Itinerary for "National Day special tour" 7.9-17.9.2010

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: October 14, 2009

Day 1, September 7 (Tue)

a) Departure from Beijing by Air Koryo flight JS 152 at 13.00 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 16.00 local time, transfer to Pyongyang, city sightseeing including 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 8 (Wed)

a) Breakfast. Grand People Study House - DPRK’s biggest library and educational centre located on the North Korea main square – Kim Il Sung’s square.

b) 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. 

c) Lunch.

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

e) Mansudae Art Studio - possibility to buy Korean ceramics, embroidery, paintings etc.

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

g) Dinner at Mangyongdae Restaurant

Day 3, September 9 (Thur) National Day, 62nd Anniversary of DPRK

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) Grand Monuments on Mansu Hill.

e) Ride on Pyongyang Metro.

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

g) Worker Party Foundation Monuments.

h) Walk in Moranbong Park (many Koreans spend a holiday day there. In the midlle of the park - Soviet Army monument)

i) Visit to the American spy ship USS Pueblo, captured by North Koreans in 1968. The 1,000-ton ship, equipped with various kinds of arms and sophisticated reconnaissance facilities, was boarded by 81 U.S. seamen and had been captured just by 7 Korean seamen. Hopefully you meet one of them on this ship. Although the ship's crew were repatriated after a lengthy negotiation, North Korea kept the ship as a war trophy.

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

k) Dinner at Hot Pot Restaurant

Day 4, September 10 (Fri)

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 Panmunjom. Together we inspect the Demilitarized Zone and the Military Museum on the 38th parallel.

b) Trip to Kaesong (capital of Korea up to the 15 th century, which and today is the ginseng cultivation center), located just 8 km from the Demilitarized Zone dividing the 2 Koreas). Walk in Janamsan Park from which the beautiful panorama of the old Kaesong can be admired.

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

d) 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.

e) View on Concrete Wall in the DMZ, build by South Korea (24 km east of Kaesong).

f) Back to Pyongyang. Dinner at Duck Barbecue Restaurant

Day 5, September 11 (Sat)

a) After breakfast departure to Myohyangsan mountains (170 km from Pyongyang ).

b) International Friendship Exhibition (impressive exhibition of gifts from foreigners to President Kim Il-Song and the leader Kim Jong-Il.)

c) Buddhist temple Bohyon.

d) Lunch at the Hyangsan hotel.

e) Walk in the mountains, drive back to Pyongyang, dinner.

Day 6, September 12 (Sun)

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 13 (Mon)

a) Breakfast. Rest on the beach.

b) Drive further to Chongjin, capital of North Hamgyong Province, center of the ferrous metal industry and an important port city. On the way to Chongjin we stop at 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.

c) Picnic lunch at the foot of a beautiful waterfall

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

f) Steelworks kindergarten, art performance by children

g) Overnight at Chongjin Tourist Hotel.

Day 8, September 14 (Tue)

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. On the way to the city we visit 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.

c) Walking around Samji Lake

d) Arrival in Samjiyon, check-in at Baegebong Hotel, lunch.

e) Mount Paekdu Museum

f) Visit of the Samjiyon Schoolchildren's Palace inaugurated in 2006 by the Leader Kim Jong Il in person. Music and dance performance by Samjiyon children.

g) Back to Baegebong Hotel, dinner

Day 9, September 15 (Wed)

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

f) Depature to the airport and departure on charter flight to Pyongyang at 18.00.

g) Arrival in Pyongyang at 19.00, dinner at Lotos Restaurant

Day 10, September 16 (Thur)

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 11, September 17 (Fri)

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.