Khabarovsk - Magadan
Dates
Currently not bookable for political reasons.
Difficulty level:
Description
This tour leads from Khabarovsk to Magadan, along the world-famous "Road of Bones", where it is just getting dark when the day begins in Moscow. The 2,000 km long "Road of Bones" was built under Stalin by the prisoners of the Gulag, a network of penal and labour camps in the Soviet Union, and is the only lifeline in this remote area. It winds its way past the ruins of old villages, over rugged hills and through unspoilt nature. Travelling this road also means travelling through one of the most remote regions in the world.
Tour dates:
15 days (including 11 driving days, 2 rest days, 2 arrival/departure days). Total length approx. 4,250 km; 20% tarmac, 80% non-asphalted or gravel roads. Difficulty level: medium to high, very high in rainy conditions.
Accompanying persons can ride in the support vehicle, participation as a pillion passenger on the motorbike is not possible on this special trip.
This tour is suitable for all those who have already gained some experience on narrow, winding mountain roads as well as gravel roads and dirt tracks and have a good grip on their touring enduro. Some say it is one of the last real adventures in the world.
A real challenge for real motorbike adventurers.
Click to enlargeOur exclusive travel programme
Day 1 Khabarovsk - Arrival
For organisational reasons, it is advisable to plan your arrival time before 3 pm. After your arrival in Khabarovsk, the motorbikes will be taken over, final preparations will be made and you will get to know the team and the other participants. A welcome dinner together will round off the day.
Day 2 Khabarovsk - Blagoveshchensk
730 km
On this day, we cover a few kilometres before we reach Blagoveshchensk, a town right on the border with China, which lies on the other side of the Amur River. In the evening we treat ourselves to Chinese food and don't go to bed too late so that we are well rested for the day ahead.
Day 3 Blagoveshchensk - Never
600 km
The last day on the Trans-Siberian Highway, our hotel is only 2 km away from the turn-off to the Lena Highway, which will take us north.
Day 4 Never - Aldan 630 km
After a short drive we leave the Trans-Siberian Route and join the "Road of Bones" towards Magadan. After the turnoff, the Lena Highway begins (from the Trans-Siberian Route to Yakutsk, the Lena Highway runs for about 1,200 km; from Yakutsk to Magadan, the Kolyma Highway runs for another 2,000 km). In 2006, this road to Yakutsk was named the most dangerous road in the world by one of the world's leading motoring magazines, overtaking the famous Death Road in Bolivia and several other difficult routes. The good news, however, is that the situation has changed in recent years and construction is currently underway on the road. Some sections are already paved, others are being worked on. So the situation today is much better than it was in 2006.
Day 5 Aldan - Yakutsk
540 km
Yakutsk is the capital of the Republic of Sakha and has over 300,000 inhabitants. After five days of travelling, we take a day's break here.
Day 6 Yakutsk, rest day
630 km
We spend half a day visiting the city. The rest of the time is at leisure.
Day 7 Yakutsk - Khandyga
410 km
50 km after Yakutsk, the paved road ends and 2,000 km of gravel road lie ahead of us to Magadan: the legendary Kolyma trunk road. Khandyga, where we spend the night, is one of the few "big" towns on our route to Magadan.
Day 8 Khandyga - Kuberne 350 km
This section is probably the most beautiful of the whole trip. Gravel serpentines and gravel passes in the midst of magnificent nature await us. Near the village of Kuberne we set up our camp on the banks of the river of the same name. Today we spend the night in a tent.
Day 9 Kuberne - Tomtor
150 km
Weather and road conditions permitting, we take the original route of the "Road of Bones". Along swampy valleys we come to the coldest place in the world where people are still settled: Tomtor. In winter, temperatures drop to -50 °C to -70 °C.
Day 10 Tomtor - rest day
350 km
We visit a museum, take photos with Stella (monument of the "Pole of Cold") and recover from the exertions of the last few days.
Day 11 Tomtor - Ust-Nera 400 km
Ust-Nera is one of the districts in this region where gold is mined. The shift workers are usually happy to chat with the travellers and you can learn a lot about this hard work.
Day 12 Ust-Nera - Susuman 390 km
On this day we visit the ghost town of Kadikchan. In the past, this was a small town with several factories and plants where the local population was employed. However, after these factories were closed, there was no electricity and no heating, so the inhabitants quickly moved away. Today, Kadikchan is one of Russia's most famous ghost towns.
Day 13 Susuman - Ust-Omchug 320 km
Another exciting day of driving in the mountains outside Magadan with some passes and photo stops at spectacular viewpoints. On the way we visit one of the few prison camps along the road that is still preserved. Most of these prison camps in this region had been closed after Stalin's death in the 50s and 60s and the majority of them destroyed shortly afterwards. However, this one camp has remained untouched and we can see how people lived and worked in these places at that time.
Day 14 Ust-Omchug - Magadan
310 km
Our last day of travelling. Only the last 100 km before Magadan are paved again - a sure sign that we are approaching civilisation again. After the popular photo stop at the city limits, we reach our hotel in Magadan after almost 5,000 kilometres, where we also have our farewell dinner.
Day 15 Magadan, departure
320 km
Depending on your departure time, you can use the time to pack or explore Magadan on your own. We hope that you were so enthusiastic about Russia that you will come back one day for another tour and we say to you:
"Do svidaniya" - goodbye - in Russia
Our inclusive services
- 14 overnight stays in 1 to 4-star hotels, guesthouses, home stays and tents
- incl. breakfast on all days
- incl. dinner on the driving days
- Airport Transfers in Russia
- Welcome dinner
- Motorbike rental BMW F750GS and F850GS (rider) - no R 1250 GS available on this tour
- incl. petrol (only rental motorbikes)
- English speaking tour guide on motorbike
- Support vehicle and second tour guide
- Entrance fees to places of interest, excursions with local guides
- Souvenir package with T-shirt, paper street maps, etc.
- Support in obtaining visas
Not included:
Flights: We can offer these as an option on request. Deposit for the rental motorbike € 1.500,--. Optionally bookable: Fully comprehensive insurance without excess and deposit: € 895.
Also not included: Motorbike clothing and protective equipment; petrol for own motorbike; lunch, dinner except welcome dinner and on riding days; visa fees; personal expenses; tips; furthermore all services that are not explicitly mentioned as included services.
Also not included, but strongly recommended: Travel insurance with cancellation cover.
(Health insurance abroad is compulsory for Russia!)
Price
Per person in a single roomConditions of travel
The general travel conditions of Russian Mototravel Company, Moscow, Russia apply. These will be handed out before booking.
Minimum number of participants: 4 persons. If the minimum number of participants is not reached, the tour operator reserves the right to cancel the tour up to four weeks before the start of the tour.
A frank word among bikers
Our trip is not a driving course, but a challenging and varied motorbike tour. If you are already experienced in motorcycling, you will get your money's worth on the tour. If you are unsure whether your driving skills are sufficient, please contact us. Thanks to our many years of experience, we can advise you well in this regard.
Furthermore, a good physical and health condition should be a matter of course for participation in the tour. Depending on the tour, we leave several hundred kilometres behind us. The focus is on motorcycling in a unique landscape, a certain adaptation to the group and team spirit will be necessary to fully enjoy the tour. With the description of the individual tour days, you can already prepare yourself quite well for the trip and get to know the routes we have carefully planned.