Itinerary for "Special tour 2" 5.9-17.9.2009

Important! The itinerary below is a PRELIMINARY one. Korea Konsult reserves the right to change some parts of the itinerary below if needed.

Last update for this tour: March 12, 2009

Day 1, September 5 (Sat)

a) Departure from Beijing by Air Koryo flight JS 152 at 11.55 am from TERMINAL 2 (Beijing Capital Airport). All passengers should arrive to the airport at least 2 hours before the flight's departure.

b) Arrival in Pyongyang at 14.55 local time, transfer to Pyongyang, city sightseeing including Mansudae Grand Monuments on Mansu Hill and Arch of Triumph.

c) Check-in at the hotel Yanggakdo International**** beautifully located in the middle of Taedong river. Room on a high floor. A magnificent view is guaranteed!

d) Dinner at the hotel.

e) Incredible Mass Gymnastics Show of 100,000 performers - Arirang Mass Games. It will be hosted at Pyongyang May Day Stadium, one of the biggest sport arenas in the World. Important! The show date is preliminary and is subject to change The price of the ticket i is not included in the tour price and should be paid directly in Pyongyang before the show starts (from 80 Euro per ticket).

Day 2, September 6 (Sun)

a) Visit to the Kumsusan Memorial Palace - the Mausoleum of President Kim Il-Sung (tourists must follow a strict dress code - no shorts, no blue jeans and mini-skirts, no T-shirts).

b) Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery

c) Lunch on the No.1 boat Pyongyang on Taedong River

d) Drive to Sariwon city (60 km from Pyongyang) and walk on Folk Custom street.

e) Visit  to the famous museum in Sincheon County where you can see the materials and evidence of crimes committed by American soldiers during the 50-days occupation of this area by the US-army.

f) Drive to Kaesong, (capital of Korea up to the 15 th century, which is today the ginseng cultivation center), located just 8 km from the Demilitarized Zone dividing the 2 Koreas).

g) Dinner at a traditional restaurant and overnight at Folk Custom Hotel (sleep on the floor, Korean traditional style)

Day 3, September 7 (Mon)

a) After breakfast drive to the DMZ and Panmunjom (1953 Armistice village). Our guide force is increased by several North Korean officers who show us around in Panmunjom. Together we inspect the Demilitarized Zone and the Military Museum on the 38th parallel.

b) Back to Kaesong. Visit of King Kongmin Tomb. This twin tomb dates from around 1352 and belongs to a monarch of the Koryo dynasty and his wife. Really beautiful and idyllic place to visit.

c) Lunch at Tongil restaurant in Kaesong. "Tongil" means "Reunification" in Korean.

d) Return to Pyongyang. Visit to a Middle School. You can even visit classrooms and assist at several lessons. The visit ends with a music and dance performance.

e) Dinner at Chongryu Restaurant.

Day 4, September 8 (Tue)

a) Korean War Museum where you can hear and watch the North Korean version of this bloody war 1950-1953. On the museum’s top floor a big rotating war panorama can be seen – a real masterpiece from Korean painters and sculptors.

b) Ride on Pyongyang Metro

c) Korea Film Studio - North Korea's version of Hollywood. Something not to be missed! 

d) Lunch.

e) Drive via Nampo to Chongsangri cooperative farm, the birthplace of the famous Chongsanri spirit and Chongsanri method in North Korean agriculture.

f) We continue our drive to Ryonggang Hot Spa Hotel. Check-in, cure bath (private jacuzzi with hot mineral water in each hotel room).

g) Dinner at the hotel.

Day 5, September 9 (Wed) . National Day, 61st Anniversary of DPRK

a) After breakfast drive back to Pyongyang.

b) Walking in Ryongak Hill, picnic lunch.

c) Juche Tower and surrounding monuments. Elevator to the top of the tower to enjoy the magnificent view of Pyongyang (optional, 5 Euro p/p).

d) Worker Party Foundation Monuments.

e) Pyongyang Circus (10 Euro p/p)

f) Mass Dance Evening on the occasion of the National Day involving several thousand Koreans.

g) Dinner at Duck Barbecue Restaurant.

Day 6, September 10 (Thu)

a) Breakfast. Departure by charter flight to Mt. Chilbo (1hr flight). "Chilbo" ("7 treasures") takes its name from an old Korean legend ; the mountain was believed to contain 7 treasures. Chilbo and its unspoiled landscape presents fantastic views: deep valleys, waterfalls and magnificent seaviews. Mt Chilbo is put on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.

b) Arrive in Orang airport at 09.40 am , bus to Mt. Chilbo.

c) Lunch at Outer Chilbo Hotel, drive to the Inner Chilbo area

d) Sightseeing in Inner Chilbo: Kaesim Buddhist Temple (built in 826), Sungson Pavilion (all sights of Inner Chilbo are seen from this pavillion).

e) Homestay with Korean families at Seaside Chilbo. Sea Chilbo offers beautiful scenery of curious rocks, stretched out over 40 kilometers.

