How to visit the Nenets in Yamalia (Arctic Russia)

By Joan Torres Leave a comment Last updated on November 18, 2024

The Nenets are an ethnic group indigenous to Arctic Russia, a group of nomads and reindeer herders living in the extreme north of Siberia, in one of the most challenging environments in the world.

Despite living in one of the most isolated places on Earth, today it’s possible to meet Nenets, while staying in their camps.

This is the rawest and most authentic experience you will ever have.

This guide will explain everything you need to know to visit the Nenets in Russia’s extreme north.

Remember that we have scheduled Nenets Expeditions on the following dates:

• April 12th to 18th, 2025 – SOLD OUT
• September 18th to 24th, 2025 – APPLY NOW
• November 16th to 22nd, 2025 – APPLY NOW

For practical information, check our Russia Travel Tips

Since 2014, I have been traveling to some of the remotest areas in the world.

From riding on top of an iron ore train across the Sahara to having the whole of Djenné all to myself in Mali, or reaching the Minaret of Jam by public transportation in Afghanistan; I have experienced endless raw adventures, for which I consider myself very fortunate.

However, the few days I spent cohabiting with the Nenets in far-north Russia was a whole other level.

Just imagine a group of people living in what is perhaps the least known and remotest region in the world: Arctic Russia.

This part of Arctic Russia (Yamalia, north Siberia) is not only extremely freezing, it’s also massively isolated, there aren’t any roads, and there’s absolutely nothing but endless frozen tundra.

Still, Nenets choose to live there out of a tent and with a few hundred reindeer: that’s all they have.

The Arctic tundra is the Nenets’ actual home, where they live and keep moving 365 days a year under the most extreme weather conditions, surviving on reindeer blood, meat and little else.

Living together with the Nenets is an extremely rough experience, the reason being that their life is really harsh but that’s precisely the point: to experience what it’s like to live in the Arctic tundra of Siberia.

Trust me, nothing can get as raw as this.

Tundra Nenets live in the northern part of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, an autonomous region that forms part of Tyumen Oblast.

It’s important to keep in mind that not all Nenets choose to have a nomadic style.

Some of them live in towns and villages within Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, and have ordinary jobs. They work in banks, supermarkets and the public sector.

However, thousands of Nenets are still living a 100% nomadic style, migrating across the tundra that borders the Kara Sea every 2-3 days, 365 days a year.

You can find the approximate location of Tundra Nenets in the map below.

The main transportation hub in Yamalia is a small city named Salekhard, the administrative center of Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

There are daily 3-hour flights from Moscow to Salekhard with Yamal Airlines.

You can also find direct flights from Saint Petersburg, Kazan and Ekaterinburg.

Please remember that due to the current sanctions, it’s not possible to book flights using a foreign bank card directly from the airline’s website.

Use Aviasales instead.

For more information, refer to the transportation section of our travel guide.

Salekhard doesn’t have a train station but alternatively, you can take a train to Labytnangui, a small town less than 20km from Salekhard, located just across the Obi River by ferry.

From Moscow, there are direct trains to Labytnangui, but keep in mind that it’s a 48-hour train journey, kind of cool for those with plenty of time, but do plan accordingly.

Check train schedules on Tutu Travel.

Nenets live spread across the vast tundra.

What is more, they also keep moving all year long, plus you can only be sure of where they are if you’re able to get in contact with them on a satellite phone.

Therefore, it’s plainly obvious that there isn’t any public transportation to take you there.

To make things even more complicated, regular 4WDs can’t drive across the tundra, only TREKOLs, a Russian-manufactured vehicle designed for that specific terrain.

This makes traveling to Yamal particularly complicated and expensive.

Here’s how to visit Tundra Nenets, season by season.

From December to March, tundra nomads live in the harshest of all conditions.

They live in north Siberia, where winter temperatures never exceed more than -25ºC, dropping to -50ºC at night.

Can you still visit Nenets in winter?

Yes, you can, they will be happy to accommodate you and you won’t be the first traveler to stay in their tent, but you will certainly suffer.

During the shoulder season, the tundra is covered in snow but temperatures rarely drop below -25ºC.

If you want to experience white tundra landscapes without suffering too much, this is the best season.

Remember that we have 2 tours on the following dates:

• April 12th to 18th, 2025 – SOLD OUT
• November 16th to 22nd, 2025 – APPLY NOW

While summer might seem an ideal season to visit the Arctic tundra due to higher temperatures, June to August is the worst time to travel in Yamalia, for 2 reasons:

• The tundra is plagued with mosquitos
• The level of the river is too high to cross it in the tundra vehicles

On the other hand, September should be fine.

While the weather in September is not as good as in July and August, you don’t have problems with mosquitos, and the river level is just right.

