Monday 27^th April

• Meet your YPT guide at 1:30pm at the Beijing Zhong Gu Hotel near Beijing Railway Station found here. During this meeting, we’ll go through the tour’s itinerary, receive DPRK visas and tickets, as well as a great chance to meet your fellow travellers and to discuss any other questions you may have about the DPRK.
• Train takers depart Beijing Central station at 5:25pm for the 24 hour sleeper ride to Pyongyang.

Tuesday 28^th April

• Train group arrive at Dandong at 7:00am for Chinese border control then depart for Sinuiju at 10:00am for the extensive border control from the DPRK side
• Flight takers depart Beijing Airport Terminal 2 on Air Koryo at 12.55pm (Group will meet at Air Koryo check in counter).
• Flight group arrive in Pyongyang at 3:30pm to a warm welcome from your Korean guides.
• Train group arrive at 6:45pm to an equally warm welcome.
• Dinner at a local Korean restaurant on Ryomyong Street
• Check in and overnight at Sosan hotel

Wednesday 29^th April

Morning

• Up nice and early to drive to Kaesong and the DMZ.
• Koryo Museum – Korea’s first university and now a museum of history and culture. Also home of the best stamp and propaganda poster shop in the DPRK – so don’t forget your wallet!
• The DMZ – See one of the most tense places on earth complete with a friendly KPA officer who will not only give you a guided tour but also keep you safe. Also the only place you can take photographs of and even with a soldier!

Afternoon

• Lunch at the Thongil restaurant in Kaesong City – try your hand at traditional Korean Pasangi, a series of dishes served in bronze bowls. (Optional extras – Dog soup 5 euro or Ginseng stuffed whole chicken 30 euro which can be split between several people.)
• The concrete wall of the DMZ – this is a little off the beaten track and gives us a great glimpse at the wall which was erected by the South Koreans during the 70’s. We can even see South Korean watch towers along the hill from the DPRK post
• Drop by Sariwon City (capital of North Hwanghae province) to walk in the local folk custom park and view the city from the mountain pagoda.
• Try locally-brewed Makkoli in the local tea house.
• Photo opportunity of the Monument to the Three Charters of National Reunification that stands over the Thongil Highway.
• Dinner at the famous Duck BBQ restaurant!
• Overnight at the Sosan Hotel.

Thursday 30^th April

Morning

• Kumsusan Palace of the Sun – the Mausoleum for the Great Leader President Kim Il Sung and the Dear Leader Kim Jong Il.
• Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery – final resting place of many of the Anti-Japanese Revolutionaries, each grave features a bronze bust of the figure within.

Afternoon

• Lunch at the Korean Hot Pot Restaurant.
• Visit the recently renovated Korean War Museum – let the local military guide show you around the enormous museum featuring dioramas, locally used weapons, tanks, aircraft and captured American equipment!
• USS Pueblo – The only US Naval Ship still held captive by another nation.
• Foreign Language Bookshop – with a large selection of books in English and other European Languages as well as other souvenirs, followed by a short walk to:
• Kim Il Sung Square – the Central Square of Pyongyang city and the place where all the action happens!
• Stop the Kwangbok Department Store – here you’ll be able to shop with the locals and use local DPRK Won currency!
• School Children’s Palace – the largest of the school children’s palaces (extra-curricular centres) in the DPRK, we’ll first observe some lessons then watch the amazing performance.
• Dinner at KITC restaurant – very famous for its delicious Pyongyang Cold Noodles and Korean Bibimbap dish!
• Overnight in Sosan Hotel.

Friday 1^st May – International Workers Day

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 flowers if you wish: small bunches are 2 euro, larger ones 4).
• Trip highlight – Mt Taesong Amusement Park – celebrate May Day by enjoying some sports and dancing with the local people – football, volleyball, tug of war, sack races, and more! The local fun park also has rollercoasters and other rides for you to jump on and enjoy!

Afternoon

• Lunch at Moran Hill Restaurant.
• Walk to Moran Hill to join the locals for dancing and singing! This is a fantastic opportunity to take photos of the locals celebrating May Day holiday.
• Special celebratory events – yet to be confirmed, but we will take part in any events that are possible for tourists to attend. These may include a parade, a circus performance, a mass dance, and possibly some other fun surprises as well.
• Pyongyang Metro! Ride from Stop 1 to Stop 2 then on to stop 6! Exiting to: The Arch of Triumph – The largest Victory Arch on the planet, it celebrates the victory over the Japanese and the return of the Kim Il Sung to his home city.
• Juche Tower – Monument to the everlasting Juche Ideology (optional 5 euro 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.
• A specially organised banquet dinner with an extraordinary Korean performance
• Overnight at the Sosan Hotel.

