PRECIOUS YAKUTIA - THE LAND OF DIAMONDS AND GOLD

1. Theme

SIGHTSEEING & FIRST SIGHT

INDUSTRIES

EVENTS

2. Region, city, itinerary

Yakutsk – Mirny

3. Seasonality

Year-round tour

First week of September - Yakutia Diamond Week Festival

4. The complexity, style of the tour

Easy, comfortable

5. Accommodation

Hotel, cruise liner

6. Number of days

3-5 days

7. Number of people

No limits

8. Booking conditions

2 months before the tour start

In the mid-1950s, the richest primary diamond deposits were discovered in Yakutia. From those days to the present, about 1,500 kimberlite pipes have been discovered in the deposits. The development of Yakutian deposits is carried out by the Russian company ALROSA, which produces 99% of diamonds in the Russian Federation and more than a quarter of all diamonds in the world. To date, three major fields - Inters, Mir, Udachninsky - bring the main profit. 1,500 tons of ore is mined at Inter per day. Diamond output in 2013 amounted to more than 4.3 million carats. On average, one ton of rock contains 8.53 carats of diamonds. Inter yielled 1 ton of diamond containing ore, 2 tons of ore from Mir, 4 tons from Aikhal, or 8 tons from Udachninsky.

Diamonds are the main asset of the Sakha Republic; therefore, each visitor of Yakutia should be acquainted with all the stages of diamond transformation. A unique project program guides a participant through the gem's entire path — from mining, processing and sorting diamonds to cutting of stones and fully transforming them into beautiful jewelry.

Starting from 2012, every year in early September, a festival is held in Yakutia that introduces guests to one of the main assets of the Yakut land, the diamond and jewelry industry “Diamond Week of Yakutia”. During the event, tourists, investors and entrepreneurs from other countries, and residents of the republic will learn all about the extraction and jewelry processing of diamonds.

Diamond Week usually opens with the exclusive jewelry exhibitions. For participants of the festival who not only want to see, but also buy jewelry, the special "Diamond Opening Day" is organized where jewelry is sold at special discount prices in many jewelry stores around the city. As part of the Diamond Week, an international diamond auction is always held by one of the largest diamond mining companies in ALROSA.

The Yakut diamondiferous province in Russia accounts for 90% of reserves, 95% of production in Russia and 25% of world diamond production. Therefore, it is considered the largest in the country. High quality diamonds have become the hallmark of Yakutia, and the Diamond Week attracts equally Russian tourists and foreigners.

The excursion program begins in the city of Mirny and includes:

- a visit to the observation deck of the “MIR” kimberlite diamond quarry, the world's deepest diamond deposit;

- an excursion to the Museum of kimberlites;

- historical tour at JSC AK ALROSA museum of diamond production;

- a visit to diamond cutting factories;

- a visit to the “Irelyakh” mining in Mirny.

Further, the program continues in Yakutsk with a visit to:

- the famous "Treasury of Yakutia" exhibition;

- jewelry stores;

-The Mammoth Museum;

- The Kingdom of Permafrost Tour.

In the evenings:

- Ethno-cultural chamber evenings with national music, dancing, theater performances and performers of the unique Yakut OLONHO genre - improvisational epic narration.

- The Diamond Circus with its bright as diamond presentations.

- The Opera and Ballet Theater awaits all the festival participants with open arms.