Itinerary for "Worker's Party of Korea Anniversary short tour " 8-12/13 October 2011

Important! The itinerary below is a PRELIMINARY one. Korea Konsult reserves the right to change some parts of the itinerary below if needed. Eventual itinerary changes are beyond our control.

Last update for this tour: Nov 5, 2010

Day 1, October 8 (Sat)

a) Departure from Beijing by Air Koryo flight JS 152 at 13.00 am 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, October 9 (Sun)

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)  Visit to the 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) Drive to Sariwon city (60 km from Pyongyang) and walk on Folk Custom street where we try one of the local drinks. Visit of Mount Jongbang and Songbul Temple.

d) Picnic lunch

e) Drive to Migok cooperative farm outside Sariwon. Visiting peasant houses, rice fields.

f) Back to Pyongyang, dinner

Day 3, October 10 (Mon) Worker's Party of Korea 66th Anniversary

a) Breakfast. Mansudae Grand Monuments on Mansu Hill. On this big holiday day many Koreans come to pay their respect to the bronze statue of the great Leader

b) Ride on Pyongyang Metro

c) Worker Party Foundation Monuments.

d) After lunch walk in Moranbong Park (many Koreans spend a holiday day there. In the midlle of the park - Soviet Army monument)

e) 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.

f) A visit to the International Book Store and Stamp Shop- good choice of stamps, propaganda books, tapes, CDs, DVDs, (much cheaper than at your hotel).

g) )Mass Dance Evening on the occasion of the Worker's Party of Korea Anniversary involving several thousand Koreans.

Day 4, October 11 (Tue)

a) 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) .

c)  Reunification street, walk in Janamsan Park from which the beautiful panorama of the old Kaesong can be admired.

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

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

f) Farewell dinner at Duck Barbecue restaurant

Day 5, October 12 (Wed)

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 by the Korean War. China rebuilt its half of the bridge but North Korea intentionally did not. Instead they wanted to leave the bridge in ruins (just piles are seen) as a monument to the Korean War.

Day 6, October 13 (Thu)

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 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.