Monday 5th July

• 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 6th July

• Train group arrive at Dandong at 7:00am for Chinese border control then depart for Sinuiju at 10:30am for the extensive border control from the DPRK side
• Flight takers depart Beijing Airport Terminal 2 on Air Koryo at 12.55pm (Meet the group at Air Koryo check in counter at 10.00am). Flight group arrive in Pyongyang at 4:00pm 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 the Sosan Hotel

Wednesday 7th July

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 tensest 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 Pansangi- a series of dishes served in bronze bowls. (Optional extras- Dog soup 40RMB or 5 euro).
• 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 b the South Koreans during the 70’s. We can even see South Korean watch towers along the hill from the DPRK post.
• Drive back to Pyongyang stopping in Sariwon to see the folklore park with the opportunity enjoy Makkeoli sold by a local family (5RMB)
• Photo opportunity of the Monument to the Three Charters of National Reunification, standing over the Thongil Highway.
• Stop by Taedonggang Brewery #3 for micro brewed beers, juices or coffee!
• Dinner at a KITC restaurant to try the famous Pyongyang Cold Noodles or Korean Bibimbap
• Overnight at the Sosan hotel

Thursday 8th July

Morning

• Kumsusan Palace of the Sun – The mausoleum where the Great Leader President Kim Il Sung and the Dear Leader Kim Jong Il lie in state
• Walkthrough 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: 40RMB or 5 euros)

Afternoon

• Lunch at a local Korean hot pot restaurant
• 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 general Kim Il Sung to his home city
• Visit the recently renovated Korean War Museum, concentrating on the exhibition on China’s role in the war which is not usually shown to anyone but Chinese tour groups – let the expert local military 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 country
• Juche Tower- The tallest stone tower in the world it represents the eternally burning Korean Juche Ideology
• China Korea Friendship Tower – built on the Moran Hill this tower was built in the late 1950s to commemorate the Chinese sacrifice in the Korean War and the friendship between the two socialist countries
• Dinner at the Famous Lamb BBQ with singing and dancing waitresses
• Trip highlight – Head back to the hotel where we join a discussion group with a local party cadre, who will tell us about politics and ideology in the DPRK and where we have the chance to ask questions and discuss the Juche idea.
• Overnight at the Sosan hotel

Friday 9th July

Morning

• We leave Pyongyang early for the drive to Hoechang County, and to the cemetery where Chairman Mao’s son, Mao Anying, is buried. The bumpy roads are an experience on their own, and a good chance to see the Korean countryside which feels far removed from Pyongyang
• Lunch at the Hoechang Hotel

Afternoon

• Arrive at the Cemetery for Fallen Chinese Soldiers in the Korean War. Hundreds of Chinese People’s Volunteer Army soldiers were buried here and it is a sight for top-level Chinese delegations to come and pay their respects.
• Walk up to the pavilion and the murals depicting the Chinese contribution to the Korean War
• Visit Mao Anying’s grave – the son of Chairman Mao, he was killed by a UN napalm attack and was buried in this cemetery, though some claim his body was later sent back to China
• Drive to the site of the headquarters of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army in the DPRK
• Drive back to Pyongyang and stop by the Kwangbok supermarket, where you will get to see local people purchasing foodstuff, it is the one opportunity for you to use local currency and maybe buy locally produced snacks for tomorrow’s train ride (or flight!).
• Visit Kaeson Youth Park (entry 15RMB or 2 euros, rides 20 to 40RMB extra each depending on how awesome they are).
• Overnight at the Sosan hotel

Saturday 10th July

Morning

• Flight members depart from Pyongyang to Beijing at 8:50am on Air Koryo arriving in Beijing at 9:50am local Beijing time
• Train members depart to Beijing at 10:25am

Sunday 11th July 

Morning

• Train members arrive in Beijing at 9:00am

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