July Ultra Budget Tour & Sinuiju Extension

DESCRIPTION

Join YPT for what we believe to be the cheapest ever travel package to take people into the DPRK!

By making use of traveling from Dandong (which is easily reachable from most of China), and the more than comfortable Chongnyon Hotel in Pyongyang, we are able to offer a great price that has you in the country for 2 nights, 3 days, which is inclusive of one full day seeing all the main sites of Pyongyang.

Stay longer with us on our must-see Group B option for the Sinuiju extension as we spend a night in the DPRK border town city opposite Dandong in China. This city is way off the beaten track and gives you an in-depth look into this busy little city. We’ll visit a Kindergarten, explore the central square and even walk along the river that divides China and North Korea.

Our Group C option gives you the opportunity to fully explore Dandong city which offers many interesting glimpses into the inner workings of the Sino-DPRK Friendship. We’ll make our way north of the city and walk to the very end of the Great Wall of China, take a boat cruise down along the river and step onto the broken friendship bridge. We’ll also give you the chance to explore the opening of an abandoned underground bunker used during the Korean War

This trip is perfect for those people already in China, or those simply traveling through that do not have the time or budget to do a full trip. Please note: All travelers must have a re-entry visa into China as there isn’t enough time to apply for a Chinese visa in Pyongyang and the 144 hour transfer visa doesn’t permit rail use.

ITINERARY

Friday 9th July

Morning

Meet your YPT guide at 7:30am inside the entrance of the Dandong Railway Station to collect train ticket, DPRK visa and go through DPRK procedure.
Board the 10:00am train from Dandong.
Arrive in Sinuiju to go through DPRK entry procedure.
Ride on into Pyongyang and enjoy the beautiful countryside along the way.

Afternoon

Optional lunch on the train (50RMB extra)
6:45pm arrival in Pyongyang to be met with a warm welcome by your guides
Driving city tour of Pyongyang, including a stop at Kim Il Sung Square, the central square of Pyongyang City, for a walk and pictures.
Dinner at a local Korean restaurant on Ryomyong Street.
Check in and overnight at Chongnyon hotel

Saturday 10th July

Morning

Walk through Mansudae Fountain Park and see the mosaic pictures of President Kim Il Sung and the leader Kim Jong Il.
Visit Mansudae Grand Monument – the two large bronze statues of President Kim Il Sung and Leader Kim Jong Il overlooking the city. (Optional extra – you can present a bouquet of flowers for 5 euro)
Grand People’s Study House – library and academic centre for adult learners. This grand building is built in the Korean style and affords a great view over the central square.
Foreign Language Bookshop – shopping central for books, pins, DVD’s, CD’s and periodicals in English and other foreign Languages, followed by a brisk walk to:
Kim Il Sung Square – the central square of Pyongyang City.

Afternoon

Lunch in the KITC restaurant. Here’s your chance to try Pyongyang’s famous Pyongyang Cold Noodles or traditional Korean Bibimap mixed rice dish.
Pyongyang Metro – ride 5 stops on the famous Pyongyang Underground!
Exiting at the Arch of Triumph – the largest Victory Arch in the world, built to celebrate the triumphant return of Kim Il Sung after the anti-Japanese war.
Visit the recently renovated Korean War Museum. Let the expert local guide show you around the enormous museum featuring dioramas, locally used weapons, tanks, etc., and captured American equipment!
USS Pueblo – the only US Naval Ship still held captive by another nation.
Juche Tower – monument to the everlasting Juche Ideology (optional 5 euros to go to the top).
Monument to the Party Foundation – built in 1995 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the worker’s party
Stop by Kwangbok Department store – one of the busiest stores in Pyongyang where we can buy local goods using the local currency
Stop by the local Mansugyo Beer Bar for refreshments – here there are seven different types of locally brewed beer! Soft drinks, coffee and juices also available
Dinner at the National Restaurant with performance!
Overnight at the Chongnyon Hotel.

Sunday 11th July

Morning

Early morning swim in the outdoor pool of the hotel (optional: 5 dollars)
Check out of the Chongnyon Hotel
Board the 10:25am train
Option lunch on the train (50RMB extra)

Afternoon

Group A – Arrive in Dandong Railway Station at 4:30pm and tour concludes
Group B & C – Arrive in the remote village of Dongrim at 2:30pm – Dongrim is the nearest town outside of Sinuiju, located south amongst the valleys of the east coast of the peninsula.
Our local Korean guides will meet us as you step onto the platform
Drive to Dongrim Hotel to check-in and prepare for afternoon hiking
Hike to Dongrim Waterfall and explore surrounding valley of the mountain range, during warmer weather you can take a dip beneath the waterfall
Dinner and overnight at the Dongrim Hotel – a brand new swanky hotel with a swimming pool. sauna, table tennis, massage, bars, karaoke, tennis, basketball and volleyball courts.

Monday 12th July

Morning

1 hour drive to Sinuiju city on the way stopping at:
Sinamri Co-operative farm – we’ll look out to where the locals grow rice, cabbage, chilli and cucumbers
Tour the Pomhayanggi Cosmetics Factory and meet some of the local workers that produce some of DPRKorea’s most famous cosmetics
Visit the mosaic images of the “Three Tigers of Mt. Paektu” Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Suk.
Explore the large central square of Sinuiju and see the statue of President Kim Il Sung and General Kim Jong Il
Visit the North Phyongan Province Revolutionary History Museum – This will go into detail about the history of the local province.

Afternoon

Lunch at local restaurant which also features a great souvenir shop.
Head to the local Folklore Park where there may be chances to engage in traditional Korean activities and some more modern activities too (extra charges apply for partaking in the local games, these will vary from game to game) or you can simply walk around and enjoy the scenery and watch the locals
Visit the Art Studio which holds over 250 pieces of DPRK fine arts in six large halls – some very cool and eye opening art pieces here!
Bonbu Kindergarten and performance – Famous for training the Children who perform in the skipping scene of the Arirang Mass games as well as its long history of training artistic performers. The performance here is the best of any Kindergarten in the country.
Explore Amnok park and walk down to the Amnok River (Yalu River) and see the original Korean/Chinese Friendship Bridge bombed by the Americans during the Korean War. Very few tourist are able to view the bridge from the DPRK side!
Board the 4:30pm bus and go through Korean customs to finish tour in Dandong, China.
Group B – tour concludes
Group C – Dine and experience Dandong’s famous BBQ scene
Overnight in Dandong

Tuesday 13th July

Morning

Visit the most eastern part of the Great Wall at Tiger Mountain – This is famous for the ‘one-meter hop’ as it is the narrowest point between China and the DPRK.
Head back into Dandong city and we’ll go for a gentle hike up to Mt. Jinjiang to overlook Dandong city with Sinuiju in the near distance. Here we can explore the opening of an abandoned underground bunker Mao Zedong constructed to help store ammunition for the Chinese during the Korean War. There’s also an old soviet style theme park opened in the early 1980s.

Afternoon

Lunch at local Dandong restaurant to experience true North East (Dongbei) food – whole hearty dishes of meat, vegetables and tofu.
Jump aboard a boat and travel down the Yalu River, the river that separates China and the DPRK. This will give you fantastic photo opportunities to take of North Korea and the destroyed original Friendship Bridge that was built by the Japanese and then destroyed by the Americans during the Korean War.
After disembarking the boat, now is your chance to walk along the destroyed
Friendship Bridge and see the Chinese propaganda.
End of tour

GALLERY