June 6, 2026
The final push for Magadan.
(Prequel: Taking the (more) scenic route to Magadan)
We’d checked out the Natalka gold mine, dropped in on the settlement Ust-Omchug, and now we were pressing on along the super-scenic Highway 44N-4 toward Magadan…
Sometimes the snow that’s whipped up cuts visibility right down – so we kept our distance from each other:
But mostly it’s just stunning views, so it’s left hand on the wheel, and right hand working the camera gear (naughty in a city; hardly out here:).
But on the mountain passes, you have to keep both hands on the wheel.
So much snow had piled up this season:
Whoa – asphalt! Civilization must be near!…
Yep, we’re getting close…
A right turn for us!
Just 17km left…
Two thousand kilometers from Yakutsk! ->
City limits! ->
The Magadan post with the deer – an obligatory tourist photo (not that there are many tourists around these parts at this time of year – only crazies:) ->
Once again, a reminder: Magadan is a very young city. It’ll be 100 in just three (3!) years:
And that’s it – Chewie we’re home we’re here!
Our stop in Magadan was mostly just a technical one – getting the cars in for servicing, refreshing the crew (some flew out, others the other way round). We didn’t do any walkabouts or drive-abouts this time, but we’d done them before (2021, 2022).
All that was left was for us to tuck in to some Magadan cuisine – mostly seafood, obviously. Yum! ->
And not just vodka shots! Well, why not? We’d come a long way and deserved it! Still, once the drinks start becoming multicolored – that’s the time to stop ).
But I’m not quite done just yet with tales from the Siberian winter-road-trip-side yet; therefore – more coming up soon! Do svidaniya! (And just in case you thought that translates as “goodbye” – let me tell you it actually translates as “till our next meeting”!
The best hi-res photos from our Irkutsk–Yakutsk–Magadan–Yakutsk road-trip are here.
