Cold, Colder, Coldest: Oymyakon

In Siberia, it gets cold. Not everywhere (Siberia is quite big), but in some parts, it gets extremely cold. Oymyakon, in the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, is famous for its cold. The thermometer has dropped to minus 71 degrees Celsius, making it officially the coldest place on Earth.

Inhabitants of Oymyakon

Oymyakon is home to only a few hundred residents. Life here revolves around endurance and routine: cars are kept running to prevent engines from freezing, fresh produce is scarce, and diets rely heavily on meat, fish, and stored foods. Despite the extreme conditions, the village is fully inhabited year-round, with schools, shops, and a community that has adapted to the cold over generations.There are about 500 souls living there, making it more of a village than a city. Read/watch and shiver.

Visiting the coldest town in the world

(60 Minutes Australia, 2018, 13 mins)

Visiting Oymyakon is possible (check this How to visit), though it takes planning, preparation and effort. But why would you? There are (camera) people who have already done it and reported back in words and images. ’60 Minutes’ in 13 minutes – you’d almost think the makers fled back to Australia within a quarter of an hour. Liam Bartlett certainly doesn’t regret returning home: ‘I’ve just returned from a place so piercingly cold, it gives me the shivers just thinking about it.’

New Oymyakon Videos: Life in the Coldest Place on Earth (update 2026)

In recent years, not only professional TV crews but also vloggers and independent travelers have made the journey to Oymyakon. As a result, there is now a growing collection of videos documenting life in extreme cold – many of which attract remarkable numbers of views.

Perhaps it’s the sheer spectacle of the cold that draws such large audiences – or the opposite: the quiet comfort of watching it from a warm room. Snow, reindeer, and people wrapped in layers make for strangely cosy viewing. Below is a selection of some of the best videos, letting the footage speak for itself.

A Day in the Life in the Coldest City on Earth
(Kiun B, 2026, 24 mins)

100 Hours In The Coldest City On Earth
(Frank van Dam, 2026, 25 mins)

I Travelled To The Coldest City On The Planet
(Joe Fazer, 2026, 16 mins)

In Russian: Оймякон

For those who prefer to watch snow and cold in Russian: this is Russian-language content about Оймякон (find links to more below).

Оймякон, Якутия: здесь живут люди в минус 60 (Oymyakon, Yakutia: People live here at minus 60) (Varlamov 2019, 22 mins)

More Oymyakon

• The Coldest Village on Earth: Oymyakon (Ruhi Cenet, 2025, 25 mins)
• Life in the Coldest Village on Earth (Kiun B, 2025, 53 mins)
• Life in the Coldest Place on Earth (Matt and Julia, 2023, 14 mins)
• From Yakutsk to Oymyakon in winter (Sebastian Balders, 2015, 36 mins)
• Walking in Oymyakon at -50C (Sebastian Balders, 2014, 7 mins)
• Most dangerous ways to School – Oymyakon (Free Documentary, 2013, 48 mins)

More Оймякон

• Вот как выживают люди в самом холодном месте на Земле (This is how people survive in the coldest place on earth, 2019, 4 mins)
• Уроки выживания: Жители Оймякона рассказали о правилах поведения в -60 (Survival lessons: Oymyakon residents talk about rules of conduct at minus 60, 2018, 9 mins)
• Оймякон – Самый Холодный Посёлок в России (Oymyakon – Coldest settlement in Russia, 2018, 4 mins)
• Одиночное путешествие на Полюс Холода Оймякон. Колыма. (A solo journey to the Pole of Cold. Oymyakon. Kolyma, 2017, 34 mins)
• Интересные факты: Оймякон (Interesting facts: Oymyakon, 2015, 4 mins)

More cold and Russia in How Cold Does Russia Get? (NFKRZ, 2020, 14 mins).
See also What Life Looks Like In Oymyakon (AllThatsInteresting), Yakutia: The Coldest Inhabited Place on Earth (Gonomad) and Oymyakon: Surviving in Earth’s Coldest Inhabited Place (Engineerine, 2025).

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Last updated April 14, 2026