Winter Chernobyl - Photography Short break

This exciting trip begins in Ukraine's capital city, Kiev, and your Leader will meet you in the hotel reception at 6pm for the welcome meeting. After introductions there is a chance to head out for dinner and perhaps a taste of some local horseradish vodka!

There are no other activities planned today, so you are free to arrive in Kyiv at any time. If you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into Kyiv Boryspil International Airport (KBP) . Should you miss the welcome meeting, your Leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up. Stay: Hotel Rus (Comfortable)

Kiev is a fascinating city to explore and we'll start the morning by joining locals on the metro at rush hour. This is a fabulous chance to capture images of ornate metro stations, filled with bustling crowds of locals making their way to work. There are several stations that work particularly well for photography, conveniently en route to the Chernobyl Museum. Which ones we stop and and how long we spend will depend on what there is to photograph on the day.

We'll then make our way to the Chernobyl Museum. The museum is packed full of exhibits detailing the scope of the disaster, how it was initially reported in the news and plenty of models showing the technology of the power plant. It's ideal preparation for our visit to the Exclusion Zone.

We'll stop for lunch in a local food court, popular with locals grabbing a bite to eat, and afterwards we'll leave the city and head towards Chernobyl.

The Exclusion Zone is about two hours' drive from the city and close to the Belarusian border. As we arrive at the first check point we will take a break as our passports and permits are checked, there is no unauthorised access to the zone and arrivals are carefully monitored.

Once inside we'll begin by meeting a self-settler. A year after the accident over one thousand people returned to their homes and despite efforts from the authorities they kept returning until eventually being allowed to stay and they have been living off grid ever since. This is a unique opportunity to hear their stories of what life was like before, during and after the explosion.

This evening we will have the unique experience of staying within the Exclusion Zone in a small hotel within the town of Chernobyl. The bedrooms are simply decorated and there are three bathrooms shared between every five bedrooms. There is a restaurant and bar where we will enjoy a traditional Ukrainian meal this evening. Stay: Desyatka Hotel (Simple) (B/D)

Our time in the Exclusion Zone will be kept very flexible. You'll see the key sights including the infamous reactor, covered in the new safe-confinement structure, as well as villages and buildings that were home to families and have long been abandoned.

We'll be travelling with a Chernobyl guide and they will advise on where we can explore and local conditions, especially in the winter, can dictate our exact itinerary. David has explored Chernobyl numerous times and can offer great tips on angles, how to get the best from your camera and where to stand to get the best shot of the crumbling ferris wheel.

There are other tourists visiting the Exclusion Zone but only the hardy visit in Winter, so shots of desolate landscape with no one in sight will be easy to capture.

The weather in winter will be cold and snow is always a possibility. Bring plenty of warm layers with you, good waterproof shoes/boots will keep your feet warm and a waterproof coat, hat and gloves. Camera batteries can run down quickly in the cold so it's worth having a spare tucked away in a pocket just in case. Stay: Desyatka Hotel (Simple) (B/L/D)

We'll spend another full day today exploring the zone and aiming to take photos that capture it's unique atmosphere. Again the day will be flexible and we'll plan our visits according to the local conditions. We'll spend plenty of time in each spot, testing out a variety of angles, understanding what was there before the accident and taking in how environment has regenerated in the past 30 years.

Late this afternoon we drive back to Kiev for our final free evening in the city. Stay: Hotel Rus (Comfortable) (B/L)

The trip ends after breakfast at our hotel in Kiev.

There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart from Kyiv at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you'll need to depart from Kyiv Boryspil International Airport (KBP). (B)