Standard North Korea Group Tours 2007 (9 Days)

Today your arrangements will start with your arrival in Beijing. Regent Holidays can book you international flights at competitive rates if you wish. In addition, should you wish to extend your stay in Beijing we can book additional nights accommodation, and tours, before or after your time in North Korea.

Upon arrival in Beijing you will be met at the airport (if required) and transferred to the centrally located Hotel Xinqiao, part of the Novotel chain. This hotel is used a great deal by Regent clients and is located within walking distance of the main central sights such as Tiananmen Square, and is also very close to numerous shops, restaurants and a metro station. You will have the rest of the day free at leisure in Beijing.

(Please note that today you may need to collect your air ticket, and possibly visa from the North Korean consulate in Beijing. We therefore recommend that clients arrive in Beijing early on this day, or stay an extra night in Beijing prior to departure).

This morning take an early breakfast and hotel check out to meet the group at approximately 0800 in the lobby of the hotel. From here the group will transfer directly to the airport for the 1130 Air Koryo flight JS152 to Pyongyang. The short flight (80-90 minutes) will bring us into Pyongyang at 1400 local time, and after passing through immigration and customs the group will meet their guides and driver who will be with them for the rest of your time in Korea.

From the airport make the journey out of the suburbs into central Pyongyang, and check in at the Yanggakdo Hotel, the 47 storey hotel where you will be based whilst in Pyongyang. This afternoon you will enjoy a performance in one of Pyongyang’s ever-entertaining circuses

Today enjoy the morning touring the amazing capital city of Pyongyang, which was virtually rebuilt from the ashes as a model city after the Korean War. The tour will start with a visit to the awesome Kumsusan Memorial Palace, near the foot of Mt. Taesong. The Memorial Palace is the former residence, and now Mausoleum, of Kim Il Sung. The Mausoleum itself is followed by exhibits showcasing medals of honour bestowed upon the President and a monument showcasing the mourning of the nation after his death in 1994. For this site the group will be required to dress smartly.

From here head back to the city centre and visit Kim Il Sung Square – the heart of the nation which regularly hosts military parades and holiday celebrations. The trio of President related sites this morning ends with a visit to the Mansudae Grand Monument, the centre piece of which is the spectacular 20 metre tall bronze statue of Kim Il Sung. Here millions of Koreans visit annually to pay their respects to the leader, and the group will be expected to lay a wreath of flowers at the foot of the statue before bowing in unison before it.

Before lunch visit the Juche Tower. The Tower is a symbol of the Juche Idea (national self reliance, literally “Master of one’s self”) penned by Kim Il Sung. Those who wish can pay a small fee (Approximately 5 Euros) and be whisked via a lift to the top of the Tower for impressive views over the central city. After lunch pay a quick visit to the Arch of Triumph beside the TV Tower before heading underground for a quick ride on the very deep, very clean and beautifully decorated Pyongyang Metro. The last sight of the day in Pyongyang will be to the suburbs of Mangyondae, where the group will visit the Mangyondae Native House (the birthplace of President Kim Il Sung).

Departing Pyongyang head South-West and through the city of Nampo to the Ryonggang Hot Spa Hotel, where the night will be spent.

This morning depart the hotel and start the day with a visit to the West Sea Barrage, a most impressive 8km long barrage built in the 1980’s along the estuary of the Taedong River. This immense building project is of great pride to the Korean’s, and you will likely enjoy a video in the visitors centre showing the massive undertaking that this project was.

From here head to Annak Tomb No. 3 before enjoying a picnic lunch. Heading South journey to Kaesong, gateway to the DMZ and South Korea. En-route visit the Tomb of King Kongmin, the 31st King of Koryo from 1352. Beside his tomb lies the tomb of his Mongolian wife, who died in 1365. From here it’s a short 14 km journey to Kaesong, where you will stay in the Folkcustoms Hotel, a pleasant traditional style hotel in the city’s old quarter, (you will have dinner here also).

From Kaesong we head south this morning to Panmunjom - the DMZ and border with South Korea. Upon arrival at Panmunjom, which is often the highlight of any visit to North Korea, we will meet with an army escort who will explain the background of the history of the DMZ, before we move on to the Armistice Talks Hall and the building (and attached small museum) where the Armistice was signed. From here head right down to the border itself, where the group will be (local conditions permitting) escorted, possibly under the watchful eye of the South Korean soldiers, into one of the huts which straddles the North-South Korean border.