Remember that we have the following tour in September:

• September 18th to 24th, 2025 – APPLY NOW

Nenets live in a traditional tent called chum, a pyramid-shaped tent made of reindeer skin with very basic amenities.

A chum has to be basic because they set them up and take them down every few days, all year round.

Chums are big enough to accommodate up to 10 people, including the family of Nenets, and you’ll be sleeping with them and 4 other travelers.

That’s for accommodation in the tundra.

In Salekhard, Yamalia’s main town, there are several hotels, and we recommend a 3-star hotel called Hotel 89.

Here’s our suggested itinerary for visiting the Nenets and the region.

Remember that this is the itinerary we follow on all our Nenets expeditions.

Our upcoming dates:

• April 12th to 18th, 2025 – SOLD OUT
• September 18th to 24th, 2025 – APPLY NOW
• November 16th to 22nd, 2025 – APPLY NOW

Flights from Moscow to Salekhard arrive at 8 am, which is the perfect time to start your journey into the tundra.

Alternatively, there’s a second flight arriving at 4 pm, but you will have to spend the night in Salekhard.

We recommend Hotel 89, sometimes also listed as Parallel Hotel.

The journey from Salekhard to Nenets’ campsite takes 8 – 12 hours, depending on their present location.

Three full days is the amount of time I recommend spending with the Nenets.

It’s important to remember that cohabiting with Nenets is more about observing their daily life, focusing on high-quality photography, and helping them with their daily chores, rather than having a full day packed with activities.

However, you can still do plenty of activities, which typically include:

Fishing: especially ice-fishing during the colder months.

Witnessing migration: This is a full day event that implies packing the sleds with all their stuff, and moving to their next location.

Reindeer gathering: Nenets use their reindeer for many different things, so they need to gather them all together almost every day no mean feat, for which they need 3 to 4 hours at least.

Reindeer slaughtering: This isn’t for everyone but it’s certainly something to experience. After killing the chosen reindeer, they drink its blood while still warm, and eat some of the organs raw. The meat is consumed over the following days and/or weeks. Once they run out of meat, they start over with the process.

This is part of the ritual:

Nomad games: Nenets play their own games/sports and, if you are staying with them for long enough, you are likely to see a demonstration. All their games are related to strength and lasso skills.

We recommend departing no later than 8 am, since there will be a long journey ahead of you, a 12-hour drive.

After almost 5 days of no shower, being back in Salekhard feels absolutely great, and these are the restaurants I recommend:

• Okhota: traditional food from the region
• Khmel’ I Sol’: local brewery with German dishes, burgers, etc.
• Il Gusto: western-like food, a bit fancy.

Salekhard is a small town but there are quite a few interesting things to do, the most interesting being Yamal National Museum.

Recently renovated, I was very impressed by the quality of that museum. They even feature 2 small mammoths rescued from the permafrost, so you can still appreciate their skin.

Salekhard also has its Lenin Square, a local market selling typical regional products, and two souvenir shops.

The flight from Salekhard to Moscow departs at 9:30 am

For all the information related to visas, money, getting a SIM card, etc., please check our travel guide to Russia

It’s important to bring suitable gear and clothes for the frozen tundra.

This is our recommended packing list for visiting the Nenets.

• Wet wipes
• Hand sanitizer
• Headlamp
• Power bank and/or spare batteries
• Personal toiletries
• Towel
• Thermo
• Inflatable camping mattress
• Personal medical kit
• Sunscreen

For April and November tours, the temperature can easily drop to -25ºC, even -30º. The temperature inside your chum in the middle of the night – without the fire on – will be around -10ºC. We recommend:

• Extra warm jacket
• Windbreaker
• Sleeping bag (-10ºC)
• Extra warm gloves
• Winter hat
• Thermal T-shirt and pants
• Thermal socks
• Extra layers of warm clothes (having lots of layers is the best protection against freezing temperatures)

For the September tour, the temperature will drop to -8ºC max. You will need the same type of clothes, but perhaps not as many layers and a slightly lighter sleeping bag (-5ºC).

Reindeer meat, usually accompanied with soup, pasta or rice.

Before heading into the tundra, we recommend stopping at the supermarket to buy extra snacks.

What about vegetarians?

Nenets can cook plain rice and pasta but I recommend bringing your own snacks, such as instant noodles, for example.

There’s no connection in the tundra, you’ll be completely offline for your entire stay.

Can I charge my devices when we’re in the tundra?

The Nenets have a generator which they can switch on at night. This can be used for emergencies, but I still recommend bringing a power bank and spare batteries.

📢 In my Travel Resources Page you can find the list of all the sites and services I use to book hotels, tours, travel insurance and more.

• Russia Travel Guide
• How to visit Chechnya