Kadykchan
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Kadykchan (Russian: Кадыкчан, ka-duk-CHAN) is a ghost town in Magadan Oblast.Understand
Get in
The city is visible from the Kolyma Highway, about 1300km from Yakutsk and 700km from Magadan. The nearest major city is Susuman, about 100km towards Magadan. About 1km past the junction with the old road (from Tomtor), there's a turn-off to the left (east). 6km down this road is the edge of the city, which can be covered on foot.
Get around
Roads are not really passable to traffic due to debris, trees, and lack of maintenance. Park somewhere and walk.
See
The decaying statue of Lenin in the main square. Nearby is the semi-collapsed cinema, several schools, a sports hall, and numerous apartment blocks. The larger (and more distant) school still contains books, remnants of pianos, science labs, gym equipment, several sports halls, and so on. Stairs can be climbed into the roof space (containing hundreds of chairs) and onto the roof itself, which affords an excellent view over the city.
Venture into old apartment blocks (not the ones that are falling down) to see wall paper, books, and broken stuff.
Buy
There are no shops.
Eat
Bring your own food.
Drink
Bring your own drink.
Sleep
Connect
Stay safe
There is a small relict population of vagrants. Due to the lack of tourists, they will more surprised to see you than threatening, but be prudent about displays of wealth.
Wildlife, particularly ticks or mosquitos, can vary from bothersome to potentially harmful. Bears are less common due to the lack of food sources.
The greatest danger by far comes from derelict buildings. Many are in a state of collapse, due to the freeze/thaw cycle gradually breaking concrete apart. Many are strewn with broken glass, rusty nails, and other hazards. Extreme care should be exercised, as the nearest medical facilities are 20km away, in Myaundzha, and will be unable to treat a serious injury.
Go next
Several old roads leave Kadykchan towards old mines, nearby towns, etc. All are abandoned and probably not passable to standard vehicles.