The DPRK Experience – National Day Special – Mt. Paektu Charter – 9 Nights (MASS GAMES CONFIRMED!)

DAY 1 – DEPART FOR PYONGYANG

At 10am, meet us at Terminal 2, Air Koryo counter E, of the Beijing Capital International Airport to check in (flight times to be confirmed but usually Air Koryo flights depart at 1pm). We will hand out your DPRK visas at this time. We will then fly to Pyongyang, the capital of the DPRK and home to many of the most iconic monuments and political sites. Our Korean tour guides will be meet us at the airport with a warm welcome.

En route to the hotel, we’ll stop at the Arch of Triumph, the world’s largest triumphal arch. From the top, we will get our first panorama view of Pyongyang city! Check into the Koryo Hotel, our deluxe accommodation in the heart of Pyongyang popular with local residents, foreign diplomats, delegations, NGOs. Our welcome dinner will be in style at the Koryo Hotel’s top floor revolving restaurant! Visit the Kaeson Youth Amusement Park where the thrillseekers among us can brave the rides with Pyongyang locals on a night out.

Overnight at the Koryo Hotel.

(Meals: L, D)

DAY 2 – DMZ

Take a morning drive through the countryside to the historic city of Kaesong. We will head for the DMZ where we’ll hear from our guides a perspective of the Korean War that often gets discredited or unheard. At the DMZ, explore Panmunjom, shake hands at the exact place that the Armistice Agreement was signed between UN forces and the DPRK, and wave hello to the South at the blue houses in the Joint Security Area. Afterward, we will head to the Koryo History Museum, a UNESCO site, to learn about the Koryo Dynasty (where the name Korea originates). You’ll also have a chance to pick from the most varied range of postcards in the country at the Koryo Stamp Shop.

For lunch, enjoy Pansanggi, a historic Kaesong cuisine traditionally served for royalty. Afterward, stop at the original Sonjuk Bridge, a UNESCO site. On return to Pyongyang, we’ll stop at the Arch of Reunification, an iconic monument spanning the width of the highway, forming the southern gateway to the capital.

Overnight at the Koryo Hotel.

(Meals: B, L, D)

DAY 3 – NATIONAL DAY

We will start the morning off with a walk on Kim Il Sung Square, the 3rd largest public square in the world and home to many of the North Korean military parades broadcast internationally during important holiday events. Take a stroll through the city to the Foreign Languages Bookshop which provides the best chance in the DPRK to pick up postcards, publications, posters and other trinkets that make perfect souvenirs. Learn about the DPRK’s defining ideology, the Juche philosophy, on a visit to the iconic Tower of Juche Idea for the best views in Pyongyang city! Then visit the massive Monument to Party Founding, built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

After lunch, visit the Mangyongdae Native House, the birthplace of President Kim Il Sung. Explore the Kwangbok Supermarket where we’ll have the chance to exchange and use local currency. Head deep underground to take a 5-stop ride on the Pyongyang Metro, the deepest metro in the world, filled with mosaics, monuments, and plaques commemorating the DPRK’s revolutionary history. We will go walking on Moran Hill, a park place buzzing with festivities as locals celebrate the National Day with picnics and dancing! Afterward, we’ll witness (and take part in if you wish!) an unforgettable Mass Dance in the city.

Dinner will be at a local Korean BBQ restaurant, a favorite among locals where we will cook our own meats at the table!

** Tonight we will attend the MASS GAMES 2020! **

Overnight at the Koryo Hotel.

(Meals: B, L, D)

DAY 4 – PYONGYANG, PYONGSONG AND MT. MYOHYANG

After breakfast, visit the Grand People’s Study House, an extensive library used to further education and the heart of study on the national Juche ideology. We’ll then take a tour of the newly renovated Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum and the USS Pueblo in its new spot (the “American Spy Ship” captured in 1968).

After lunch, drive 30km to the satellite city of Pyongsong, known as the ‘Silicon Valley of North Korea’. We’ll first stop at the Konji-Ri Revolutionary Site, the headquarters to the Korean People’s Army during the Korean War. Visit Pyongsong Primary School where we will get to meet and interact with an English class (school supply donations are very welcome!) Visit Pyongsong Square, the heart of the city headed by two grand monuments of the Great Leaders.

Continue our road-trip to picturesque Mt. Myohyang (Myohyangsan). This is a 2-hour drive filled with countryside scenery providing a great window into rural North Korean life. Overnight will be at the Hyangsan Hotel, the self-confessed best hotel in North Korea with striking pyramid design nestled within the mountains.

Overnight at the Hyangsan Hotel.

(Meals: B, L, D)

DAY 5 – MT. MYOHYANG AND RETURN TO PYONGYANG

Our day begins with a formal visit to the International Friendship Exhibition, a massive complex housing the gifts given to the Great Leaders by foreign dignitaries over the years, displayed proudly in over 150 rooms. Here you’ll even find a basketball signed by Michael Jordan presented by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Take the elevator to the top floor and enjoy the mountain view and fresh air while sipping organic mountain root tea.

Visit the ancient Buddhist Pohyon Temple founded under the Koryo Dynasty and which remains populated by practicing Korean Buddhist monks today.

