Putorana PlateauPutorana Plateau, epilogue

What I took homefrom the Putorana Plateau

An Arctic city, majestic nature, a group that became friends and eleven days almost without internet. The takeaways from the trip: briefly and honestly.

Trip: September 2026Updated: 1 November 20262 min read

outdoorsculture
Lake Lama at sunset, warm light on the mountains

In September 2026 I spent eleven days in Taimyr: two days in Norilsk, a week at a base in the middle of the Putorana Plateau and a day in Dudinka. The story itself is in the day-by-day chapters, and here is what I took away with me. This trip was unforgettable, and for various reasons.

An Arctic city

I’d never been in an Arctic industrial city before. The urban landscapes and the very layout of the city were new to me.

A street in Norilsk: tall buildings and the sun

Nature you want to look at forever

The nature of the Putorana Plateau is impressive, majestic and harsh. You feel very small against such power, and it’s an indescribable feeling.

Dry trees on a lake shore, mountains behind

The company and the base

We were all of different ages, professions and backgrounds, but that didn’t stop us becoming friends, both within the groups and between them. One of the participants said that at the base it felt like coming to stay with friends. And it was true. We laughed together, overcame difficulties, watched the northern lights and squealed with delight.

Time without internet

I thought it would be hard, but it turned out to be the opposite: a real treat. Without the flow of messages, chats and channels, personal and work, I didn’t just understand but truly felt how much information noise lands on us every day.

And as a result, I forgot about absolutely everything: politics, household chores, plans. Time slowed down, and the world stopped. It’s what I’d been dreaming of for so long.

A mountain above a lake, a larch branch in the frame

About Norilsk

You can argue about Norilsk forever. Some will say it’s one of the most depressing cities in Russia and there’s nothing to do there. And I found a museum, a theatre, an art residency, a house of culture (a community arts centre), a youth centre, an art gallery, events in cafés and even environmental projects. Transport works well, the city is clean, houses are increasingly painted and murals are appearing. Outside the city there’s tundra and forest-tundra: in summer fishing, paddleboarding, kayaks and boats, in winter snowmobiles and ice diving.

And the people. We met those who truly love their land and do everything to show it to others, like Misha: you can really feel that in his photographs, and with him you start to love this land too. People here are kind and responsive, and from all of this I was left with only warm feelings for this corner of the world.