Siberia Part II – The Lena Barge, Mirny and the Vilyuysk Trackt to Yakutsk

How we travelled 1000km by freight barge up the Lena River, visited one of the worlds largest and most isolated diamond mines, had the fright of our lives and traversed the Vilyuysk Trackt to reach the coldest city on earth.

The sun setting as we head out of Lensk

While retreating back to Severobaikalsk from the Vitim Bridge, we noticed a knocking noise and an unsettling aroma of exhaust fumes in the cab. Moments later the exhaust noise ramped up and we pulled over immediately. Upon closer inspection Griff discovered the exhaust had sheared off at the manifold and needed urgent attention. Typically we had a stainless steel system installed so not only did we need to find a welder, we needed someone who could weld stainless and more importantly had the gear to do it. (more…)

28/07/2014 | Categories: Overland Adventure | Tags: Barge, Diamond Mine, Far North East, Land Rover, Lena River, Lensk, Mirny, Overland, Russia, Severobaikalsk, Siberia, Yakutsk | 4 Comments