Depart central Kiev by air-conditioned, Wi-Fi–enabled minivan and make the journey to Chernobyl. Bring your passport, and wear clothes that cover your arms and legs, plus sturdy shoes.
En route, watch a documentary on the 1986 accident, learning how the towns of Chernobyl and Pripyat—the latter home to plant workers—were evacuated afterward.
After crossing the Dytyatky checkpoint into the 18.6-mile (30-kilometer) exclusion zone, tour Chernobyl town before entering the 6.2-mile (10-kilometer) zone. Then, continue to Kopachi village—buried due to extreme contamination—to see its derelict kindergarten.
Next, view reactor 4, the accident site, from a distance, and take in the Red Forest and Pripyat, with its eerie streets, school, and amusement park.
After lunch at a Chernobyl canteen (made with outsourced ingredients), check out the mysterious Duga-3, a Soviet-era over-the-horizon radar system dubbed the “Russian Woodpecker.”
Your tour then ends in Kiev.