Saturday 2^nd May

Morning

• Group A Flyers depart Pyongyang at 8:30am on Air Koryo, arrive in Beijing at 9:55am local time.
• Group A Train members depart at 10:25am for Beijing, arriving at Beijing Railway Station at 9:00 am on Sunday 3rd May.

Group B & C continues Morning

• Morning stroll from the east side of Pyongyang to the west crossing over the Taedong River for a perfect photo opportunity of May Day Stadium – the world’s largest seated capacity stadium
• Mansudae Art Studio – a chance for us to meet local artists where monuments, portraits, sculptures are produced for the country
• Film Studio – over a thousand North Korean films were produced here with backdrops of fake locations such as Seoul, China, Japan and even Europe. We’ll also have a chance to dress up and reinact a scene from the Koryo dynasty
• A gentle hike and BBQ picnic on top of Mt Ryangak – a mountain located just on the outskirts of Pyongyang to enjoy the magnificent views of the capital

Afternoon

• Drive to Nampo City – a major port city located two hours south west from Pyongyang
• Chongsan Co-operative farm – one of the most successful co-operative farms in the DPRK and a great place to learn about the co-operative farming method.
• Kangso Mineral water factory – Home to the DPRK’s most famous sparkling water – with samples!
• Dinner, drinks and overnight at the Ryonggang spa resort with a private mineral spa bath in each room. Here we have an option to have DPRK’s famous BBQ clams for 5 euros extra per person.

Sunday 3^rd May

Morning

• West Sea Barrage – an astounding example of socialist construction, the barrage was built to keep the salty water of the West Sea from rendering parts of the Taedonggang River and surrounding farmland useless, as well as to tame the local sea.
• Tae’an Friendship Glass Factory – A very retro factory in cooperation with the Chinese which produces most of the glass used in the DPRK.

Afternoon

• Lunch at the Pottongang Restaurant.
• Visit the newly renovated Pyongyang Metro Museum – showcases the difficulties and challenges that were faced with making the world’s deepest metro
• Head to the Meari Shooting Range which been recently renovated and equipped with rifles, pistols, archery, virtual games and automatic rifles. $0.50USD cents per bullet.
• Pyongyang Gold Lane Bowling – the busiest leisure center in Pyongyang on a Sunday. Here we have a great chance to mingle with the locals and play a game of bowling for 2.50 euros per game. There’s a Korean built 4D simulator with Korean designed games.
• Mansugyo Beer Bar – usually a very busy and happening bar in Pyongyang, cheap beers with over seven different local brews on tap! Coffee and softdrink also available
• Dinner at the National Restaurant with performance
• Overnight in Yanggakdo Hotel

Monday 4^th May

Morning

• Group B flight members depart at 9:00am for Beijing on Air Koryo. (Arriving at 10:00am Beijing time.)
• Group B train members depart at 10:25am for Beijing on train K28. (Arriving at 9:00am on Tuesday the 5th.)

Group C continues

• Drive out to the beautiful Mount Myohyang – two and a half hours north of Pyongyang.
• International Friendship Exhibition – two large gift houses holding the gifts presented to Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un from people, governments and institutions all over the world. One of the most unique visits we’ll be making this tour.
• Pohyon Temple – One of the 5 famous temples of Korea and one of the largest Buddhist temples in the DPRK.

Afternoon

• Lunch at the Hyangsan Hotel – a 5 star hotel located within the mountain ranges of Mt. Myohyang
• Drive back to Pyongyang and on the way stopping at Ryongmun Cavern – one of the most famous cave complexes in the DPRK and is famous for its stalactite and stalagmite formations.
• BBQ dinner in downtown Pyongyang
• Evening walk along Future Scientist Street – a new residential street constructed in 2015 with local shops and lines of new tall futuristic looking socialist apartment buildings
• Overnight at Yanggakdo Hotel.

Tuesday 5^th May – Unique Sinuiju overnight trip

Morning

• We say goodbye to our Korean guides in Pyongyang and depart by train at 10:25am and arrive in the town of Dongrim at 2:00pm. Dongrim is the nearest town outside of Sinuiju, located south amongst the valleys of the east coast of the peninsula.

Afternoon

• Our new local Korean guides will meet us as we step off the train
• Check into Dongrim Hotel to drop off luggage
• Walk to Dongrim waterfall and explore surrounding valleys
• 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.

Wednesday 6^th May

Morning

• Up nice and early and drive to Sinuiju city (1 hour)
• Visit the Sinamri Co-operative farm 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 North Phyongan Province Revolutionary History Museum – This will go into detail about the history of the local province.

Afternoon

• Lunch at a local restaurant which also features a great souvenir shop
• Head to the local Folklore Park where you can 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
• 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!
• 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.
• Board the 4:30pm bus and go through Korean customs to finish tour in Dandong, China.
• Board the 6:30pm overnight sleeper train to Beijing

Thursday 7^th May

Morning

• Arrive in Beijing Railway Station at 9:00am.

Read More