Experience a part of the world that almost no-one else has visited.

North Korea is a country of 24 million people with all the complexities of any other similar country, and is a country that has to be seen at first hand to be understood.

North Korea Tour A rare and privileged opportunity to understand a very different part of the world
	Occasional extravaganza style parades - some of the largest in the world - are a colorful feature of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Our tour coincides with Korea's National Day Celebration and this year is particularly special - the 100th anniversary of modern Korea's founder, Kim Il-Sung.

Perhaps the least visited country on earth, is North Korea.  Fewer than 2000 westerners get the chance to visit North Korea each year.  Whether you've visited one country or one hundred, the chances are you've never been to North Korea.

At least, not until now....

Read on for details of this special Travel Insider tour to North Korea.  The word 'unique' is often misused, but this tour will be about as close to 'unique' as any travel experience is these days.

You'll go to places where there have been less than 100 western tourists visit, in total, in the last 100 years.  Unlike almost every other country in the rest of the world, you'll never see a McDonalds, or just about any other recognizable western icon at all.  Toto - we're not in Kansas anymore!

An Introduction to North Korea

To the uninformed - and that is probably most of us - North Korea (or, as the official country name is styled, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK for short) seems to be a forbidding and fearsome place and an unlikely choice of vacation destination.

The reality is in part similar to how you might currently perceive the country, but also in significant part, very different indeed.  Most of all, in traveling to visit DPRK, you are giving yourself a chance to replace misunderstanding and ignorance with understanding and direct personal experience - on your part, and perhaps also, to a small extent, on the part of North Korea's people as well.  With such personal contact, misunderstandings reduce and harmony is created.

You will also gain an invaluable insight into one of the few societies as yet almost completely untainted by western 'civilization' in all its worst forms.  You've probably noticed, over the last decade or two or three, how so much of the world is becoming less distinct and more generically similar, due to the internationalization not just of brands but of lifestyles too.

You'll also have a chance to re-examine some of the fundamental and seldom challenged assumptions that have guided our lives and built our values systems to date.  Korea is a country that simultaneously has been our ally (in the war against Japan, World War 2) and our adversary (in the Korean War).

Whether we agree with their perspective on the events that took place or not, it helps us to better understand and appreciate their perspective if we at least listen to their side of the story, and helps us to change our perception of DPRK from a scary rogue state to one with understandable motivations, plans and purposes.  Their motivations, plans and purposes surely may not be the same as ours, and you may leave DPRK still not agreeing with everything to do with their society and system, but you will at least better understand the country and its leadership, and with understanding comes acceptance; with understanding, fear can be replaced with friendship.

The fortunate reality is that if you act respectfully and appropriately (just as we too are doing, now, during the tour, and afterwards), you will find that a tour of North Korea can be an extremely memorable experience and completely unlike that experienced anywhere else in the world.

We seize on the word 'experience'.  A tour of North Korea is not enjoyable in the sense of lazing on a tropical beach doing nothing, but it is absolutely a quintessential travel experience, and surely that is one of the main reasons we stray away from home in the first place.

Tour Dates (2012)

The tour takes place in early September.  Weather will be good - warm to hot, and with this year marking the 100th anniversary of modern Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung, there may be additional festivities related to the Mass Games event.

The tour is guaranteed to proceed, because we already have over 30 people who have sent in their confirming deposits for the tour.

You need to be in Beijing no later than Friday 7 September so as to collect your North Korean visa that afternoon and attend an essential pre-tour briefing provided by our North Korean tour operator in their Beijing office.

We'd accordingly recommend you plan to arrive in Beijing no later than Thursday 6 September, so as to give you an emergency day in case of misconnects or flight problems en route, and better still would be to arrive on Wednesday 5 September or earlier.

We'll be offering an optional pre-tour experience visiting South Korea and seeing the DMZ from the other side of the border, and in and around Beijing if you arrive early.

The tour flies to North Korea on Saturday 8 September, and flies back to Beijing on Thursday 13 September.

We also suggest you plan to fly out of China no sooner than Friday 14 September, and ideally perhaps on Saturday 15th, to allow an extra margin for error on the other end of the tour as well.

Tour Inclusions

• North Korean Visa Application and Processing Fee

• Flight from Beijing to Pyongyang

• Five nights accommodation in what TripAdvisor says is the best hotel in Pyongyang (the Yanggakdo Hotel)a reasonably good and comfortable Pyongyang hotel that has 24/7 electricity and hot/cold water, in a private room with shower and western style toilet, television, and fridge.

