ROAD OF BONES ADVENTURE 2026 - PACKAGE DETAILS
HIGHLIGHTS:
- 14 Days / 13 Nights
- Experience vastly contrasting landscapes as we traverse the remote Russian Far East - where picturesque historical cities meet desolate landscapes and exceptional natural beauty of the Siberian wilderness
- Ride along a permafrost highway and see the great Siberian Rivers of Lena and Aldan, before embarking on the long 2,000km gravel stretch of the Road of Bones
- Along the way you will meet with indigenous peoples of Russia, visit ghost towns, a Gulag camp and the Pole of Cold (claimed to be the coldest inhabited place on earth!)
- Spaces are very limited - spots will be allocated on a first come basis
Start: 9 July 2026
Blagoveshchensk
End: 22 July 2026
Magadan
Note: we are in the process of adjusting start details to simplify arrival logistics
PACKAGE INCLUSIONS:
- Fully guided tour with support vehicle assistance
- Accompanied by our Australian support crew
- Motorcycle rental and fuel
- Luggage transport provided
- Accommodation - in small hotels (and possibly one night camping)
- Breakfasts
- Entry fees to sites visited
- Event T-Shirt
- Event goodie bag
NOT INCLUDED:
- Airfares to/from Russia *
- Entry Visa
- Travel and Medical Insurance
- Meals unless listed (allow EUR50/day)
- Drinks
- Personal Expenses
- International Driving Permit
* Note: see 'HOW TO GET THERE' below
PACKAGE PRICING:
Package with SHARED Accommodation - EUR 10,500
With Optional SINGLE Room Supplement - EUR 11,550
ROAD OF BONES ADVENTURE 2026 - SUPPLEMENTS AND OTHER COSTS
Accommodation Options:
Accommodation will be in small hotels on a Twin Share basis, with one night possibly camping.
If not booking together with a friend, we will match individuals with a room buddy on a rotational basis.
An optional Single Accommodation supplement is available at an additional cost of EUR 1,050 for a separate room at each overnight stop.
Note: the ride ends in Magadan after breakfast, and you may need an additional night's accommodation depending on your departing flight schedule.
Motorcycle Rental:
The tour package includes rental of a BMW F850GS/F750GS motorcycle (or equivalent).
An optional supplement of EUR 1,000 is available to upgrade to BMW R1250GS (or equivalent), although we consider a lighter bike to be better suited to the long gravel stretches on this tour.
Note: Our travel partner's current fleet of BMW rental motorcycles will be reviewed for 2026, with new replacements possibly moving to a different make.
All additional supplements will be outlined on the Rider Registration Form to be completed after deposit is paid, and supplement amounts will be due when the Final Instalment is paid in 2026.
Travel Insurance:
Travel insurance including medical cover is a mandatory requirement for this tour.
If your travel insurance policy does not cover for tour cancellation, our partner travel company can provide insurance to cover the tour package cost (not airfares, accommodation before/after the tour, or other costs) if you cancel after the refund window closes, for reasons of medical injury or condition causing inability to travel or ride a motorcycle, serious illness of a family member, home damaged by natural disaster or being called to military or jury duty (on provision of supporting documentation such as medical, police or other report).
The cost of this optional tour cancellation insurance is EURO 675 and is paid once the tour package is fully paid.
ROAD OF BONES ADVENTURE 2026 - BOOKING CONDITIONS
Booking Conditions
This tour has specific booking conditions as follows:
Detailed information, updates and payment reminders shall be sent via email so please add rideforbabies@outlook.com to your contacts list to avoid communications going to Spam.
This tour is for experienced adventure riders only and acceptance into the event will be subject to suitable riding ability, which will be at the discretion of our technical team. Please contact us to enquire if you are unsure.
Motorcycle riding is a dangerous pursuit and in order to participate you will be asked to sign an Indemnity acknowledging this and indemnifying all organisers and their agents from liability if there was no negligence or breach of duty of care.
Travel insurance including medical cover is a mandatory requirement. Check that your chosen travel insurance policy covers you for riding a motorcycle of up to 850CC (or 1250CC if opting for bike upgrade).
