Delve into the short but interesting history of Norilsk and you'll uncover further reason to visit what has been dubbed "the most depressing city in the world". The settlement was only established in 1935 as a slave labor camp for workers on the nearby nickel mines. Today, the city is still used as base for paid miners, and the region produces over 20 percent of the world's nickel, making Norilsk's exports total more than two percent of Russia's GDP. Norilsk has also been put on the map thanks to is its unique housing constructions, which appear as rows of aging Lego bricks, packing-in the town's population of 170,000 people into a small space at the foothills of the Putoran Mountains.
A handpicked selection of experiences endorsed by our experts. If you can’t see what you’re looking for, let us know, as our extensive network of local contacts can open many doors.
The first and only indoor mall in Norilsk, Arena is home to around 40 shops, cafes and restaurants, and was only opened in 2013, meaning this is one of the newest buildings in the city.
It might sound like only something you’d do for a well-paid dare, but many of the locals here voluntarily jump into icy pools of water for fun. Once they’ve had enough, the next stop is a blast in a nearby sauna to warm up again!
In a city awash in varying tones of grey, this bright turquoise structure projecting high into the freezing air stands out like a sore thumb, but definitely in a good way. It is both the northernmost mosque in the world and largest of its type in Norilsk, built in a Turkish-style with a minaret and central dome.
This is the northernmost theater on the planet, although several other points of interest in Norilsk fall into that same category. Today, the centrally-located theater stages regular performances and cultural events, and was opened some 70 years ago.
The State Museum of Exploration and Development History of Norilsk Industrial District (to give it its full title) is the largest and most interesting museum in the city, and offers some detailed – albeit biased - exhibits of the history of Norilsk, with an inevitable focus on the mining industry that dominates the region.
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With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
With Remote Lands you'll travel with people who have made Asia the solitary focus of their own lifelong adventure. As our guest, in the continent that our north American founders Catherine and Jay have adored and explored for decades, you'll discover Asia on a journey that is completely, authentically your own, adapted from our own remarkable experiences and adventures over the years.
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Remote Lands
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Next month South Siberia get a little bit whiter as the snows come to the frozen wastes. A route on two wheels and by rail from Tomsk and Tobolsk features lands of fairytale, literature, and architecture.
In the frozen wastes of Siberia is Lake Baikal. Only the most hardened runners take on this marathon on ice, the challenge of a lifetime.
Here is a collection of our favorite natural sites from Siberia – one of the most expansive and sparsely-populated regions of our planet.
Here is a small selection of the kind words our guests have said about us, as well as features by journalists and travel writers.
From the moment I happened upon the REMOTE LANDS website over a year ago, browsed the options, I knew that this would be well worth it. The entire staff is nothing less than professional with service that made us feel like royals.
This was truly the trip of a lifetime. Magical destinations, the most luxurious hotels in the world, and the most wonderful travel companions we could’ve wished for. We were treated like family everywhere we went and we have 14 new best friends.
We have used some of the top rated travel specialists all over the world and, without question, Catherine Heald and Remote Lands are at the very top of the list!
