The Dolgan Reindeer Nomads

The Dolgan reindeer nomads live at the estuary of the Chatanga River on the Taimyr Peninsula in the far north of Siberia. Despite the harsh conditions, their life in the wide tundra means freedom. They prefer it to a sedentary life in the village.

Training for the sled race at the annual reindeer herders’ festival in Syndassko. Holger Hoffmann © All rights reserved.

Holger Hoffmann has traveled together with his wife Sylvia Furrer on more than 75 trips since 1977 and has visited 60 countries outside Europe. In 1995 they founded chaostours.ch. Sylvia is the director, Holger the guide, and they are so far the only customers, but very satisfied with the self-organizing way of traveling. That keeps them open-minded to the unexpected.

The longer they travel together, the more they become fascinated by the customs and the daily life of indigenous people who preserve their traditional culture. They developed a profound respect for these people who subsist in remote areas under harsh living conditions such as in the extreme cold of Siberia, the hot desert of the Danakil, the wet jungle in West Papua, or the high mountains in the Himalayas. Nomadic people have become a major focus of their recent travels. They are deeply impressed by how they handle the threats of climate change and adapt to the advances and pressures of the modern world.

In 2012 they started to publish some travel reports to share their impressions with a broader community of travelers. Usually, Sylvia is the writer and Holger the photographer.