From the DMZ head back to Kaesong and visit the small Koryo Museum, which is dedicated to the Koryo Dynasty. You will have lunch in Kaesong before visiting the Concrete Wall or “Wall of Division,” an 8 metre high wall built along the southern side of the DMZ by US forces between 1976 and 1979.

After our excursion in the area return to Pyongyang and have dinner in the Pyongyang Duck Barbecue restaurant before returning to the Yanggakdo Hotel.

First stop of the day will be to the Grand People’s study house (the national library and home to 30 million volumes), where you will tour the massive complex. From here visit the Korean Feature Film Studio, where the vast majority of North Korea’s films are made. Here one can tour the various sets and mock towns, and may be fortunate to see a film in the making.

After lunch in Pyongyang head North to the Mt. Myohyang area, where the group will stay at the Hyangsan Hotel. Before checking in however, visit the Ryongmun caves, an amazing grotto of cavernous caves which head 2km deep into the darkness beyond.

This morning first visit the Pohyon Temple, founded in 1042 yet sadly heavily damaged in the Korean War. From here visit the fascinating International Friendship Exhibition, a massive complex housing the many thousands of diverse gifts presented to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong ll over the years. The buildings, built into the mountain-side, home endless corridors and rooms lined with diverse gifts from all over the world – keep an eye out for the gift from Regent Holidays!

After lunch return to Pyongyang and visit the Children’s Palace, a massive complex which offers extra-curricular activities for the most talented of Pyongyang’s youth. We will have time to look into a handful of the 690 rooms which cater to a vast array of subjects and disciplines such as boxing, swimming, ballet and violin lessons before watching a show performed by the students.

After the performance enjoy dinner before returning to the Yanggakdo hotel, where you will stay for your last two nights in the country.

Day 8

The last day in Korea will be spent entirely in Pyongyang. First visit will be to the fascinating Fatherland Liberation War Museum. This very large museum dedicated to this devastating war has some truly fascinating displays and exhibits, and you will have a glimpse just of some of its highlights before moving onto the USS Pueblo, the 850 ton US spy boat captured in 1968 by the Koreans. The Pueblo is now moored on the Taedong River, near the spot were in 1866 the US trade ship the General Sherman was sunk.

Heading out of the central city enjoy a visit to the Taedonggang Beer Factory (where you will have lunch). The afternoon will be spent visiting Pyongyang’s souvenir and foreign language book shops, followed by a leisurely walk in Moran Hill Park. In the evening the group will have a farewell dinner with their guides and driver in the revolving restaurant of the Yanggakdo Hotel.

This morning end the tour and depart Pyongyang. Members of the group will be transferred to the Airport/Train Station and can leave Korea via the following methods:

• On the 0810 Air Koryo Flight to Beijing (Arrives into Beijing at 0930)
• On the 1010 train to Dandong (Arrives into Dandong at 1700)
• On the 1010 train to Beijing (Arrives in Beijing at 0833+1)

For a supplementary payment, passengers can also depart Pyongyang on the 1010 Moscow bound train. The train follows the Trans-Manchurian route and terminates in Moscow at 1759 the following Friday, but clients can disembark at numerous cities en-route.

All tour arrangements end when transport arrives at the terminus destination.

1. To confirm a booking we require a deposit of £200 per person plus a signed booking form
2. *You must have a North Korean visa before entering North Korea. This is arranged in London (for British Citizens, residents in the UK and those living in the EU) and the visa fee is included in the price. For clients who will be collecting their visas in Beijing/elsewhere the visa fee is not included and the client will need to pay this direct to the Embassy.
3. We ask that clients on this tour book as early as possible, and no less than 6-8 weeks prior to departure.
4. You will need a double entry Chinese visa which costs approximately £72. This is processed in the UK before departure.
5. No journalists or photographers are to visit North Korea.
6. We cannot arrange visits for U.S or South Korean Passport holders.
7. The itinerary may vary depending on special events inside North Korea; additionally other places of interest may be included in the itinerary and the order of the itinerary may be altered due to factors beyond our control.
8. Air Koryo is an airline blacklisted from operating within the EU. Their fleet is made up of ageing, yet well maintained Soviet built aircraft. As the only airline regularly serving North Korea we have been happily using Air Koryo for over 20 years.