A valid International Driving Permit (IDP) is required, and you must also bring your Drivers Licence showing valid motorcycle riding class.
Rental motorcycles provided by our partner travel company have third-party liability insurance and comprehensive motorcycle insurance. A refundable security deposit of EUR 2,000 is required to be paid in cash on collection of your rental bike at the start of the tour and is the maximum deductible that will be incurred in case of damage caused to the bike. The deposit shall be refunded on return of undamaged bike in acceptable condition at the end of the tour. Minor scratches and stone chips from riding would not be charged but any damage requiring repairs (eg breakages or major scratches from dropping of bike, etc) shall be deducted from the deposit, with major damage above the amount of security deposit being borne by the bike insurer. Note that many travel insurance policies include coverage for security deposits on rental vehicles.
Participants agree to comply with traffic laws and not cause damage to natural surroundings or third parties while riding their motorcycles. In the event of rules being repeatedly ignored or of threatening behaviour, the local tour guide reserves the right to remove a participant’s rental motorcycle.
At the time of air tickets being booked (by end of year), if internal airfares remain limited, those sectors will be purchased on your behalf (not included in package price). Flight schedules will be advised when available.
We rely on the advice of local experts at our partner travel company, who at their discretion have authority to change or cancel the tour due to safety concerns relating to weather or road conditions or any unforeseen events and cases of force majeure.
ROAD OF BONES ADVENTURE 2026 - HOW TO BOOK
Tour Registration and Payment
Tour package prices are stated in euro (EUR) and payments will be collected in EUR.
To register for the tour, please submit the Booking Form (press green Register Now button) and payment details will be emailed to you for payment of deposit. Your spot will be confirmed only once deposit is received. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come basis.
Payment of deposit of EUR 1,575 is required to confirm a place on the ride. This is refundable less a non-refundable registration fee of EUR 250 that is a donation to charity (tax deductible), should you change your mind before the cancellation dates outlined below.
Tax receipts (if required) for the donation to charity must be requested via email after completion of the ride and will be issued in Australian Dollars (AUD).
A Progress Instalment of EUR 4,200 is due on 1 December 2025. After this date, services and other costs will start being committed and any refunds will be calculated on a case-by-case basis.
Payment of the Final Instalment of balance owing plus any Optional Supplements is due on 20 February 2026 and beyond that date no refunds will be possible. Please see note on Tour Cancellation Insurance above.
You may of course pay the tour package price at any time prior to due date.
ROAD OF BONES ADVENTURE 2026 - TRAVEL DETAILS
HOW TO GET THERE
The tour begins in Blagoveshchensk and ends in Magadan.
Please enquire for more detailed advice about travel options to meet the tour.
Whilst the current military conflict is a far cry from this remote corner of Siberia, financial sanctions do apply and may affect the ability for foreign tourists to purchase internal airfares in Russia. Some international flights to major ports are currently available.
The situation will be monitored and if unresolved prior to the Progress Instalment due date, connecting airline tickets will be purchased on your behalf, to connect with international flights. Until airlines reopen schedules to provide wider options, the most efficient path to meet the tour is via China, requiring an internal flight currently priced at approximately EUR 700 (not included in tour package price). You should plan for this scenario until further notice.
ROAD OF BONES ADVENTURE 2026 - TRAVEL DETAILS
ENTRY VISAS
A tourist visa will be required to enter Russia and is available for stays of up to 30 days. It currently costs $120 for a single-entry visa. The application can easily be done yourself by completing the online application form and submitting it to the Russian Consulate in either Sydney or Canberra together with the application fee, passport (must have two free pages and at least 6-month validity beyond the travel dates), passport photo, proof of travel insurance, a Letter of Invitation (that we can supply to you from our partner travel agent) and copy of tour/flight itinerary. These documents will be available once the tour is paid in full.
The visa application form can be found on the Russian Embassy website and includes precise instructions for completion: Tourist Visa
The visa application process is relatively simple and there are websites online offering advice and instructions if the Embassy application form is unclear. Please get in touch for assistance if you have difficulties with the visa process. Applications are seldom rejected if completed correctly. The visa will be pasted into your passport; it is important to check all the details when issued.
