Teriberka: The last village on earth

Where Northern Lights touch the earth
2020-11-28
/
/ Kolkata
Ever since the award-winning film Leviathan was shot here, Teriberka, a rural hamlet in the extreme northern edge of Russia on the Barents Sea coast, has become a popular go-to place in the Russia itinerary.
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It is an offbeat, faraway place for those who wish to enjoy the Northern Lights at their best, as this small village, accessible only by car, is where the lights touch the earth. About 20 degrees off the North Pole, temperatures during the Arctic winter in Teriberka mostly range between minus 23°- 25°C.

A simple internet search shows that most Murmansk winter adventures tours from India cover Teriberka. Murmansk is the most important city in the Arctic. These tours are generally covered within five-six days. Many Indians are yet to explore Russia as they are unaware of the fact that Russian and Indian currencies are almost at par and contrary to the past, travelling to Russia is now quite affordable.

The port city of Murmansk is an international airport where generally tourists land via domestic flights from Moscow or Saint Petersburg. The weight warnings of Russian airlines need to be taken really seriously unless one wants to dish out loads of Rubles for a few extra kilos of baggage. The road from Murmansk to Teriberka is all white, filled with snow and it is normally a two-hour drive.  As the vehicle approaches Teriberka, the only thing tourists need pray for is a sunny day even as the polar weather makes its presence felt.

As you enter Teriberka, remains of well-preserved shipwrecks all spread around the road will remind those which lost their way, crashed and floated down the Arctic to Teriberka.

There is one good hostel which will welcome tourists with a hot stove, two rooms with four beds each, a modern shower and a bottle of pepper flavoured vodka in the kitchen. The hostel will roughly charge 1,500 Rubles a night (almost the same in INR). Apart from the hostel, the settlement also has a new swanky hotel that costs about 6,500 Rubles a night. A few more small properties and guest houses are coming up now with the growing popularity of the hamlet.

The driver of your car will almost necessarily advise that a sip of that vodka is a must not just to avoid falling ill but for good luck when chasing the Northern Lights.

Picky eaters may carry a few light packets of ready-to-eat food from India unless they are ready to survive with boiled eggs and bread and jam. The hostel cook will be happy to serve hot food like fried prawns or crab soup unless one wants to try his or her luck at the only restaurant which has a very skinny, yet expensive menu with nothing much to offer.

In Teriberka, the experience is slow and at your own pace. You may take a bike to go to the Black Diamond beach and walk down the steep snow wall. By chance, if you are there around Christmas, then look for smart glass igloos which can accommodate up to four people to see the Aurora.

As it is, Teriberka with its extreme weather and a monochromatic white beauty is not a destination for all. With air so clean that most Indians can’t even imagine, quiet surroundings with absolute peace and breathtaking scenery, Teriberka offers everything to heal. It is for those who love snow in the winter, care to spend some time fishing, enjoy kite surfing, diving and can not only weather the extreme cold but enjoy every bit of it as well.

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