The journey took five days. Nizhny Bestyakh – Khandyga – Kuba – Ust-Nera – Susuman – Atka – Magadan.
I share the secrets of survival on the Kolyma highway.
1. When leaving for Kolyma R-504, forget asphalt
It ends 200 km after Nizhny Bestyakh and appears 100 km before Magadan. There are also small patches of good and bad asphalt scattered around the track at random – it’s not quite clear what the road builders wanted to show with this.
2. Rubber – Off Road Only
Of the 1700 km of primer, about 1000 km have been sprinkled with “stone”. This is crushed stone obtained from local rocks. It has sharp edges – I almost cut my finger. If you drive faster than 60 km/h, cuts to the wheels are guaranteed. Only “bad” off-road tires can withstand. I have never seen so many unhappy drivers changing the wheels of cars. There were even abandoned cars, whose owners had exhausted their stock of spare parts and were forced to hitchhike to the nearest tire service, which could be 50km or maybe 300km.
3. Carry at least two complete spare parts
The road is littered with pit craters – I haven’t seen such huge potholes in a long time. And the road is empty: on the weekend I did not encounter more than a hundred cars during the entire daylight hours. Of course you will be helped if needed, but it is better to prepare in advance so as not to expect support for hours in the wilderness: bring at least two complete spare parts!
4. And don’t forget the scarecrow!
Get some wheel repair kits, a spare inner tube, clipped repair patches (maybe they don’t have them at a tire store), at least one 20-gallon fuel canister, a bear scarecrow. Just don’t buy a spray, just take noisy scarecrows. If you were unlucky and had to change the wheel, set the music to maximum volume – bears avoid noisy places. Ask for help from truck drivers to stand next to you for a while.
5. Be sure to install a CB band trucker radio
There is practically no cell service on the track, and this is the only way to call for help. On “Kolyma” it is customary to communicate in FM.
6. Fill up to a full tank at all gas stations you encounter along the way
Especially in the region of Cuba and Ust-Nera. Gas stations are positioned so that skipping a tank is guaranteed to result in the need to use fuel from a jerry can. Some gas stations are only open during the day. Gasoline on the highway costs 76 rubles per liter, and diesel costs 85 rubles. Bank cards are accepted at all petrol stations and one petrol station is fully automatic, but it is not superfluous to have cash.
7. Do not go to Kolyma Highway at night under any circumstances
The dimensions of the road are not indicated and the nights in Kolyma are dark. Dusty in dry weather, the coating sinks in the rain and the car behaves like on ice. In places on the passes you can fly down a hundred meters, and until the morning there is no one to call for help, at night there is no one on the track.
8. Book in advance where you are staying
Such places in Khandyga, Ust-Nera and Susuman can be counted on the fingers of one hand. And they are usually booked by shift workers for long periods of time. If you haven’t found a place to stay overnight, stop at gas stations or in settlements under artificial light. Don’t stand on the sidelines!
9. Try to drive the car so as not to break anything.
It is impossible to repair a serious damage after crossing the river Aldan. There is no infrastructure and sending a car by car transporter to the mainland costs mind-boggling money. Bring cold welding to fix a leak in the radiator, antifreeze and oil.
10. Bring gauze if you travel in the dry season.
On the track, cars throw up clouds of dust – the radiator will clog very quickly. The mesh is installed on top of the radiator grille and catches some of the dust and stones that can break through the radiator. Since there is a lot of dust, it will not be superfluous to bring an air filter, in case of a bad scenario you will have to replace it in the middle of the road.
11. Try going to the Kolyma Highway in a 4WD SUV
Sedans and city cars in general, adapted to asphalt, feel very bad in Kolyma. In bad conditions, you won’t be able to pass the next obstacle in front of you at all.
Despite conquering Kolyma, I have to admit that this is a track where you can normally and safely only drive a four-wheel drive SUV on “bad” tires. Perhaps one day, in two hundred years, the track will be paved and it will be possible to go there in an ordinary car, but now there is only four-wheel drive, only high ground clearance and only an SUV. Don’t repeat my experiment with a passenger car – it could go all wrong and wrong.
An account of the extreme run along the R-504 highway six years ago is here.
“Driving” can also be viewed on YouTube.
The “Behind the Wheel” expert drove his Hyundai i30 hatchback all along the R-504 “Kolyma” highway — with standard ground clearance, on regular tires — and didn’t pierce a single wheel. Happy!
