travelling-blogger

comments

Dark tourism is on the rise, with perhaps the best example of such a phenomenon being the ever-increasing interest in Chernobyl as a holiday destination.

April 26 marks the 30th anniversary of the explosion, which was one of the worst nuclear accidents that the world has ever seen. 

In recent years, visits to the nuclear explosion site have increased exponentially, with Kiev-based tour company, SoloEast, estimating that it takes approximately 10,000 tourists there each year.

In recent years, the Chernobyl nuclear explosion site, and nearby ghost town of Pripyat, Ukraine, have seen an increase in tourist interest

In 1986, Reactor 4 in the Chernobyl power plant exploded, sending radioactive particles into the air above the city of Pripyat, north of Kiev.

At the time, the area was part of the former Soviet Union, but is now Ukraine.

The Exclusion Zone, a nearly 50kilometre (31-mile) radius of contamination, runs around the power plant, although levels have now returned to those which are safe for brief visits to the area.

However, such visitations are highly regulated and permitted only as part of an organised private tour.

However, visits to the 50-kilometre Exclusion Zone, a contamination radius guarded by security, are highly regulated

Several private tour companies offer packages to the Exclusion Zone, which in some cases even include overnight stays

Guests must provide documentation at several check points upon reaching the site via tour bus.

Once there, visitors are banned from touching anything, eating or drinking any food or beverage that does not come from outside the zone, and are even warned against sitting on the ground.

Needless to say, all discarded objects and property littered in and around the abandoned city must also remain.

And exiting is likewise highly regulated, with several body scanners checking for high levels of radiation.

Once inside, visitors are banned from touching any objects or digesting any food that does not come from outside the zone

However, day trips - and even overnight stays - are permitted, now that radiation levels have decreased in the years since the disaster, despite still being up to 10 times higher than normal levels. 

While the city of Pripyat, which was located just 3 km away from the reactor, remains empty to this day, some people do live in the nearby town of Chernobyl, which is about 15 km from the site.

In fact, there's even an InterInform Agency Hotel in the zone, which caters to travellers interested in spending even more time in the area. 

And in the nearby village of Orane, SoloEast Travel offers accommodations for their overnight tours at the Countryside Cottage Chernobyl Hotel, a Western style dwelling located just 5 km from the Dityatky check point. 

SoloEast Travel, a Kiev-based tour operator, offers multi-day trips that include overnight stays at a cottage about 50 km from the site

'There are no new hotels inside the Exclusion Zone,' SoloEast Travel director, Sergei Ivanchuk, tells MailOnline Travel.

'Although some old ones are cosmetically refurbished a bit.

'According to Ukrainian law, businesses, except ones that are necessary for the zone functioning, are not allowed to be there - there will be no new Radisson or Sheraton opening.' 

Despite the ban on all non-essential workers from living in the zone, wildlife in the area - including foxes - has been thriving

While all non-essential workers may be banned from living in the zone - and those who do operate on a 15 days on, 15 days off schedule - wildlife in the area is thriving.

Some scientists attribute the proliferation in animal, bird and plant life to the almost 100 per cent absence of humans.

Indeed, in recent years, the area has experienced the reappearance of lynxes, great eagle owls and nesting swans, as well as increased number of deer, foxes and wolves.

But some studies also claim that the radiation has caused biodiversity to decline and have had long-term health effects on animals in the zone, including the massive catfish that call the plant's cooling pond home. 

Chernobyl is one of the world's most famous 'dark tourism' sites and is especially popular among photographers

The once affluent town was also home to a funfair, which, following the evacuation, has since been overgrown with weeds

The town of Pripyat and its ruins are favoured by photographers because of the Soviet aesthetic and surrounding area's untouched nature

While there are a number of abandoned villages in and around the zone, most popular site to visit is the ghost town of Pripyat, which offers a breathtaking snapshot of a Soviet city circa the 1980s.

The area is of particular interest to photographers, who love capturing the untouched scenery and the stark contrast between the thriving wildlife and the devastating ruins.

A relatively affluent town prior to the explosion, Pripyat was home to a newly-built amusement park, blocks of apartment complexes, and even a movie theatre.

The amusement park is the most photographed area, in particular the iconic derelict Ferris wheel and bumper cars. 

Despite government orders to leave, almost 200 people still live within the Exclusion Zone.

These inhabitants are known as 'self-settlers,' and according to many who have visited the region, it is customary for those who visit to bring them gifts or small donations. 

A private tour booking will cost anywhere between $100 (£67) to $400 (£268), depending on the duration of your stay and amount of people

But in order for visitors to legally enter, they must be granted a pass, which is only possible to get through booking a private tour, which will cost anywhere between $100 (£67) to $400 (£268), depending on the duration of your stay and the amount of people in your group.

'Last year, we ran 290 tours and served 1,980 visitors,' Ivanchuk adds. 'In 2014, there were 5,900 visitors to the zone in total - though usually there are at least 10,000.

'Our one day tour is the most popular because it's the most affordable, however there are more and more interest for two, three and four day tours.

'Many people who visit once with a group return to have an extended tour.'