concept of "microclimate" is very strongly developed here. Not that the weather can be different at 200 km, it can be radically different already at 10 km. In Anadyr, the weather can be excellent, almost calm, and at the airport (20 km away) there is a blizzard. In winter I was driving the Ural on the road from Amguema to Egvekinot (90 km). At point "A" the weather is excellent, at point "E" the weather is good, and in the middle of the way we got into a blizzard and came back. The weather factor should always be borne in mind when planning a trip to Chukotka. If time matters for a traveler, then you need to plan at least a few days "on the road".
In general, modern travelers, tourists and ordinary people visiting Chukotka are very lucky with the weather. 25-30 years ago, Chukotka was much more severe. Blizzards are stronger, winters are snowier, frosts are stronger, summers are colder. There are pluses from global warming.
It is best to travel around Chukotka from July to the first half of September, let's call it the summer season. And from April to the first half of May - the winter season. For lovers of photography, Chukotka should go from the end of August to the first half of September. There is no limit to the madness of colors. It is necessary to understand very clearly that lovers of good weather should go anywhere, but not to Chukotka. And even in the most favorable months for travel, bad weather can happen.
From personal experience: One year in mid-June, after the snow melted, it started raining in Providence. In September it stopped and it started to snow.
Border zone
If you think that you are a citizen of Russia and can move freely around your country, I will disappoint you. In the country you can, in Chukotka not. A special border regime has been introduced on the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. The word "introduced" should not mislead anyone. It was not introduced yesterday, it has simply not been canceled since the Soviet era. I will tell you from a practical point of view how to come to Chukotka.
We, residents of Chukotka, present a passport at the entrance, in which the cherished letters "PZ" (border zone) are on the registration page, which make our stay on the territory legitimate. It is also free, you can come to citizens who are on a business trip upon presentation of a travel certificate. All other citizens can come to Chukotka on a tourist voucher or at the invitation of a private person registered with the Border Administration. Everything is much more serious when it comes to foreign citizens. A pass for foreigners is issued for 60 days.
Tour operators registered in the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug have the right to issue travel packages.
Transport
Regular passenger traffic between Chukotka and the mainland exists exclusively in the form of air traffic.
You can fly to Chukotka "from outside" at 3 airports:
1) To Anadyr. From Moscow, four times in summer, twice a week in winter. This is the most common destination for arriving to Chukotka. There are practically no problems with air tickets from Moscow. Moreover, if you order them in advance. The problem is the price. Ticket prices from 25-50 thousand rubles in economy class. On average, in the summer, tickets cost 35-40 thousand rubles.
Airplanes of the local airline ChukotAvia fly from Anadyr to all regions of Chukotka. This is Anadyr's strategic transport advantage over the rest of Chukotka's "air gates".
2) To Pevek. Twice a week from Moscow. In this direction, there may already be problems with tickets. The price of a one-way ticket is 35-50 thousand rubles. From Pevek already fewer options get to the rest of Chukotka by air. From here, helicopters fly to the national villages of the Chaunsky district, to Cape Schmidt, as well as planes to Anadyr.
3) In Bilibino. 2-3 times a week from Magadan. Medium-haul AN-24 fly. The ticket price is around 30 thousand. From Bilibino, by air you can only get to the villages of the Bilibino region, and by plane to Anadyr (once every 2 weeks).
Now a few words about the alternative. She, the alternative, is not rich. In the summer season, the Kapitan Sotnikov motor ship runs from Anadyr along the coast. Its flight schedule appears in early June. Therefore, there can be no question of any medium and long-term planning. The cost of the ticket is approximately equal to the cost of the air ticket. The ticket price includes: a sitting chair, latrine (M-F) and a buffet with constant queues. And it's good if the traveler goes by boat to Egvekinot or Beringovsky - 12 sailing hours. But if you go by sea to Provideniya village - 24 hours, or even worse in Lavrentia village (36 hours) - get ready! Yes, and about to a chu and motion sickness should not be forgotten either.
