4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS - NORTH KOREA FOR BEGINNERS 01
(BEIJING - PYONGYANG - KAESONG - PYONGYANG - BEIJING)

 

DAY 1: BEIJING - PYONGYANG (B)
Morning flight to Pyongyang (11:30/14:25). Once in the capital of North Korea and after the customs clearance you will meet the local official guide at the airport. From there the sight seeing tour starts: As for all tourists a must: the first stop is at the Mansundae Grand monument, a huge statue of Kim Il-Sung with his outstretched arm. Proper respect must be shown here, bowing and placing flowers. On the way to the hotel you pass the Arch of Triumph and the Fountain Park. After dinner at the hotel visit the famous Mass Games (only from 4th of August to the end of September). Overnight at the Hotel.
NOTE: If you watch the Mass Games performance on this day we have to omit some visits on the evening which will be the Arch of Triumph and Fountain.

 

DAY 2: PYONGYANG - KAESONG (B/L/D)
Your first stop today will be the Kumsusan Memorial Palace. For this occasion it is a MUST to wear formal dress (don't forget your tie! No joke!) You will continue to the 1000 year old Buddhist temple - quite a surprise! The temple is located in a beautiful setting surrounded by mountains. Continue to the Mausoleum of King Tangun, the mythical founder of Korean nation. Do some photo shots from the top of the Juche (Self-Reliance) Tower (330m). After lunch drive to the Mangyongdae Native House, the birthplace shrine of the president Kim II Sung which comprises several grass roof houses built in a style commonly found in northern Korea. Next stop is the Mangyongdae Fun Fair (1982), a 60 hectares compound offering about 50 kinds of different fun fair amusements. If time permits a visit to the Mangyongdae Children's Palace will be arranged to learn about some North Korean children getting their education there. Later in the afternoon you drive south(2 hrs) towards the old historical city of Kaesong, the only large DPRK city which escaped destruction in the war. There you visit the Tomb of King Kongming. Overnight in Minsok at the Folk Hotel where you sleep in traditional Korean style rooms on heated floors.

 

DAY 3: KAESONG - PYONGYANG (B/L/D)
After breakfast at 7 am drive for abt 20 minutes to the DMZ (demilitarized zone at the border with South Korea) at Panmunjom. On the way back to Kaesong you visit the Koryo Museum which has a display of over 1000 artifacts. It is also famous for the two 500-year-old gingko trees and a 450-year-old zelkova tree. Further on your list – if time permits - is the Sonjuk Bridge, the place where the late Koryo Dynasty statesman Jeong Mong-ju was murdered). Your 13 course royal lunch will be at the Tongilgwan restaurant in Kaesong. Drive the 160 km back to the capital and have a ride in the Metro as there is no visit to Pyongyang without a ride in the two lined underground metro. Farewell dinner at the BB Restaurant in Down Town. Back to the hotel enjoy some local beer and some rounds of bowling. Overnight at the Hotel.

 

DAY 4: PYONGYANG - BEIJING (B)
Take the morning flight to Beijing - and maybe you will come back and see more sites of one of the most secretive countries on our planet earth.