The DPRK Highlights – 4 Nights

DAY 1 – DEPART FOR PYONGYANG

At 10:30am, meet us inside Terminal 2 of the Beijing Capital International Airport to check in for our scheduled departure of 13:05pm. We will hand out your DPRK visas at this time. Timings to be confirmed.

We will then fly to Pyongyang, the capital of the DPRK, home to the most iconic monuments and political sites. Our Korean tour guides will be meet us at the airport with a warm welcome.

Our first stop will be 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. We will enjoy a welcome dinner in the revolving restaurant.

Overnight at the Koryo Hotel

(Meals: L on flight, D)

DAY 2 – KAESONG & THE 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 military 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.

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.

Visit the Grand People’s Study House, North Korea’s national library and the heart of study on the revolutionary Juche ideology. Check out the local intranet, visit the music appreciation room and flick through a handful of the up-to 30 million books said to be available here!

Take a casual evening stroll on Ryomyong Street, home to Pyongyang’s most extravagant apartment complexes and opened in just April 2017 to international media attention.

Overnight at the Koryo Hotel.

DAY 3 – PYONGYANG CITY TOUR

We’ll begin the day with a special visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the grand mausoleum where the late leaders lie in state inside glass sarcophagi (formal dress required).

We’ll then visit the Mansudae Grand Monument, an important site famous for its large, bronze statues of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il. It is customary to bow and lay flowers here.

Visit Pyongyang’s central square, Kim Il Sung Square, home to many of North Korea’s military parades broad internationally. We’ll walk through the city to the Foreign Languages Bookshop, the best chance in the DPRK to pick up souvenirs such as books, stamps, DVD/CDs and posters.

After lunch, look through the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, an elaborate museum depicting the Korean people’s fight against foreign invaders. We’ll have a guided tour of the war remnants, exhibits, and dioramas and learn about the Korean war from the North Korean perspective. We’ll also board the USS Pueblo, the “American Spy Ship” captured in 1968.

We’ll then visit the Tower of the Juche Idea to learn about North Korea’s national ideology, the Juche philosophy, on a visit to the iconic Tower of Juche Idea. We’ll take the lift 150-meters to the top for the best views in Pyongyang city!

Visit the Mangyongdae Native House, a modest straw-thatched house in a serene park setting which is the birthplace of President Kim Il Sung. Pick up some supplies at the Kwangbok Department Store, a five-story department complex filled with local and imported products. It’s one of only two places in Pyongyang where tourists can exchange and use the local North Korean Won.

Tour the grounds and sit in on some classes at the Mangyongdae Children’s Palace, a massive extracurricular facility for young students to further their talents in arts, technical skills, and sports. We’ll get to witness an impressive student performance in the auditorium here!

Cap off the evening with a chance to taste local Korean draft beers at the Taedonggang Bar Brewery No. 3.

Overnight at the Koryo Hotel 

(Meals: B, L, D)

DAY 4 – NAMPO

This morning, we’ll head to the outskirts of the Pyongyang to visit the National Gift Hall, an elaborate multi-floor treasure house filled with the many eccentric gifts given to the Great Leaders from Koreans locally and living abroad.

Then begin our drive to the west coast port city of Nampo, an industrial city known for its trade. This drive here provides insight into local life. Our first stop will be the Kangso Mineral Water Factory (pending availability), a famous name within North Korea, to get a glimpse into the workings of local industry.

Drop into the Chongsanri Cooperative Farm, a model collective farm catering to the agriculture needs of surrounding communities. We will meet a local farming family and see inside their home here.

Then it’s onward to the jewel of Nampo, the West Sea Barrage, a massive dam and tidal wall built in five years across an 8-kilometer section of the rough sea. This is an extraordinary piece of architecture, and a major achievement well known to all North Koreans and a common backdrop in official state media.

On return to Pyongyang, line up your sights and show off your skills at the Meari Shooting Range, where you can fire a pistol, rifle or try your hand at archery.

Dinner will be aboard the Taedonggang Dining Boat! Enjoy views of Pyongyang’s most iconic landmarks and an upbeat performance as we cruise the river Taedong.

Overnight at the Koryo Hotel.

(Meals: B, L, D)

DAY 5 – FAREWELL

Morning departure to Beijing. Estimated time of arrival is 09:50am local time, although flight times are subject to final confirmation. Please reserve connecting flights departing after 14:00pm local time, to allow sufficient time for immigration/customs clearance, baggage claim and re-check-in. Timings to be confirmed.

(Meals: B)

This itinerary is subject to change at any time.