You can also charter a helicopter. Here, a rich charterer is already offered a choice of 2 companies: Chukotavia (more than 200,000 rubles per flight hour) and Bilibinoavia (the price of interest is 10-15 percent lower than that of ChukotAvia). True, the second company, located in Bilibino, has a smaller air coverage radius (it is not economical for Bilibino residents to work in eastern Chukotka).
Automobile transport is relevant in Bilibinsky, Chaunsky and Iultinsky districts, where there are dirt roads. But their network is very limited. The most reliable form of transport is all-terrain vehicles. But! Finding a good all-terrain vehicle, and, in addition, with a good all-terrain vehicle is a whole problem. Because most of them are operated by organizations that are very reluctant to release their transport units for non-core purposes.
Money.
Now I will say heresy. Money in Chukotka doesn't matter. Values in the sense that they have, say, in Moscow or Vladivostok. My Moscow tourists were very surprised when they could not find a taxi to get from one village to another.
A remark from the life of Chukchi tourists: "We offered him a double tariff! And he was too lazy to get up and go in the morning!"
Even if you conclude a contract for the provision of, for example, transport services, you may be refused, or you may arrive (arrive, sail) on a different day / days. There are a hundred reasons why this was not done, even for good money. No, Chukotka is not the territory of altruists, just, besides money, there must be something else here: personal acquaintance, mutual interest (the driver, for example, is also a fisherman and wants to fish in the place where you are going), patronage from the administration, you are a celebrity and etc. At the same time, in Chukotka, they can take you, accommodate, feed, provide assistance and not take a penny for it at all. They will even be offended when you offer money. This attitude towards money, of course, is not the norm, but it has a place to be.
Chukotka is a very expensive region, the most expensive in Russia. Rosstat, for example, reports that the highest living wage in the city of Bilibino. The prices in stores are the first culture shock that occurs among people who first come to Chukotka. Nine out of ten visitors will definitely take pictures of local price tags in stores. Bananas for 600-700 rubles, apples for 300-400 rubles, an egg (180 in Anadyr, 300 in the districts).
A remark from the life of Chukchi tourists: "How do you live here?"
Even if you have money, but it is on a plastic card, there may be problems with their cashing. There are very few ATMs, sometimes one per village. It may run out of money, the connection may be disconnected, and, in principle, it may be broken. The same problem concerns payment for goods in stores. Therefore, it is best to have money in cash.
In terms of price, tours to Chukotka by world tour operators working in this region are equated to Antarctica. Therefore, if you are considering Chukotka as an object of tourism, be prepared for the deliberately high prices for a tourist product. The cost of the tours is different, depending on the area, complexity, number of days and other factors. Due to the fact that tourism in Chukotka is not yet a branch of the economy, there is no infrastructure and a massive flow of tourists, each tour is exclusive. The most budgetary and the best travel option in Chukotka is a trip with my travel company - "Chukotka Travel Bureau". And this is not an advertisement, but an objective fact. There are enough people willing to go in for tourism in Chukotka, but either they lack experience or knowledge.
A tourist "not organized" will spend less money, but will face transport and logistic problems. Solving these problems primarily takes time, which is so "expensive" for people from the mainland, whose annual vacation in best case 30 calendar days.
Services
There is no service in Chukotka. You need to be ready for this right away. Those rare manifestations of comfort and quality of everyday services that can be offered to you are best perceived as a gift, as "manna from heaven", and not as a norm. And this at prices like in good hotels or restaurants.
Cafes and restaurants.
In the best case, you will have a choice of where to go to the "first" cafe, or to the "second". Often there is only one catering establishment in regional centers. And the menu is very limited. Although, if we talk about quality, then in most cafes the food is delicious. The price for lunch is on average 400-600 rubles. Most often, visitors want to taste the dishes national cuisine... Not a single institution prepares them. At best, the menu contains venison or local fish, which, however, will be prepared according to a classic (European) culinary recipe. Chukchi or Eskimo cuisine is very specific and you can taste dishes only in national villages, visiting local residents. There are no catering points in national villages.
