Do you know the Russian region of Evenki Autonomous District in the Krasnoyarsk Territory is famous with? You know, even if you don’t know, that it is situated there. Tunguska phenomenon took place directly in this region in 1908, June, 30 at 7. 17 o’clock (local time). This phenomenon, also known as Tunguska meteorite, is still a thing exciting the imagination of scientists and ordinary people as well. Was it a meteorite, or an accident, happened with some spaceship or something else? It happened more than one hundred years ago but it is still discussed together with little green men and gossips about stars’ private life. Now the place of mysterious catastrophe is a natural reserve and you can visit (even in three ways!) it and see with your own eyes the place above which the explosion, which made the sky above all the Europe to glow with strange colored light for a few days, took place.

A little history
The catastrophe of the century happened at 7 o’clock in the morning in the watershed of Tunguska River on the June, 30 in 1908.

An appearance was to be observed all over the huge territory of Eastern Siberia: a flight of fire body finished with an explosion outstanding power, which could be estimated at 40 megaton hydrogen nuclear bombs if there were nuclear hydrogen bombs in 1908. The flight of the flame Something was followed by acoustic phenomena, heard in the 1000-km radius. A few seconds after that the recording apparats in the Irkutsk observatory fixed fluctuations in the Earth's magnetic field. They terminated in 5 hours. The blast wave caused unbelievable destructions in Tunguska taiga, the traces of which are still to be observed on the territory of Tunguska Reserve. Age-old forest was fallen in the 500 kilometres area. The earthquakes were fixed in IrkutskIrkutsk, Tashkent, Tbilisi and Jena. The sky above all the Europe, Southern Siberia and Central Asia was shining strange and bright colors during a few following nights. The people, who were in 200 km from the explosion epicenter, on the River of Angara, described the even like this: the people were falling. The horses were falling. The water of Angara River was moving like a hash. We supposed it was the Crack of Doom. The people who were next to the place where Something exploded, in 25-30 km of that, shared more exiting histories: we were all sleeping, when our tent was blown sky-high.

Some of us have fallen unconscious. When we came back we saw trees lying around, the turf, dried grass and dead-wood were burning.

Main Hypotheses
The first hypothesis was a huge meteorite. But nothing could be considered as rests of it was found in the area of explosion. The second one belonging to a French scientist Felix de Roi offered a cloud of cosmic dust as a cause of catastrophe. It was also mentioned about a comet, offered by L.A. Kulik, scientist devoted himself researching the Tunguska Event. Others offered extremely huge ball lighting, but it is impossible to prove, that such fireballs do exist. There are more exotic but absolutely fantastic versions like the black hole or antimatter falling from space and alien spaceship crash. All the hypotheses, except ones like the alien spacemen spaceship crash have serious disadvantages, so the question is still open. The little green men hypotheses do not have disadvantages because they exist ideally in our mind and we cannot check them. We can ascribe the aliens everything.

Place of Event today

The things you can see visiting the Tunguska reserve, are traces of catastrophe and traces of the first researches: Kulik’s lounge is the very first base of scientists, who began work in this are in 1920-s. It’s ridiculous, that the strange and mighty event didn’t provoke interest just after it happened. Lev Kulik was the very first scientist who began researching the place of the catastrophe. He examined the area of forest fall and intended it was a meteorite. The position of the trees, which were lying radial, with their roots to epicenter seemed to confirm his idea. But no meteorite has been ever found. The basin, rest of the explosion can be seen nowadays, and the best sight opens from the Farrington Mountain. There are many hills and low mountains there, called after scientists. Cordon called Pristan (levee) is a new base appeared in 1998 by 90-years anniversary of Event.

Visiting the reserve: three routes
А natural reserve of Tungusskiy was created in 1995 not far from the Vanavara settlement in taiga of Podkamennaya Tunguska in the Evenki District of Krasnoyarsk Territory. The natural reserve occupies an area with Northern type of East-Siberian taiga with its unique landscapes and biocenoses and without any man-made influence onto these landscapes. Moreover, this area provides unique possibilities for researching the consequences of extraterrestrial catastrophe.

Instead of the law of Russian Federation, prohibiting tourism in the natural reserves, an exception was made for Tungusskiy because of its specialness for the sake of the environmental education. The tourism on the territory of Tungussky reserve is limited (see the requirements above) and has environmental and educational purposes. Tungusskiy reserve offers three eco-educational routes:

1. By air
The group is transported from the settlement of Vanavara to the cordon Pristan’ by helicopter Mi-8. After that follows guided excursion to the place of the Tunguska Event and transportation back to Vanavara. The flight takes 55-60 minutes.

2. By water
This variant includes the following. Transfer from Vanavara to Pristan is carried out on motor boats on the rivers Podkamennaya Tunguska, Chamba and Khushma.

Excursions to the place of the Tunguska Event and to mine of Krustalniy, where the Iceland spar was being mined in 1980-s (this visit is made on the route to the Pristan). Transfer back. You should take into account, that this 200-kilometres route is available only in the late May – Early June (i.e. now).

3. Mixed
a). Air+water The group is transported to Pristan by helicopter, and, after all excursions, follows on the boats on the Khushma and Chamba Rivers. That composes 170 kilometres. The last part of the route from the river of Podkamennaya Tunguska the tourists go by auto vehicles.
b). Water+walking The tourists sail to the cordon of Vyezd by boats (75 km) then walk to Pristan cordon 38 kilometres along the Kulik’s path. After the excursions the group returns the same way.
c). Walking The tourists walk from Vanavara on the Kulik’s path and back. On their route and on Pristan cordon they are offered the following excursions: Churgim waterfall, Kulik’s lodge, Farrington Mountain, Southern Bog and Cheko Lake.

The tourist groups of 3-5 persons are accommodated in the guest rooms of the Reserve office, groups of more than 6 – in the hotel in Vanavara. The tourism with scientific purposes requires prior agreement.

Getting around
Before you come to the reserve to behold the place of Tunguska Event, you should connect the reserve administration to agree on the dates of a visit and departure. They would be glad to agree on your route inside the reserve under excursion in advance as well.
Address of Tungusskkiy Natural Reerve: 648490, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Evenki Municipal district, Vanavara settlement, Moskovskaya Street, 8.
Director: Logunova Lyudmila Nikolaevna
Phone: 8-3912-560952
E-mail: tunzap@vanavara.ru

To the settlement of Vanavara you can get from Krasnoyarsk. Krasnoyarsk is available by air and by train. Train tickets can be booked here.

Yulia Buzykina