For the adventurous traveler, this 10-night marathon tour will get you to not only the west coast of Korea where you’ll visit the industrial city of Nampo, but you’ll also get across to the east coast where you’ll tour the seaside city Wonsan and then go hiking on Mt Kumgang – also known as the diamond mountain of Korea.
You will have the opportunity to join in a Taekwondo class at North Korea’s national Taekwondo training center. You’ll be learning the martial art of Korea from the masters, a great opportunity for some exercise and interactions with the locals.
You’ll also be in Pyongyang for one of the country’s most important dates of the year – The Day of the Sun, birthday of Eternal President Kim Il-Sung. Expect a day of merriment for the locals as they enjoy their day off celebrating with picnics in parks, participating in mass dancing events, and then gathering together at Kim Il Sung Square to watch the fireworks display at night.
This tour also includes a comprehensive tour of Pyongyang featuring all the important sights such as the Fatherland Liberation War Museum and the captured spy ship the USS Pueblo, the deep underground Pyongyang Metro, and shopping with the locals at Kwangbok Supermarket. Plus so much more!
Of course, you’ll also head south to Kaesong and the DMZ, where North and South Korea continue their face-off. You’ll also have the opportunity to head north to the lively city of Pyongsong, where you will meet the students at a local school.
TOUR ITINERARY
Pre-Tour Briefing
All marathon tour participants are required to attend a pre-tour briefing that covers regulations, etiquette, safety, and practicalities for travel in North Korea. The briefing lasts approximately one hour followed by a question and answer session. Please be punctual for the briefing. You can come early, meet your fellow travelers and pay your remaining fees. A proper briefing is an essential part of travel to North Korea.
Please pay close attention to the date and times of briefings in the itinerary below.
10:00 | Train Departure - your briefing will be held at this time in Beijing
14:00 / 16:00 / 18:00 | Flight Departure - briefings will be held in the afternoon on this day in Beijing at these times, you only need to attend one briefing (exact times offered to be confirmed)
17:00 - Train travelers depart Beijing Station by domestic sleeper train to Dandong, the Chinese city on the border with the DPRK. Please arrange independent travel to the train station and arrive at least an hour and a half early for the train departure.
Hotel in Beijing not included in the tour for those taking the flight the next day. Contact us for recommendations near out office! Those travelling by train will spend the night on the train.
Please note that the itinerary may differ slightly to what is above, but your tour leader will do their best to ensure that as much is covered as possible and will also add in extras when there is time such as a visit to a local bar, funfair or impromptu city walk.
TRANSPORT OPTIONS
Please read the following for important information about your transport options for this tour. The default option is round-trip train travel from Beijing to Pyongyang, and back again. Flight upgrades are available. Expand the below options for more details.
TOUR EXTENSIONS
Extend your tour with one or all these great tour extensions to the border cities of Sinuiju in North Korea or Dandong in China.
Visa Information
We arrange your North Korean visa as part of your tour package [+60 EUR]. However, given the tour starts and finishes in China you may also need to arrange a Chinese visa for your trip obtained at a Chinese diplomatic mission abroad. We recommend obtaining at least a double-entry Chinese visa for your trip.
Most nationalities will require a visa for China if entering and/or exiting by train.
Over 50 nationalities can obtain a visa-waiver for up to 144-hours when in transit through Beijing using direct international flights to and/or from Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) or Beijing Daxing Airport (PKX). Most other nationalities can transit for up to 24 hours.
Please be sure to check your visa status for travel through China while planning your trip. We are unable to arrange Chinese visas, but can provide documentation in support of visa applications upon payment of a tour deposit.
PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU WILL BE REDIRECTED TO KORYO TOURS APPLICATION SYSTEM TO COMPLETE YOUR BOOKING