Are you looking for an adventure and want to travel from Alaska to Russia by car? As adventure specialist we’ll share the details of the possibilities.
Can you drive a car from Alaska to Russia? No, you cannot drive a car from Alaska to Russia because there is no land connecting the two. This also means that there is no road, no immigration offices and no way to legally exit or enter any of the countries.
Why is there no road or ferry? How to get from Alaska to Russia then? Don’t despair! There are other methods for crossing from North America to Asia.
Why you can’t drive a car from Alaska to Russia.
Let’s start by looking at the map. From far away the two continents look like the Creation of Adam by Michelangelo. As if they are touching each other by the finger tips. But close up we can see that the two countries don’t overlap and that there is a stretch of sea in between them called the Bering Straight. At its narrowest point, the straight is only 55 miles / 88 kilometres wide. But wait a second, what about winter? Isn’t it really cold up here in winter meaning that the water freezes? Yes, cars can drive on ice when it is thick enough but even in winter, when the sea freezes this far north, the strong currents of the straight form deep canals in the ice making driving impossible.
With Russia on the left and the USA on the right, the Bering Straight dividing the countries
The Diomede islands in the middle of the straight
If you want to become really hypothetical, you could drive over the sea ice in between the big and little Diomede islands where the small one is on US territory and the big island belongs to Russia. The distance between the two is only 2.4 miles or 3,8 kilometres. The problem is; How to get your car there? Again, there are no roads so you would have to fly there before being able to achieve a symbolical crossing from America to Asia.
The only way is to put your vehicle in a container and ship it across the Bering Sea.
How to get from Alaska to Russia by car?
We have concluded that there are no roads in-between Alaska and Russia, but what if you are interested in traveling and maybe are on a round the world adventure in your car. The way to get across the Bering Straight is to either ship or fly your vehicle. The ports that you will likely use are going to be Vladivostok in Russia and Vancouver in Canada or Seattle in the USA. Shipping or flying straight to Anchorage is not possible at the moment. Also shipping out of Magadan is difficult and all ships will pass through Vladivostok first.
Shipping your car on a container ship is not easy and requires a lot of paperwork before and afterwards nor is it cheap. Especially from such a remote area the price will quickly rise, so your best bet is to try and share a container with another vehicle to reduce the costs. Likely you will pay around US$2000 for a crossing between Vladivostok and Vancouver per car.
Get in touch with the famous Yuri from Links Ltd in Vladivostok to get your shipment from Russia sorted. Getting an agent who will take care of all the paperwork is essential. You will need one on the departure and arrival side.
After you receive a quote from the departing agent, don’t be surprised to receive another quote or bill from the destination agent. Costs quickly add up and there is usually not a lot you can do about it.
Can you ferry from Alaska to Russia?
There is no ferry line operating between Alaska and Russia that takes passengers on board. The only way for you to get across with a vehicle is to ship or fly it across the ocean. If you want to take a ferry from Vladivostok, you can get one that will take you to South Korea and from there you can board another ferry to Japan. Once on the island you are running out of options and shipping your vehicle becomes the only option again.
Why Crossing from Alaska to Russia is illegal
Another reason why you can’t ride or drive from Alaska to Russia is because there are no official immigration offices to check you in or out of the countries. If you would try to walk, kayak or swim across the Bering Straigt, as soon as you would be on the other side you would be arrested and deported from the country you just arrived at. Russia is known to patrol its borders with dogs and I don’t think you would want to meet them after a 55 mile swim.
Travel permission for the Chukotka Autonomous Region
If you do want to get there, by whatever means possible because we already concluded that a car is not going to cut it, then befor you arrive you will need to arrange a Travel Permission to enter the Chukotka Autonomous Region which is the far eastern part of Russia you will land on.
They are notoriusly hard to get and information on the subject is scarce. You can find more information about the region on their own website.
There is a couple who rowed across the Bering Straight during summer and they managed to obtain a permit. They share the following information about getting one.
All questions related to agreement procedures regulating entry into the territory of the Chukotka Autonomous Region may be addressed to the Division of International Relations of the Office of the Governor and the Government of the Chukotka Autonomous Region by phone/fax (42722)6-90-16; 6-90-50. (time difference with Moscow +9 hrs) Questions related to arrivals of the citizens of the Russian Federation shall be addressed to the Border Department of the Russian Federal Security Service in the Chukotka Autonomous region by phone:(42722) 2-53-71. As of 2016, requirements for entering Chukotka have been updated.
Alaska and Russia are covered in snow and ice. Photo by NASA
Why there are no roads in northern Alaska / Eastern Russia in the first place
Alaska and Eastern Russia share a unique trait and that is that they are both poorly connected when it comes to roads and railroads. One of the reasons is that there are so little people inhabiting this remote section of the world. The harsh winters this far north makes building roads a waste of money. The thick snow layers cover the roads in winter and the ice rips apart the tarmac in spring. Repairing the roads in summer and then starting over again in autumn is something the inhabitants of those places don’t do. Instead, they travel by snow mobile, boat and airplane to get places. What a cool way to go to school.
Karl and Dimitri crossing the moving ice of the Bering Strait. (Courtesy of Goliath Expedition)
Has anyone ever walked from Alaska to Russia?
There are two reported cases of humans walking from Alaska to Russia in modern history. The last were Karl Bushby, and his American companion Dimitri Kieffer who in 2006 walked from Alaska to Russia over the Bering Straight in 14 days. When they arrived, they were immediately detained and deported from Russia. You can read more about it in his book Giant Steps.
There is no bridge between Alaska and Russia, this one is in Norway.
Is there a bridge from Alaska to Russia?
Neither the USA or Russia has ever attempted to build a bridge connecting the two continents. Why is there no bridge between Alaska and Russia? Probably because building one would cost up to $105 billion dollars and the two countries aren’t particularly friendly with each other. A project like this would need both parties to collaborate intensively and maybe the idea that you can travel from Russia to Alaska without having to step into an airplane is something not everyone is excited about. Besides, the fact that there would be a bridge wouldn’t mean that anyone would drive over it. The closest roads on the American side are 520 miles / 836 kilometres far and for good reason. The snow and ice covering the infrastructure during winter destroy most of it.
Why is there no tunnel between Alaska and Russia?
Probably for the same reason that there is no bridge, the investment costs are just too high to make it economically feasible. The only way for it to work is if the tunnel would connect china and America decreasing the transportation time and cost significantly. The intercontinental railway project is trying to achieve just that, but if it will ever become a reality is a big question mark for now. www.intercontinentalrailway.com