North Korea Tours

Fly to Pyongyang on Air Koryo flight from Beijing. On arrival meet with your tour leader and local guides and transfer to Yanggakdo Hotel in Pyongyang for 3 nights. After checking in, free time to relax before enjoying a welcome dinner at the National Restaurant. (L,D)

This morning, drive to Mansudae Fountain Park and ascend Mansu Hill to the Mansudae Great Monument whose centrepiece is a 20m tall bronze statue of Kim Il Sung. Head to the vast Kim Il Sung Square and then to the Pyongyang Grand Theatre before taking a ride on the architecturally impressive Pyongyang Metro. Back above ground, lunch near the gigantic Arch of Triumph.  In the afternoon, visit the Kim Jong Suk Nursery, the symbolic Juche Tower. From here and the Monument to the Foundation of the Workers Party of Korea. (B,L,D)

This morning, visit the awesome Kumsusan Memorial Palace, the former residence and now mausoleum of Kim Il Sung. Moving on, visit the nearby Revolutionary Martyr’s Cemetery, home to the graves of more than 200 of Korea’s leading resistance figures over the years of Japanese rule and the Korean war.  After lunch at the hotel, head out into the suburb of Mangyondae to visit the birthplace of Kim Il Sung and the Mangyondae Schoolchildren’s Palace. (B,L,D)

Depart Pyongyang for eleven nights in the wilds of North Korea! Transfer to the airport for chartered flight to Samjiyon. On arrival, visit the impressive Samjiyon Grand Monument at Lake Samji before driving to Samjiyon Town, where we will enjoy a quick visit to the Paekdu Visitors Centre before a walk through the town. Check into Begebong Hotel for 3 nights before having lunch and visiting the attractive waterfall at Rimyongsu and Pochonbo town. (B,L,D)

This morning, drive to Mt Paekdu – a peak of great spiritual importance to the Korean people – and  ascend to the crater rim of the mountain from where you may press on up to the highest point in the Korean Peninsula or head down to Lake Chon. Descend the mountain and visit the Paekdu Secret Camps, from where the army was based and Kim Il Sung headquartered from 1936 to 1943. This site is also the “official” birthplace of Kim Jong Il. (B,L,D)

Today, enjoy a full day excursion Daehongdan County, visiting the farmer’s fields, the local village, county town and a potato processing factory and gaining an insight into life in this isolated northern corner of the country. (B,L,D)

Transfer to airport for a short flight to Orang Military Airport – an ideal place for MiG fighter jet spotting. Head north to Chongjin, an industrial port city that receives extremely few foreign visitors. On arrival in Chongjin enjoy a sightseeing tour including a visit to the Steelworks Kindergarten and the Provincial Revolutionary Museum. Overnight at the Chongjin Hotel. (B,L,D)

Depart Chongjin for the Chilbo region – a beautiful coastal area of attractive mountains and valleys, evergreen forests of maple trees and unusual rock formations. On arrival in the Sea Chilbo area, take lunch and check into a home stay for 1 night. Explore the sights in the afternoon before an evening barbecue dinner on the beach. (B,L,D)

Spend the day exploring the Chilbo region. Check out of our home stay and move to the nearby Inner Chilbo Hotel for an overnight stay. The full itinerary today will be confirmed locally, subject to the weather and the preferences of the group. (B,L,D)

Drive to Orang for flight to Hamhung, North Korea’s second most populous city and a major industrial hub. On arrival into Hamhung, check into Sinhunsang Hotel for 2 nights before a sightseeing tour including Donhung Hill, Hamhung Bongung – where Ri Song Gye, the founding king of the Ri dynasty resided – and  the Grand Theatre. (B,L,D)

Today, enjoy a day excursion to Bujon - an attractive area where the scenery is extremely different to the rest of Korea and one that is steeped in history. Walk to Mt Okryon to visit the impressive and geologically unusual “Stone River” before surveying some sites relating to the Guerrilla campaigns conducted during the years of Japanese colonial rule. (B,L,D)

Depart Hamhung and drive to Wonsan, visiting the Dongbong Co-Operative Farm en route. On arrival in Wonsan, have lunch before continuing to Mt. Kumgang and check into the Kumgangsan Hotel for 2 nights. (B,L,D)

Mt Kumgang has been off limits to tourists in North Korea, after it was leased and developed by the South Korean Hyundai Asan company, administered as a special tourist region exclusively for persons coming overland from South Korea on special package tours, whom could only stay within the Kumgang region on these “border tours.” After declining relations between North and South, this area opened to visitors from the North in the summer of 2010. Free time will be given here for walking fo Kuryong Waterfall or relaxing by the lakeshore or beach. (B,L,D)

This morning drive back to Wonsan, where a visit is made to Chonsam Ri Co-Operative Farm. In the afternoon visit Sondowon Children’s Union Camp, Kaeson History Museum and the Provincial Art Gallery. Dinner then a brief evening walk in the city before returning to the Tongmyong Hotel for an overnight stay.  (B,L,D)

Drive back to Pyongyang, stopping en route at Sinphyong Tea House. On arrival in Pyongyang we will enjoy lunch in the city before checking into the Yanggakdo Hotel. Time will be given to relax and or to take an optional visit to the shooting range and local bowling alley. (B,L,D)

This morning, those wishing to end the tour early can depart on the overnight train to Beijing. Those staying on the tour will today visit the main city park, Moranbong, before moving onto the USS Pueblo, a 850 ton US spy boat captured in 1968 by the Koreans.  Visit the fascinating Fatherland Liberation War Museum and the Monument to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War before departing Pyongyang and heading towards Nampo, visiting the Kangso Mineral Water Plant en route. Check into the Hanngu Hotel in Nampo for 1 night. (B,L,D)

Start the day with a visit to the West Sea Barrage, an impressive 8km long barrage built along the Taedong River. This immense building project is of great pride to the Korean people. Head over Mt Kuwol to Sinchon where you will visit the War Crimes Museum. Drive to Sariwon and visit the pleasant Sariwon Folklore Village before driving to Kaesong. On arrival in Kaesong check into the Janamsan Hotel for 1 night. (B,L,D)

This morning head to Panmunjom - the DMZ and border with South Korea. Panmunjon is often considered the highlight of any visit to North Korea, as here you will meet with an army escort who will explain the background and history of the DMZ, before visiting the Armistice Talks Hall. From here, head down to the border itself, where, under the watchful eyes of the South Korean soldiers, you will step into one of the huts which straddles the North-South border. In Kaesong visit the Koryo History Museum before returning to Pyongyang, stopping en route at the Monument to The Three Charters for National Reunification. On arrival in Pyongyang, free time will be given for any final sightseeing. This evening, enjoy a farewell group dinner at the Paradise Restaurant. (B,L,D)

Morning transfer to the airport for flight to Beijing. Alternatively, transfer to train station for overnight train to Beijing. (B)

Day 20: Overnight train arrives into Beijing.