What You Find in a Radioactive Wasteland

Chernobyl and Prypiat: Two cities in Ukraine that share a terrible history. Both were abandoned due to the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant there in 1986, and are viewed as dangerous radioactive wastelands, but it has been possible for years now to take an organised tour to these place. What you'll find on these tours is the focus of this article.

The nuclear power plant itself is the main draw, and on a tour to the plant you can see Unit 4, the reactor where the accident took place. It is now covered in a massive ‘Shelter-Object', better known as the Sarcophagus, which is considered a great feat of engineering and construction due to the conditions that it was built under. Hundreds of the people who worked on it were left with long-term health problems caused by exposure to radiation, but it has stopped the destroyed reactor from leaking more and more radiation into the atmosphere for decades now.

It is also extraordinary to see the abandoned and mostly-abandoned towns of Prypiat and Chernobyl; Prypiat still has items that were dropped and left to lie where they fell once the evacuation was ordered.

As an example of a soviet-era city, Prypiat is unrivalled. Built entirely during the existence of the USSR to house the workers and families of workers from the power plant, it is filled with the imagery of the USSR. From statues to engravings on houses, the presence of the ruling party is everywhere. For a look back to the methods used by the ex-superpower, it is fascinating.

The city has three swimming pools, one Olympic size (though all were drained to use the water for decontamination), and a Cultural Centre, around which the entire city is built, and to which all roads lead eventually. At the time it was considered luxurious.

During a trip to the area, visitors are given a dosimeter which monitors the nearby radiation levels. The background radiation levels are higher than normal, but not dangerous outside the hot spots that still exist. It's these that the dosimeters stop you wandering into.

Tom Sangers contributes regularly to the Online Travel Blog, a source of helpful holiday advice.