Magadan

Magadan  (Russian: Магада́н, mah-gah-DAHN) is the capital of Russia's Magadan Oblast, with a population of about 92 000 residents.

Understand
Magadan is one of the few ports in this remote part of Russia, kept open over winter by resident icebreakers. The town is quite isolated - there is no railway, and the only road out of town is impassable in summer to all but the most hardy of off-road vehicles.

History
The city was founded in 1930 and named after the river with the same name. During Stalin's reign, the isolated settlement gained importance as transit centre for prisoners sent to gulags. Prisoners were coerced into forced labour, most of them in construction projects such as the infamous Road of Bones, and in the Dalstroy gold mining operations. It grew into a shipping hub for the export of gold and precious metals mined in the Kolyma region, expanding quickly with revenue from exported gold.

By plane
Magadan has an airport with regular flights to Moscow. The airport is in the town of Sokol, some along the Road of Bones, and as at July 2011 it was refreshingly free of rip-offs. Unusually for an airport, it has a fishmonger's counter offering fish and shellfish. Bus 111 connects with town centre every 45 minutes during daytime (₽55, 70 min).

Yakutia Air Company:
 * Magadan to Moscow Vnukovo Intl via Novosibirsk on Wednesdays.
 * Magadan to Yakutsk on Wednesday (and via Khabarovsk most other days).
 * Magadan to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on Tuesday (fortnightly in off-season) - expensive flight on Antonov 24, but much cheaper/quicker than going via Vladivostok or Khabarovsk.

By car
There is a road connecting Magadan with Yakutsk and rest of Russia, the M56 Kolyma highway. Its discouraging nickname Road of Bones gives a clue to its construction by slave labour in the 1930s. This route passes through extremely remote areas; although improvements have been made, it is still not recommended to travel the road without serious consulting and preparation.

By bus
All regional buses departs and arrives at the central bus station located at the corner of pr. Lenina and ul. Proletarskaya. Most villages and towns has daily connections. There's no public transport that traverses the whole journey from Yakutsk on the Kolyma Highway but there's a service from the gold mining town Susuman which lies about 1/3 on the route. There are plenty advertisements of illegal buses to/from Yakutsk, but the journey is quite long.

By boat
There are no passenger ferries to Magadan but SASCO runs regular cargo shippings from Vladivostok that can accommodate passengers. Knowledge of Russian is essential for inquiries.

Get around
The only passenger transport are marshrutkas which cover all the city.

Do

 * Climb Marchekanskaya sopka for great views.
 * If you come in winter, you should definitely walk on the ice of the sea - it is a rare experience.
 * Climb Marchekanskaya sopka for great views.
 * If you come in winter, you should definitely walk on the ice of the sea - it is a rare experience.

Buy
There is a relatively plentiful supply of Mammoth Tusks unearthed in the area, and these are made into interesting carvings which can be bought in souvenir shops - but cheaper at the workshop, if you can find it. Price of raw Mammoth Tusk was approx USD600/kg as at July 2011.

Some souvenir shops at the airport and in town sell T-shirts and postcards of a convict against a background of a prison camp holding a sign "Welcome to Kolyma" — locals say this is a reference to a disrespectful Russian movie, and prefer that tourists do not buy them.

Drink
Okean Hotel - has an interesting pole-dancing bar, admission ₽200-250, beers ₽150, definitely worth a visit if this is your thing, or even if this is your first experience. Ladies welcome, very non-threatening.

Go next

 * Yakutsk (see Get in)