Neryungri

The relatively modern coal mining town of around 65 000 people was built attractively on a hill top overlooking an enormous coal mine. The coal mine today consists of one large open pit, 5 smaller pits, and an underground section.

After several years of construction the railroad has finally reached Neryungri, in 2013 it will even reach Yakutsk. Trains leave Moscow via Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk three times every week and there are also services from Blagoveshchensk and Khabarovsk. The railway station is located about 4km southeat of the city centre.

Two long-distance bus services per week also connects with Yakutsk taking 18-20 hours. Mini-buses are also a popular way of travelling although they don't run on a fixed schedule.

The city is compact and can be covered on foot. A network of buses and marshrutkas also cover the town and nearby areas.

• The central park and war memorial.
• The mine site. You will need to obtain permission to enter the actual mining site, but sometimes a good story is enough to be allowed access to the adjacent maintenance sheds. In these (one is a big blue building not far from the main security checkpoint) enormous mining trucks are pulled apart and fixed.

There are several restaurants and bars in the town.

There is one hotel offering rooms for 1600 руб a night, and several smaller guest houses have much cheaper rates.

Visiting the mine is the main reason tourists come here, it is about 10km down a road on the other side of town to the railway station.

From here it is possible to catch a group taxi for the 12-16 h ride (around 3000 руб) to Yakutsk. They usually time their departure with the arrival of trains from the south.