Today, we’ll learn about the history of Kyiv on a guided walk through some of the most iconic landmarks in the Upper Town district, including the Saint Sophia Cathedral, the Golden Gate, and the wonderfully bizarre Landscape Alley. After, we’ll enjoy a lunch full of local treats at a themed restaurant on Andriyivskyy Descent. In the afternoon, take in the magnificent Lavra Monastery complex, one of Ukraine’s most important Orthodox sites, before exploring the system of catacombs beneath the church. We’ll also visit the Holodomor Monument and Museum to learn about one of the most difficult periods in Ukrainian history: the Famine-Genocide of the 1930s. We’ll end the day with a banquet at a rustic village-style restaurant situated in an ethnographic complex in a Kyiv suburb.

Today we’ll be learning about more recent events in Ukraine’s history, kicking off with a visit to Mezhyhyria, the private residence of exiled former president Viktor Yanukovych. Marvel at the disgraced leader’s display of wealth as we tour his estate, his classic car collection, and his lavishly decorated home. After lunch back in the capital, we’ll head over to the nearby Motherland Monument to experience the sheer awe of this towering Soviet symbol. We’ll spend the rest of the afternoon in a subterranean space beneath the monument, which now houses Kyiv’s Museum of the Great Patriotic War. At the end of this long and thought-provoking day, we’ll finish with a sumptuous evening meal, settling in at a popular Georgian restaurant in Kyiv to eat, drink, and talk about all we’ve seen.

We’ll begin the day with a visit to Kyiv’s Chernobyl Museum. Focusing on the human stories connected to the catastrophe, this curious and colorful museum makes the perfect primer for your imminent trip into the Exclusion Zone itself. After lunch, we’ll take a tour through Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) as we learn about the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution. We’ll visit the places where it happened, guided by a local expert who experienced the events firsthand. Next you’ll have a choice: You can either head underground for a guided "urban exploration" tour, navigating through storm drains and tunnels beneath the Ukrainian capital; or if you prefer, you can stay topside for a tour of Kyiv’s eye-catching street art highlights. We’ll have an early dinner tonight, in a Ukrainian restaurant close to our hotel—you’ll want to get a good night’s sleep afterwards, and save your energy for what’s to come.

Leaving early from our hotel, we’ll travel by private bus to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. We’ll meet our Chernobyl guide, while a documentary film playing on the bus will bring us up to speed on the accident, its causes, and its many repercussions. On our first day in Chernobyl we’ll visit the reactors themselves to witness ground zero of the accident, admire the new containment structure installed in 2016, as well as check out some of the other facilities around the nuclear power plant. Between excursions, we’ll take lunch in the Chernobyl workers’ canteen, surrounded by scientists and engineers currently stationed at the plant. Later, after a long day of exploring, dinner will be served at a restaurant in Chernobyl town. Our accommodation for the night is at a hotel nearby, located inside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

At the time of the Chernobyl accident, the workers’ city Pripyat had a population of 49,000 people. It was evacuated soon after the event, and now survives as one of the world’s most famous ghost towns. Today, we’ll get to know this empty city intimately, walking its desolate streets, and visitings its abandoned schools, hospitals, and theaters. We’ll see all of Pripyat’s main landmarks, including the fairground, swimming pools, and also some fabulous street murals. After lunch back at the Chernobyl canteen, we’ll then get to visit one of the Exclusion Zone’s best-kept secrets: the DUGA radar installation, or "Russian Woodpecker," that rises to a height of 150 meters at the heart of an abandoned Soviet military base. Late in the day we’ll return to the capital for one last night at our Kyiv hotel.

After one final group breakfast, we’ll head to the airport for our individual flights home, say farewell (and see you soon) to new friends, and bid Ukraine adieu! If you choose to extend your time in Ukraine, your guides will be happy to offer additional tips and recommendations. Until the next adventure!