After lunch, join the scenery with a hike on the Manphok Valley trail, an area popular with picnicking locals and filled with dense forest, waterfalls, and temples with great views (bring comfortable shoes; all hiking is optional and at your own pace).

On return to Pyongyang, stroll through Ryomyong Street, a major development project opened in April 2017 on Kim Il Sung’s birthday to worldwide media attention. For dinner, enjoy Jeongol, a Korean-style hotpot at a popular local restaurant before enjoying local craft beers at the Taedonggang Microbrewery!

Overnight at the Koryo Hotel.

(Meals: B, L, D)

DAY 6 – NAMPHO

After breakfast depart for the western industrial port city of Nampho. Our first stop will be the Chongsanri Cooperative Farm, part of a system of collective farms catering to the agriculture needs of surrounding communities. We will meet a local caretaker to learn of their role here, see inside their home, and also visit the impressive bronze monument of President Kim Il-Sung with local farmers. We will stop at the Kangso Mineral Water Factory, a famous name within North Korea, to get a glimpse into the workings of local industry. Drive through Nampho city to see local port life go by and stop at the Nampho City Square containing large monuments depicting the Great Leaders.

For lunch we will enjoy a famous Nampho specialty, Gray Mullet Soup. Then it’s onward to the jewel of Nampho, the West Sea Barrage, a massive dam and tidal wall built in five years across a 8-kilometer section of rough sea. This is a major achievement well known to all North Koreans and a common backdrop in official state media. On arrival back to Pyongyang, witness a performance at the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren’s Palace.

Overnight at the Koryo Hotel.

(Meals: B, L, D)

DAY 7 – CHARTER FLIGHT, SAMJIYON, MT.PAEKTU

In the morning, we will drive to Pyongyang Sunan International Airport where we’ll take our 8:00am Air Koryo charter flight on a 40-seater Antonov AN-24 to the remote Samjiyon Airport (1.5 hours). From there, we travel to Mount Paekdu, the tallest peak in all of Korea which doubles as a supervolcano that’s said to be Charman Kim Jong-Il’s birthplace. Mount Paekdu was formed by volcanic eruption towards the third period of the Cenozoic Era and the crater Lake Chon in the center is one of the deepest (and surely most beautiful!) mountain lakes in the world. The mountain is sacred in both North and South Korea and beyond Chairman Kim Jong-Il’s birthplace, it’s regarded as the origin point of the first Korean kingdom.

Upon arrival, visit and oversee the majestic Lake Chon, which measures about 384 meters in depth. We’ll then have a high-altitude picnic lunch before hiking to the Paektusan Secret Camp that once held the headquarters of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army and which contains Chairman Kim Jong-Il’s Native Home, said to be his exact birthplace. We will see some preserved items from his early years, Jong-Il Peak and other odes to the camps revolutionary history such as monuments and famous slogan trees. Afterwards, we will visit Samjiyon Schoolchildren’s Palace, an extra-curricular facility for children to learn performance arts and sports. Enjoy a special dinner before we check-in for overnight at the Pegaebong Hotel in Samjiyon Town.

DAY 8 – SAMJIYON AND RETURN TO PYONGYANG

Start the day with a visit to the powerful Rimyongsu Waterfall created from the waters of Lake Chon flowing out from the ground-water zone and through the cliff. We will then visit Chongbong Secret Camp, where military guides will tell us about this revolutionary site once occupied by Anti-Japanese guerillas. Lunch will be back in Samjiyon town.

After lunch, we will get the best view over Samijyon County from atop the Samjiyon Ski Resort. Then visit the Samjiyon Grand Monument, a massive bronze monument of a young Kim Il-Sung. This is the second-largest monument to Kim Il-Sung in North Korea and the complex is home to many other large and intricate monuments with backdrops of both Lake Samji and Mt. Paektu! Afterwards, we will head back to Samjiyon Airport for our 18:00 charter flight back to Pyongyang. Take an optional visit to the Kaeson Youth Amusement Park where the thrillseekers among us can brave the rides with Pyongyang locals on a night out. Dinner and overnight will be at the Koryo Hotel.

DAY 9 – PYONGYANG

This morning we’ll start later after a much-needed sleep in. We’ll first make a visit and spend some time with the children at the Pyongyang Orphanage. We’ll then enjoy a relaxing walk around the Pyongyang Zoo, an extensive facility that includes an aquarium and natural history museum. It’s a great place to interact with local families on a day out.

After lunch, we’ll visit the Mausoleum of Tangun where the remains of the founder of the first-ever Korean state are housed. We will visit the Mansudae Art Studio, the most prestigious fine arts studio and gallery in North Korea. This studio is the only one given permission to depict the Great Leaders in monuments, murals and mosaics. We recommend getting the ink block paintings here.

We’ll get one last glimpse of Pyongyang as the locals do with a unique bicycle ride through the capital! This will take us down the elaborate Mirae (Future) Scientists and Changjon Streets and even right through the Kim Il-Sung Square.

DAY 10 – FAREWELL

Morning departure to Beijing. Estimated time of arrival is 10:00 a.m. local time. Please reserve any connecting flights departing after 1pm local time to allow sufficient time for immigration/customs clearance, baggage claim, re-check-in and security.

(Meals: B)

This itinerary is subject to change at any time.