Yakutsk Travel Guide

A young Cossack captain, Peter Beketov set up the Lenskiy fortress on the bank of the Lena River in 1632. From its early beginnings as a garrison, the settlement was to grow into Yakutsk, the capital of Russian republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in eastern Siberia. 

Sakha is one of Russia's largest regions - vast tundras,  wilderness area of taiga forests, fast flowing rivers like the Lena, bears, deers, elk, bighorn sheep and a variety of flora. The region is extremely rich in minerals and has Russia's largest deposits of diamonds and gold.

In its early years, Yakutsk was used as penal settlement - a kind of jail without doors. Apparently, it didn’t need any because the escaped convicts had nowhere to run to. Except into an isolated, barren and hostile landscape, millions of miles of swamps, mosquito-infested forests and the freezing long months of the notorious Russian winter. It was the discovery of gold in the late 19th century that transformed Yakutsk's fortunes - boom town gold city soon became the eastern version of Dodge City. It became a bawdy center for rest and recreation for gold miners, prospectors and merchants, complete with bars, brothels and brawls.

But for two centuries before the gold rush, Yakutsk was the launching pad for the exploration of the extreme north and the northeastern regions of Asia. Many an international expedition that was to make significant geographical, anthropological and geological discoveries used Yakutsk as take off point.  In the last hundred years, Yakutsk has developed into a major port on the Lena River, a transport hub and industrial centre for eastern Siberia. The main industrial ouput of Yakutsk is concentrated around tanneries, sawmills, and brickworks.

But despite its valuable natural resources, potential for industrial and commercial development, and relative accessibility, Yakutsk remains sparsely populated. One of the main reasons is its stark and hostile climate – winter temperatures can touch lows of –60°C and black ice, heavy snowfall and poor infrastructure for heating only add to the winter blues. Spring is a time of mud, slush and sleet as thaw sets in turning Yakutsk into a giant cesspool. Thankfully summer temperatures scoot up to a warm 20°/25°C.

Most people travel to the region drawn by the tundra-taiga combination landscape, its austere ice-clad wilderness, its eight month long winter and its Yakut cultural heritage. Within the city, the few attractions that await visitors include such delights as the Museum of History & Culture devoted to the Yakut cultural traditions, lifestyle and native flora and fauna. The Yakut Literary Museum houses exhibits on the Yakut literary, musical and linguistic heritage and on Yakut authors, playwrights and musicians. The Academy of Sciences Institute of Permafrost is a geological museum devoted to the region's unique permafrost landscape.