Day 7, September 11 (Fri)

a) Breakfast. Drive to Outer Chilbo. Outer Chilbo is higher than Inner Chilbo and is characterized by many vertical rock pillars. On the Joyak Rock (centre of Outer Chilbo) we can enjoy an extraordinary view of Manmulsang.

b) Walking in the Tok Valley

c) Picnic lunch

d) Rest on the beach

e) Optional: boat trip (1 Euro per person)

f) Dinner

Day 8, September 12 (Sat)

a) Breakfast. Drive to Chongin via Yonbunjing Revolutionary Site. It is a meaningful place where President Kim Il Sung and his wife came with young Kim Jong Il to give on-site guidance.

b) Lunch at Kyongson Hot Spa Restaurant (2 km from Kyongson town built in 1107 during the Koryo dynasty).

c) Optional: walking around the area or enjoying spa facilities (hot bathing, 2 Euro p/p).

d) Drive further to Chongjin, capital of North Hamgyong Province, center of the ferrous metal industry and an important port city.

e) Walk in the city center, visit of Chongjin Revolutionary Museum

f) Steelworks kindergarten, art performance by children

g) Overnight at Chongjin Tourist Hotel.

Day 9, September 13 (Sun)

a) Departure to Orang Airport and flight to Samjiyon (closest place to Mt Paekdu). Samjiyon is a beautiful mountain town 1380 m above sea level and is a known ski resort in the DPRK.

b) Arrive in Samjiyon Airport, drive to Baegebong Hotel, check-in, lunch.

c) Rimyongsu Waterfalls in Rimyongsu village. These falls are beautiful all year around, but in winter they present an especially spectacular view.

d) Visit of Chongbong Bivouac (trees bearing slogans, monument of a Dedicated Poem)

e) Back to Baegebong Hotel, dinner.

Day 10, September 14 (Mon)

a) Breakfast. Departure to Chon Crater Lake on the top of Mt. Paekdu. Mt Paekdu is the highest mountain on the Korean Peninsula (2750 m above sea level), situated in the border between the DPRK and China. Lake Chon is the deepest mountain lake in the World. Mt Paekdu is known for its fantastic scenery, but it is also a sacred place for the Korean Revolution.

b) We use funicular railway to go from the foot of the mountain to the summit (10 Euro p/p for return trip) and then down to the crater lake. you can use stairs (free) or cable car (5 Euro p/p one way).

c) Picnic lunch on the shore of Amnok River (Yalu River). Amnok River is the 803 km long border river between North Korea and China and it is the longest river in the DPRK. Amnok River has Mt. Paekdu as a watershed and starts on the southern foot of the mountain.

d) Visit to Korean Guerilla Secret Camp in Mt Paekdu and Leader Kim Jong Il's Native Home. Jong Il peak rises 1798 m above sea level behind the native home.

e) Back to Samjiyon and visit to Samjiyon Schoolchildren's Palace inaugurated in 2006 by the Leader Kim Jong Il in person. Music and dance performance by Samjiyon children.

f) Dinner. Overnight at Baegebong Hotel.

Day 11, September 15 (Tue)

a) After breakfast drive to Samjiyon Grand Monument erected in 1979 on the shore of Lake Samji with Mount Paekdu as background. This huge and impressive monument was built to commemorate President Kim II Sung's revolutionary activity during the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle.

b) Walking around Samji Lake

c) Mount Paekdu Museum

d) Back to Samjiyon, visit of Samjiyon Skiing Ground, biggest one in the DPRK.

e) Lunch

f) Depature to the airport and departure on charter flight to Pyongyang.

g) Arrival in Pyongyang, transfer to Yanggakdo Hotel, check-in.

h) Farewell dinner at Lotos Restaurant.

Day 12, September 16 (Wed)

Breakfast. Transfer to the railway station and departure to Beijing at 10.10 a.m. One night on the train.

Sightseeing: the railway bridge over Yalu-river is at the same time the North Korean border to China. When crossing this bridge, we see another bridge destroyed during the Korean War. China rebuilt its half of the bridge but North Korea intentionally did not. Instead they wanted to leave bridge in ruins (just piles are seen) as a monument to the Korean War.

Day 13, September 17 (Thu)

Arrival in Beijing at 08.33 am.

Important! We recommend you don’t book any connection flights/trains from Beijing before 5-6 pm on the same day. It is the best to plan the departure from Beijing the day after the train arrival. Please note that Korea Konsult may NOT be held responsible for any flight or train delay.