Our team will liaise with the Russian Embassy in advance and advise of any changes to process. Currently visa applications must be submitted in person, but a Visa Centre in Sydney is authorised to receive documents via mail and can check then submit on your behalf for a processing fee (currently $150 plus GST). Details can be found at: Visa Centre
This advice is general in nature so please make your own enquiries.
ROAD OF BONES ADVENTURE 2026 - ITINERARY
Itinerary
Details of the route plan are subject to change at the tour operator's discretion.
Day 1 - Blagoveshchensk (Arrival)
Collection of rental motorcycles, final preparations, meeting the team and Welcome dinner. An optional city tour in the morning is possible for early arrivals. Blagoveshchensk is located right on the Chinese border, with an outlook over China on the opposite bank of the Amur River. Get a good night's rest before the real adventure ahead begins!
Day 2 - Blagoveshchensk to Never
Our first riding day is on a section of the Trans-Siberian Highway and is an opportunity to familiarise yourself with the bike and make any adjustments needed for the long trip ahead. We continue to the Skovorodino District at the intersection of the Lena Highway, which will lead us North towards Yakutsk. We stay the night in the township of Never.
Day 3 - Never to Aldan
Finally, we break away from the Trans-Siberian rail corridor and onto the Lena Highway named after the great Lena River, which will take us over the 1,200km to the start of the Road of Bones.
Day 4 - Aldan to Yakutsk
Yakutsk is the capital city of the Saha Republic, with a population of over 300,000. We stop here for a rest day before starting the most challenging sector.
Day 5 - Yakutsk (Rest day)
We have a city tour in the first half of the day, followed by free time in the afternoon.
Day 6 - Yakutsk to Khandyga
About 50km out from Yakutsk we start the next 2,000 km gravel sector to Magadan on the legendary Kolyma Highway, or Road of Bones. Our overnight stop of Khandyga is one of the few 'large' towns on our way to Magadan.
Day 7 - Khandyga to Kyubeme
This segment is probably the most beautiful of the entire trip! We will experience serpentine gravel and mountain passes surrounded by picturesque wilderness. We will stay on the banks of the Kyubeme River in the rural village of the same name, with its famous petrol station covered with stickers from all over the world.
Day 8 - Kyubeme to Tomtor
If there are no issues with the weather, today we cover a segment of the original Road of Bones. Running along the swampy valleys it brings us to the coldest inhabited place on Earth - Tomtor. People do live here with winter temperatures dropping to -50°C and even down to -70°C. This is where the Old Summer Road begins.
Day 9 - Tomtor (Rest day)
The second of our rest days will be spent at the Pole of Cold. We visit the local 'Ice Cave' museum, old Tomtor Airport and recover after the previous days' riding.
Day 10 - Tomtor to Ust-Nera
Ust-Nera is one of the gold mining districts of this region. Most of the people who live here are shift workers, and it is an interesting opportunity to talk to the locals and learn some interesting details of their daily lives.
Day 11 - Ust-Nera to Susuman
Today we visit one of Russia's most famous ghost towns. Kadykchan was built by Gulag prisoners during World War II for coal mining and later was a work settlement employing local people. As authorities closed all the factories and mines, without electricity and heating the city was completed depopulated.
Day 12 - Susuman to Ust-Omchug
Another spectacular day of riding through the mountainous Magadan region. We ride over mountain passes and stop at spectacular viewpoints. On the way we visit a former Gulag camp, which was later turned into a prison and is now totally abandoned.
Day 13 - Ust-Omchug to Magadan
Our last riding day starts with 200km of gravel before finally reaching the asphalt leading to Magadan. We will stop at the city limits for our much-anticipated photo with the Magadan sign, before finishing the day at the hotel with our Farewell dinner in the evening.
Day 14 - Magadan (Departure)
Our tour ends after breakfast. The local tour guide can arrange extra time in Magadan or a city tour, and also highly recommends a visit to Kamchatka, which is a one-hour flight (approx EURO 50) from Magadan.