PHOTOGRAPHY WITH THE NENETS, THE LAST NOMADS OF SIBERIA

Siberia
Salekhard
departure: April 2024
Duration: 10 days

FROM

3.250

It is so far north that most of it’s territory is beyond the Arctic Circle and to get there you have to cross half the world. It is so inhospitable that Stalin built his prison camps here. No one doubts the great natural beauty of Yamalia or its unusual fauna. The planet is getting smaller, and if you want to go further … few places as distant as Yamalia will you find. You will travel to one of the least explored and most remote regions on Earth, enjoying the color of the reindeer festival but the most impressive thing will be to live an experience with exclusive immersion in the ancient ways of life of the Nenets, one of the most ancient cultures and traditions that remain on this planet. You will feel the thrill of being in their habitat, the tundra, and in an arctic environment, surrounded by the landscapes of the Polar Urals, the natural border between the continents of Europe and Asia. We are going to use more experiential rather than technical photography to get to know the spirit and soul of the people. We will use photography as a means of expression, not only artistic, but also vital, trying to approach the life of a distant and unknown culture, which can provide us with endless visual and personal rewards. Because, we can either travel to a country and photograph it while we visit it, or we can travel to a country and photograph it while we live in it.

Best season:
MARCH - APRIL
Selección X-Plore   
Viaje de autor   
TYPE OF ACTIVITY:
PHYSICAL:
TECHNICAL:
WILDERNESS:

TRAVEL ITINERARY

DAY 1. FLIGHT TO MOSCOW
Arrival at Moscow Domodedovo airport and transfer to Airhotel Domodedovo ***.

Hotel accommodation, Domodedovo.

DAY 2. FLIGHT TO SALEKHARD.CITY TOUR
In the morning transfer to Domodedovo airport. We will take a flight to Salekhard (3:15 pm). Arrival at 8:00 a.m. and transfer to the hotel. Salekhard, a population of 42,500, is located on the banks of the Ob River, one of the longest in the world. The city was built in 1595 as a Cossack fortress, and had the name of Obdorsk – place on the Ob – until 1933. In the Nenets language, Salekhard means “settlement on the cape” and it is the only city in the world which is bisected by the Arctic Circle (66º 33´N).

Hotel accommodation, Salekhard.

DAY 3. SALEKHARD – AKSARKA – PASTOR’S DAY FESTIVAL – SALEKHARD
Breakfast.

Transfer to the Shepherd’s Day Festival in Aksarka, a town located 60 km from Salekhard. In the tundra, reindeer are a symbol of the meaning of life: they provide food, clothing and warmth. The festival is based on the cultural and spiritual traditions of the indigenous people of the North, and therefore all the activities celebrated on Reno Day are aimed at their support and preservation. The main show of the festival is a wide variety of reindeer races, in the form of a trot, on a sled, on skis pulled by a reindeer and on the reindeer themselves. National sports competitions such as tobogganing, throwing the tynzyan (throwing a rope looking for a wooden stick), ski hunting, long distance ax throwing, wrestling or shooting are also held. of rope. Aside from the competitions, there are also fairs selling handicrafts made from reindeer bones and skin, beads, and many other things. You can also enjoy typical dishes made with reindeer meat and frozen meat.

Hotel accommodation, Salekhard.

DAY 4. SALEKHARD – KHARP – URAL POLAR MOUNTAINS
Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer (1 hour and a half) to the town of Kharp, located north of Salekhard and at the foot of the Ural Polar Mountains. Mounted on snowmobiles or on reindeer sleds and just north of the town, we will enter the vast wild environment and cross the Ural Polar Mountains, whose location (66-68º N., 63-67º E.) extends from the northeast to southwest. Before joining the coastal plain, the Ural Mountains extend again through the Sob River Valley and following its course alongside the northern Trans-Ural railway line connecting Seida and Labytnangui. In this area you can see the last groves of the Ural Polar mountains, inside some valleys protected from the wind. The Nenets will greet you with a hot cup of chai.

Accommodation in chum (traditional nenet tent), Ural Mountains.

DAYS 5 AL 8. CAMP NENET
Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

We live together with the Nenet family, who will continue their traditional way of life around us, a way of life which has hardly changed in the last century. We will cook national dishes and help to set up their shops, as well as perform rituals. We will be able to immerse ourselves in the real life of the nomads, live in their tents and get to know their unique culture, full of ancient traditions. You will be able to participate in daily tasks such as cutting wood, making a fire, preparing food, collecting water and helping with the reindeer. During the day we can go on snowshoe excursions to the beautiful Polar Ural Mountains.

Accommodation in chum, Ural Mountains.

DAY 9. CAMP NENET – SALEKHARD
Breakfast.

After sharing breakfast with the family, we will go on a snowmobile or reindeer sled to Kharp, where a car will pick us up to take us to Salekhard. In the afternoon you will have the option of taking a banya (Russian sauna).

Hotel accommodation, Salekhard.

DAY 10. FLIGHT TO MOSCOW
Breakfast.

Departure to the airport at 7:30h a.m. Departure of the flight at 9:10h a.m and arrival at Domodedovo airport at 10:10h a.m. End of the program.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the pandemic situation by COVID-19, this trip will be subject to possible restrictions and / or prohibitions on entering the country.

INCLUDED
  • 5 nights of hotel accommodation
  • 5 Nights of accommodation in Chum, (traditional nenet store)
  • Diet according to program
  • English-speaking local X-plore guide
  • English & Spanish-speaking X-plore photo guide
  • Moscow-Salekhard / Salekhard-Moscow flights
  • Transfers as specified in the program
  • Stay with local family
  • Visit to the Pastor’s Day Festival
  • Snow Shoes
  • Activities as indicated in the program
  • Arctic safety equipment
  • SAT phone, locator, and solar charger
  • Stores, kitchen tools, first aid kit
NOT INCLUDED
  • Flights from / to Moscow
  • Invitation letter (Russian visa)
  • Personal expenses such as drinks, tickets, phone calls, etc.
  • Travel insurance
  • Excess baggage
  • Individual clothing and equipment, sleeping mat, backpack, warm clothes, winter boots (contact us for advice and / or to rent polar material)
  • Any service in Moscow
  • Satellite phone calls (€ 2 / minute)
  • Anything not specified in the “INCLUDED” section.
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