Chernobyl - What will it be like after the Apocalypse?

The Accident happened in reactor number 4, which was situated in the part of the building to the left of the picture. The reactor number 3, to the right, remained in production until December 2000.

Mankind, as a species, is far from perfection. Sooner or later human beings will make mistakes. This applies to all human activity. Smaller mistakes may remain unnoticed. Often mankind is able to repair the consequences of its bigger mistakes, too. Some big errors, however, may result in irreversible disaster and destruction.

One of the costliest mistakes of human history took place about 30 years before I wrote these lines. It happened in Soviet Union's Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plat, in present-day Ukraine very close to the Belorussian border. Actually it was a series of mistakes, as usual in the history of great disasters. A relatively simple explanation of what happened is found here. There are numerous more detailed accounts in books and online, including Wikipedia.

I was a child at the time of the disaster, but I remember it well. I recall a sense of nervous uncertainty. What exactly has really happened? How dangerous it really is? Will we die of cancer if we go out when it rains? Can we eat wild berries ever again?  Do we have to leave our homes? In fact, the Chernobyl disaster had almost no effect on my life, or anyone's life in Finland. Those 150 000 Ukrainians and Belorussians who had to leave their homes, now dangerously close to the disaster area, were worse off. "Only" 41 deaths have been directly attributed to the disaster, but human and econimical cost of health problems and environmental damage are probably impossible to calculate.

A memorial to the firefighters killed in the disaster.

Today it is possible to visit Chernobyl on an organized tour. I visited the area in 2011, a few months after the 25th anniversary of the disaster. Access to the immediate area around the power plant is strictly controlled by the Ukrainian authorities. The only permissible way to see the area is group tours, which are organized by several tour companies in Kiev. Every company seemed to charge a similar price, which, of course, raises some questions. I bought my ticket from Solo East Travel and have no complaints about the services. A little bureaucracy was required before the trip: I gave my personal data and passport number to the company when placing my reservation, and immediately after arriving in Kiev, the day before the tour, visited the company office to pay reservation fee.

Anyone who plans visiting Chernobyl should be aware that the Ukrainian authorities have occasionally cancelled all tours to the area on short notice. This happened shortly before I had booked my trip, and it was quite uncertain until last minute if I would get to Chernobyl at all. The current conflict between Ukraine and Russia affects everything in Ukraine. Things may change rapidly and are difficult to predict. It should be noted that the focal point of the crisis is far away from Chernobyl, in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine and conflict has caused no danger to travelers in other parts of Ukraine. Kiev and areas around Chernobyl have remained peaceful.

Warning signs at the entrance to Chernobyl restricted area.

My group's bus left Kiev early in the morning, and returned in the evening. Around the plant, there are two controlled areas, a smaller closed area right around the plant and a bigger restricted area around the closed area. Access to both areas was strictly controlled, the passports were checked on arrival and radiation levels on visitors' bodies and clothes are measured on leaving. A guide joined our group in the restricted area. It is strictly forbidden to move on one's own in the areas, everyone must remain with their group. The guides are employed by the government of Ukraine, not the tour companies. The guide assigned to our group was excellent, he gave a thorough account of the events and answered our numerous questions in a friendly and apprehensible manner.

Even in the closed area the radiation is not much more intense than natural background radiation. We were told that a flight over Atlantic results exposes passengers to more radiation than a day-trip to Chernobyl. However, everyone had to sign a document resigning the right to take legal action against the Ukrainian government in case of loss of health after visiting Chernobyl.

A short introduction to the events.

The authorities procrastinated with the decision to evacuate the area, but when the operation finally begun it was executed rapidly.  We were told that the children in this kindergarten were having a nap when suddenly buses appeared to take them away.

Toys lef outside the kindergarten.

Radioactive fallout is absorbed by vegetation and trees in the area. A forest fire in Chernobyl is a huge risk, because the fallout could be released back to atmosphere from the burning trees and it could be widely distributed by the wind.

Personally, the abandoned town of Pripyat was most impressive. Particularly the school made me think: I was a schoolkid myself at the time of the accident. Even if Soviet 1980s school materials look rather different than Finnish, the classrooms felt eerily familiar. It was easy to picture my own school in similar state after 25 years of abandonment. I could not avoid thinking that all the world may some day look like Pripyat, after mankind has destroyed itself.

The nature is reclaiming the closed area. Pripyat is turning to a forest, and roots of the trees slowly shatter concrete. I find this thought both scary and comforting.

Best hotel in Pripyatt.

A classroom in the school.

Forest has conquered the school courtyard.

Pripyat indoor swimming pool.

A traveling funfair remains permanently on a square in Pripyat.

Moss grows on bumper car track.

In Chernobyl, dress in a long-sleeved shirt or jacket and long-legged pants. A hat is also a good idea. In an Ukrainian summer a lighter outfit may seem more appropriate, but since visiting the buildings involves walking through bushes, it's a good idea to protect skin from ticks and scratching branches. Water and photographic equipment is also needed. Everything else is probable better left in your accommodation. Lunch was included in our tour price, and the power plant staff canteen served tasty food.

Is it not wrong to travel to places of disaster and suffering, like Chernobyl? Is it right that tour groups make a profit on the misfortune and death of thousands of people? Seeking thrill is a place like that is a little questionable, isn't it? Did I go to Chernobyl in order to prove something to others? These questions are worth consideration. I understand very well if someone wants to stay away of Chernobyl or other places of disaster and suffering, for example the concentration camps of the second world war. It is good and proper to think about one's motives when visiting this kind of places.

In my opinion one can in good conscience travel to Chernobyl and comparable places, but not because of some ego-boosting bucket list or in order to brag about extreme experiences and "courage". The visit should be for better understanding, and also to respect those who suffered. I believe this is easier, if one tries and gets to know the character of the place before the visit.  In case of Chernobyl this means familiarizing oneself with the basics of the history and effects of the disaster. Obviously tour groups profit on Chernobyl trips, and undeniably this involves questions about morality. Of course, I do not know where exactly the 160 US dollars I paid Solo East Travel went. As stated above, the guide assigned to our group was an excellent professional and helpful in understanding Chernobyl. I am happy if my money helped paying his wages.

I recommend the Chernobyl disaster museum in Kiev to those who can't or do not want to visit Chernobyl - and to visitors of Chernobyl, too. It is very informative, but some parts of the exhibition felt a litlle confusing to me.

There's a nuclear power plant less than 25 km (some 15 miles) away from my home. I wouldn't mind if everyone working there visited Chernobyl as part of their training.

I visited Chernobyl in July 2011.