Hotels.
The situation is better here than with food. There are hotels in every district center. The best hotel complex in Egvekinot village is cottage houses. There are apartment-type hotels, there are ordinary ones. Price: 2000-4000 rubles per person per day. In the summer, during professional work in the villages, they turn off for 3-4 weeks hot water... There are no hotels in the villages, accommodation on rented apartments vacationers or together with the owners.
Communication and the Internet.
Mobile communication is available in almost all settlements of Chukotka: Megafon, Beeline, MTS. The call quality is very mediocre, but you can talk. There is mobile Internet in regional centers, but very slow. In the villages in 2017, free WI-FI points appeared under the Accessible Information Environment program.
Cultural institutions
Local history museums are in all regional centers of Chukotka. They employ real professionals and experts in the history and culture of Chukotka. A visit to the museums is a must. It is with them that you can and should begin your acquaintance with this or that region of Chukotka. In addition to museums, you can visit the House of Culture or the Club, where, having agreed with the head of the institution, you can watch a rehearsal of folk groups or folk amateur circles. Actually, this is where the list of "cultural" establishments ends.
Other.
Other services include baths (200-400 rubles per session), visiting the pool requires a medical certificate (Provideniya, Bilibino), gyms and sports grounds, ice skating rinks and closed types(Egvekinot, Providence, Pevek, Bilibino, Coal Mines). There is a cinema only in Pevek, with new products tight, the repertoire of one or two months ago. Ticket price (250-300 rubles). In Provideniya and Egvekinot during winter (from late December to early May) you can go downhill skiing. The steepest and most difficult slope in Providence.
Anadyr.
Everything that was described above has almost nothing to do with Anadyr. Anadyr is Chukotka Moscow, everything is here, and this is all the most-the-most. Anadyr is not like the rest of Chukotka. There is a choice in Anadyr. There are 5 hotels in the city, of which one is 3 *. Lots of restaurants and cafes. Most of them work in the evenings as nightclubs and taverns. Anadyr has the most "democratic prices" for all goods and products in Chukotka. And as a result, there is the largest assortment here. ATMs work and you can pay with plastic cards in most stores. There are several monuments here (including the world's largest monument to Nicholas the Wonderworker) and a masterpiece of wooden architecture, Holy Trinity Cathedral... In a modern, by all standards, cinema "Polyarny" only novelties are shown, including Russian premieres (ticket price 200-350 rubles). Indoor ice rink (250 rubles). The fastest taxi order in terms of time (100 rubles per person). Here is the widest (on the scale of Chukotka) assortment of souvenirs. There is a bike rental. And finally, here is the "fastest" Internet (in comparison with the rest of Chukotka). The only disadvantage of Anadyr, for a traveler, is its location. It is located on the opposite side of the estuary from the airport. In summer, you can get from the Airport to the city by car and ferry (minimum price 500 rubles) in winter along the winter road by car (1500 rubles). The worst of all is in the off-season (from October to the end of December and from mid-May to the end of June), when you can get over either by helicopter or on an air cushion (about 4000 rubles).
Souvenirs.
Everyone who comes to Chukotka, like any traveling person, wants to take away some souvenir from here as a keepsake. It is desirable thematic, in some way connected with Chukotka. I want to upset right away - the main Chukchi souvenirs - bone products, are very expensive. Expensive in any sense of the word and welfare. Small bone craft - 5-7 thousand. Walrus tusk with engraving or drawing from 25-30 thousand. If bone products are considered as works of art (and most of them can be safely attributed to such), they are not expensive, but as a souvenir ... A recent hit, a kind of brand of Chukchi souvenir products, can be considered a walrus penis. He, attention (!) - bone (60-100 cm). The minimum price for such a souvenir is 8-10 thousand rubles. You can only take out artistically processed bone products (by presenting a sales receipt from the store). Magnets, mugs, T-shirts and other traditional souvenirs are sold in almost all regional centers, but the largest assortment is in Anadyr.