Romanian man drives 26,000 kilometers to Yakutsk and back in 53 days
<p>Romanian Cosmin Crăciun drove approximately 26,000 kilometers from Buzău, southern Romania, to Yakutsk, Russia, the coldest city in the world, using his personal car. His journey took 53 days roundtrip.</p>
<p>Crăciun began his expedition in January of this year, traveling through Turkey, the Caucasus Mountains, and Kazakhstan before reaching the first destination on his itinerary, Lake Baikal. </p>
<p>"I left on January 11, 2025, and reached Lake Baikal in 23 days. I covered about 9,500 km from Buzău to Lake Baikal. That was my first goal when I decided to embark on this expedition. Later, I thought about going to Yakutsk, the coldest city on the planet,” Cosmin Crăciun told <a href="https://agerpres.ro/social/2025/03/24/buzau-cu-masina-dus-intors-catre-yakutsk-in-53-de-zile-26-000-de-kilometri-cu-2-400-de-litri-de-benz--1433653">Agerpres</a>.</p>
<p>“I traveled alone, and at one point, I almost gave up on going to Yakutsk for safety reasons, as the journey was extremely difficult - no gas stations, no paved roads. I reached Baikal, and in Ulan-Ude, I had planned to meet a Romanian living there, Marius,” he continued.</p>
<p>Together, the two Romanians covered another 3,000 km in four days.</p>
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<p>Cosmin Crăciun, an experienced driver, did not equip his Dacia Duster 3 car with any special modifications for the trip. At one point, he drove 10 km over a frozen river. He refueled 75 times over 53 days, using up 2,423 liters of gas, and had to be particularly careful to be near a fueling station. </p>
<p>The total cost of the trip amounted to EUR 4,500. Fuel alone was EUR 1,750, while accommodation cost Crăciun EUR 1,050.</p>
<p>"If I exclude the EUR 1,200 spent on unexpected costs like fines and new tires, the budget for the trip was around EUR 3,200-3,300. Given the number of kilometers and days, I think that's quite cheap," the Romanian traveler added. </p>
<p><em><a href="mailto:radu@romania-insider.com">radu@romania-insider.com</a></em></p>
<p><em>(Photo source: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cosmin.craciun.5243?__tn__=-UC*F">Cosmin Craciun</a> on Facebook)</em></p>