• Traveling with a group of like minded Travel Insiders, to avoid the crowded impersonal feeling

• Not just one or two but four Korean guides and two coaches

• Breakfasts every morning

• Lunches every lunchtime

• And - yes, you guessed it - dinners every night, too

• Some alcoholic beverages also included

• All sightseeing as listed in the itinerary

• All transfers and coaching as listed in the itinerary

Tour Cost

The tour with all the inclusions as above is US$2295 per person.

Rates are per person, share twin.

A single supplement of $345 is available.  We can help to match together singles if you'd like to share with a compatible fellow single traveler, but we can not guarantee being able to pair you with a suitable fellow traveler.

These prices reflect a 3% discount for cash/check.  You may also pay by credit card if you prefer.

A $500 per person non-refundable deposit is required to confirm your places on this tour.

Tour Exclusions

Tour does not include the costs of travel to and from Beijing, time in Beijing, or transfers to/from the Tour Briefing Meeting on Friday or Beijing Airport (but if you choose our optional tour extension #2, the Beijing costs will be included)

Tour does not include admission to the Mass Games.  We will buy these tickets locally, and you will simply reimburse us for the exact cost we incur, and you can choose which grade of seating (ie cost) you prefer.

Tour does not include tips (which are expected and an essential part of the tour guides' livelihood).

A Note about the Hotel

As best we can determine, the hotel we will be staying at - the Yanggakdo Hotel - is a perfectly satisfactory and reasonably comfortable hotel.  TripAdvisor rates it as the best hotel in Pyongyang and you can get more of a sense about the hotel and what to expect from its reviews.

The hotel is very large (1001 rooms) and has various activities on site, even a micro-brewery and casino.

Tour Upgrades

There are a limited number of business class seats on the flights between Beijing and Pyongyang.  This is a two hour flight (about one hour of which is actually flying) and to upgrade your fare to business class for the roundtrip would be a $300 option.

Note that the business class seats are sometimes taken over by high ranking party officials with no notice, so the $300 upgrade is sort of a 'space available' thing!  (If you get bumped out of business class, the upgrade fee is of course refundable.)

You can also upgrade your hotel room if you wish.  An upgraded room is larger and generally offers a double bed rather than two twin beds.  This would be a $230 per person option.  There are also special 'double suites' that have two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large common living area that might make sense if there are two couples or a family traveling together.

The Mass (Arirang) Games

One of the most stunning aspects of North Korea's public festivals are their Mass Games.

These games involve over 100,000 participants in a 90+ minute extravaganza of gymnastics and dance, interwoven with acrobatics and dramatic performance.

With so many performers, some amazing displays are possible, for example when all the performers group together then hold up pages from a book; the pages joining together to make huge composite pictures.

The games occur on an irregular schedule and not every year.  However, our best understanding at this stage is that they are likely to be presented on at least one of the evenings during our visit in September.  With this year being the 100th anniversary of the birth of modern Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung, we anticipate the Mass Games may be even more extravagant than normal.

How to Get to China to Join the Tour

You will save money and gain flexible convenience if you arrange your own air travel.  These days airlines seldom give discounts to groups, and sometimes even charge more, while also adding extra restrictions to the tickets!

You can choose whichever carrier has the best fare and the best schedules for you, and you can also choose a carrier that you wish to earn miles with.  You can even cash in miles and fly on frequent flier awards.

We'll be pleased to answer any questions you might have about arranging your air transportation, of course.

We recommend you should plan to be in Beijing no later than Thursday 6 September, and plan to leave no earlier than Friday or Saturday, 14/15 September.  Please see also, below, our optional pre and post tour extensions in China.

Your Flights on Air Koryo

You might be wondering what sort of an airline experience to expect with Air Koryo, the national flag carrier of North Korea.

Air Koryo, with a history dating back to 1950, operates a fleet of 41 airplanes and has a perfect safety record with no passenger fatalities in this 60+ year history of scheduled flying.

Due to trade embargoes making it impossible for DPRK to buy Airbus or Boeing planes, the airline operates an all Russian fleet.  We are most likely to fly on a nearly new (under five years old) Tupolev 204, however, it is possible we may end up on an earlier Tupolev or similar Ilyushin airplane.

