[3] Yerofey Khabarov used this river's route to travel from the Lena to the Amur during his mid-17th century expeditions.

In the spring of 1649 Khabarov set off at his own expense up the Olyokma, then up its tributary, the Tungir and portaged to the Shilka River, reaching the upper Amur (Dauria) in early 1650.

[4] The Olyokma rises in the Muroy Range, Olyokma-Stanovik Highlands (Олёкминский Становик), west of Mogocha.

It flows through remote terrain and cuts across the Kalar Range of the Stanovoy Highlands through a narrow valley.

[5] To the west flows the Vitim, to the south the Shilka and Amur, and to the east the upper Aldan.