Oymyakon

Oymyakon sits in a valley basin in eastern Yakutia where cold air drains and pools, and the temperature recorded there in 1933 was minus 67.7 degrees, the lowest for any permanently inhabited place on earth; a rival claim from Verkhoyansk contests which holds the record, and the two argue about it. Around five hundred people live there. What the cold means practically is the interest: vehicles left running for days because restarting is impossible, no plumbing because pipes cannot be buried in permafrost, graves that require days of fire to thaw ground, cattle kept in insulated byres, and a school that closes only below about minus fifty-two. The village has a monument to the recorded temperature and takes a small number of visitors, mostly in January and February when the cold is the point. Reaching it is two to three days on the Kolyma highway from Yakutsk.

History

The settlement is named after the Oymyakon River, from an Even word for an unfrozen patch of water where fish spend the winter, or perhaps for a frozen lake. The village once had about 2,500 people, but fewer than 900 lived there in 2018 (Wikipedia, Oymyakon).

Highlights

• The record - minus 67.7 degrees recorded in 1933, the lowest for an inhabited place.
• The adaptations - engines left running, no plumbing, fires to thaw ground for graves.
• The school rule - classes continuing until about minus fifty-two.
• The monument - the marker in the village to the recorded temperature.

When to go

January and February to experience the cold, which is why people come; July for an easier road. Three days to a week including two to three days of driving each way.

What to expect

At minus fifty, exposed skin freezes in minutes and ordinary winter clothing is not enough - this is genuinely dangerous and needs proper equipment and local guidance. Phones and cameras fail. The road takes days and breakdowns are serious. Accommodation is homestays. This is a working village, not an attraction.

Nearby

The Kolyma highway runs east and west; Yakutsk is nine hundred kilometres away.

Key facts