Amazingly, many people consider the Air Koryo service better and more reliable than the service offered in competition with it by Air China, and so we've selected Air Koryo for our flights in and out of North Korea.

A limited number of business class seats may be available if you wish to upgrade your flights (this would be a $295 additional cost, roundtrip).

Joining and Leaving the Tour

Please be in Beijing in time to participate in the essential pre-tour briefing on Friday afternoon, 7 September.

We fly to North Korea the next day around midday.

We return from North Korea on Thursday 13 September, arriving back at Beijing Airport around midday.

Adopting a hyper-abundance of excessive caution, we'd recommend you do not book onward travel out of China the same day we return, but add a 'buffer' night or more in China first (see our optional add-on post-tour night in Beijing, below).

How to Extend or Vary this Tour

You can not make changes to the North Korean part of this tour.  The group needs to travel together to DPRK, generally stay together while within the country (we can make exceptions but these need to be arranged well in advance, and if you are feeling tired, you can always simply stay in the hotel during the day), and to all leave together too.

But of course you have every opportunity to do whatever you like before the tour leaves from Beijing, and after the tour returns to Beijing.

1.  South Korea Pre-Tour Extension

We are offering a brief optional extension in South Korea that we recommend to you.

This is a very quick visit to the other Korea, giving you a fascinating opportunity to not only see the other Korean nation, but also to hear how S Korea describes N Korea and the circumstances of their rift in the past, prior to then understanding the North Korean perspective subsequently.

A highlight of this optional add-on is a day trip up to the DMZ where you'll get to almost exactly the same point that you'll visit while in North Korea, but you'll be on the other side of the border.

This add-on includes three nights of hotel in downtown Seoul, a day of touring around Seoul, and a day tour up to the DMZ.

You would arrive into Seoul on or before Monday 3 September, and on Thursday 6 September fly on to Beijing.

2.  Beijing Pre-Tour Extension

We are required to be in Beijing on Friday 7 September to attend a pre-tour briefing and to collect our North Korean visas.  Accordingly we are providing a brief two night pre-tour option in Beijing.

This comprises two nights of hotel accommodation (Thursday 6 September and Friday 7 September), half a day of touring in Beijing on Friday morning, transfers to and from the briefing on Friday afternoon, and transfers to the airport on Saturday morning for our flight on to Pyongyang.

We also have optional meals on Thursday and Friday nights - one at the famous Da Dong Duck Restaurant, so you can say you've had true Peking Duck in Peking, and the other at a traditional style hot pot restaurant.

This option can be combined with the S Korea option that is timed to fit together.

Alternatively you could of course do whatever else you wanted before then joining the two night Beijing option.

3.  Beijing Post-Tour Extension

This short option comprises a transfer back from the airport to the same hotel we'd been staying at in Beijing before going to North Korea, one night of hotel accommodation (on Thursday 13 September), and dinner that night.

This way you can leave anything you wish in Beijing before going to N Korea and conveniently collect it upon your return.

It will also give the group as a whole a chance to celebrate the successful completion of our N Korean tour, to talk about it, and to put it all into a shared context.

You're welcome to extend your time further at the end of this extension (ie on/from Friday 14th), and of course to do anything else you might wish.  However, we think that most of us will be ready for a return home at this point.

Other Options

Let us know if there's something else you'd like us to work up for you.

Travel Insurance

We recommend you should consider travel insurance as prudent protection.  Rather than attempt to sell you some policy ourselves that may or may not suit your needs, we recommend you go to this insurance shopping site, which offers comparisons between something like 100 different policies offered by 18 different insurers, giving you all the options you need.

In particular, you should be certain your insurance policy provides a sufficient amount of medevac type coverage to get you out of N Korea if you experience a serious medical problem.

For more information about travel insurance than you probably ever thought you'd want to know, you can read our three part series on the subject.

State Department Travel Warning

Unlike Cuba, there is no US travel prohibition on citizens visiting North Korea at all.

But please note that travel to North Korea is subject to a US State Department travel warning.  You should read the warning, but you'll see that most of the warning is about what can happen if you enter N Korea illegally, and about the lack of US representation in N Korea.

If you obey the easy to understand rules of conduct while in N Korea, and act respectfully to the country, its culture, and its leadership, exactly the same as we are doing here, you should be fine.

Crime is minimal and there are no specific health warnings or issues other than a slight risk of malaria - a strain that has not yet developed any drug resistance, see the CDC Travel site for more information.

Chinese Visa

You will need a double entry tourist visa to cover your two entries into China - the first entry being to arrive into Beijing prior to flying from there to Pyongyang, and the second entry of course being for your return into China when we fly back again from Pyongyang to Beijing.

Information on how to obtain a Chinese visa is here and the application form is here.

We have always used a visa service to get the visa for us, saving us needing to visit a Chinese consulate in person, and have found the service offered by this company to be fair and reliable and we consider their $40 fee to be money well spent to ensure a safe and speedy process.

Obtaining a Chinese visa is simple and the process is quick.

North Korean Visa

Yes, all citizens of all other countries of course need a visa to visit North Korea too.

However, getting this visa is easier and simpler than you might think.  You simply send us a scan or photocopy of the front double page of your passport and a passport type picture or scan of yourself, and we arrange for a separate visa document to be issued on your behalf by the DPRK government.

You will collect the visa document at the briefing session in Beijing.  Your passport never leaves your possession, and does not get any North Korean stamps in it.

Please note the only exception to this process applies to South Korean citizens.  If you are a South Korean, please discuss with us.

South Korean Visa

If you are choosing to add the South Korean pre-tour option, and if you are a US citizen, you will not need a South Korean visa.  Citizens of most other countries (99 in total) are also exempted from the need to have a visa.

For more information about South Korean visa requirements, please visit this site.

Need More Information?

If you've a question or need more clarification, go ahead and ask. Go ahead and send us an email, or feel free to call us at (206)337-2317.

Tour Terms and Conditions

Our standard terms and conditions apply to this tour.

In addition, please note these extra terms which, where necessary, extend and over-ride the standard terms and conditions :

1.   Deposit is required within seven days of your participation being confirmed.  Full payment is due on or before Friday 15 June 2012.

2.   You require a current passport that will not expire for at least six months after the date of your planned return back to your home country.  You will probably require a double entry visa to China and also a visa for North Korea - discussed in the two visa sections above.

3.   Tour price is subject to change prior to full payment being received and is based on a Euro/US exchange rate in the wholesale range between 1.30 and 1.35 and estimates of 2012 prices for hotels, air fares, touring, etc in DPRK.  If the exchange rate varies outside of this rate prior to final payment being received, and if our estimates need to be updated for actual prices, the tour price will be adjusted (either up or down) to reflect the change in the cost of tour components.  If the price of the tour increases by more than 10%, participants will be offered a no cost, no penalty opportunity to cancel and receive a full refund of all monies paid.  Once final payment has been received, your price is guaranteed.

4.   Triple share rates may be available.  Ask for a quote if this is required.

5.   The luggage allowance on the Air Koryo flights between Beijing and Pyongyang is 20kg (44 lbs) per person.  If you have heavier bags, you may be charged extra.  You can of course leave a bag at your Beijing hotel if you are returning back to the same hotel at the end of your tour.

6.  Traveling to North Korea is different to that you have likely experienced elsewhere in the world.  You specifically agree to accept the required codes of conduct requested of us and you by the North Korean government, and you further specifically understand that any transgressions of these requirements may result in, at the very best, the immediate cancellation of the balance of your tour and your requirement to immediately leave the country at your own cost, and possible increasingly severe penalties beyond that, even an extended period of imprisonment with hard labor.  If you don't feel able to control yourself and/or if you are unwilling to accept the conditions that will be imposed on us and you, please don't come.  Please also note that if you are a full or part time journalist, this must be declared to us with your application to travel and we may or may not get permission for you to join us.

7.  Our tour itinerary is more changeable than is sometimes the case.  We're going to North Korea, not North Carolina or North Dakota, and so different rules apply.  We'll do the best we can to provide the tour as planned, and if things change, we'll make changes as best we can too, but for matters outside our control, you'll have to work with us as best possible, and if such changes cause you to incur extra costs, that may be something you can claim from your travel insurance, but it is not something you can claim from us because it is outside our control.  And - just to be realistic here - please realize that nothing is within our control!

8.  To be blunt, in choosing to travel with us, you, your fellow travelers, heirs and assigns all agree to fully indemnify David Rowell dba The Travel Insider from any and all liability directly or indirectly related to this tour and your participation thereon.

The Travel Insider is licensed by the State of Washington as a seller of travel - registration number 602 036 247.
 

Originally published 5 Jan 2012, last update 19 Apr 2012