Pyongyang’s metro claims to be the deepest in the world. We got to mix it with the locals while traveling on their metro system.Our 2013 tour to North Korea will give you about as much of North Korea as most people are likely to want – an appropriate balance between ‘too much/too long’ on the one hand, and ‘too little’ on the other hand. We don’t promise you’ll leave the country as a newly anointed expert on the country and its people, but you’ll for sure have had your preconceived notions greatly challenged and possibly greatly changed, and you’ll have an appreciation for the country and its people that will be very different to your expectations prior to arriving.
The 35 of us who went to North Korea in 2012 uniformly found it to be an amazing, and yes, even an enjoyable experience, and we’re all delighted to have gone. Come with us in 2013 and you’ll hopefully feel the same way, too.
Dates
You need to arrive into Beijing no later than the morning of Friday 6 September. We suggest that you should arrive on Thursday 5th or sooner, which may require you to leave the US the previous day, Wednesday 4 September, (or earlier).
You will return to Beijing about mid-day on Thursday 12 September. We suggest you stay that night in Beijing, and fly on, either home or anywhere else, on Friday 13 September (or later).
Here’s a planning calendar to help you better understand the dates for the tour and the pre and post tour options.
Planning Calendar
| Day/Date | S Korea Pre-Tour option | Beijing Pre and Post Tour options | N Korea Main Tour |
| You can fly earlier to spend more time in S Korea if you wish | |||
| Sun 1 Sep | Fly to Korea from US today to arrive in Seoul on Monday | ||
| Mon 2 Sep | Arrive Seoul, overnight at hotel | ||
| Tue 3 Sep | Seoul city sights, night 2 | You can fly earlier to spend more time in Beijing if you wish | |
| Wed 4 Sep | DMZ day tour, night 3 | We recommend you fly to Beijing from US today to arrive on Thursday (if you’re not doing the South Korean option) | |
| Thu 5 Sep | fly to Beijing | Arrive Beijing, overnight at hotel | |
| Fri 6 Sep | Beijing tour, briefing for everyone, dinner, overnight at hotel | (Briefing in Beijing) | |
| Sat 7 Sep | transfer to airport, fly to N Korea | Fly from Beijing to Pyongyang, Day 1 of the North Korean tour | |
| Sun 8 Sep | Day 2 | ||
| Mon 9 Sep | Day 3 | ||
| Tue 10 Sep | Day 4 | ||
| Wed 11 Sep | Day 5 | ||
| Thu 12 Sep | arrive Beijing, transfer to hotel | fly back to Beijing | |
| Fri 13 Sep | end of Beijing post tour option (or extend longer) |
Summary Details
(Please visit our other pages for additional information)
The main North Korean tour includes your airfare from Beijing to Pyongyang and return, plus all your accommodation, touring and meals in North Korea from when you arrive on Saturday 7 September until when you depart on Thursday 12 September, plus all applicable taxes.
It does not include the Mass Games – we need to buy those tickets and pay for them with cash in Pyongyang, and it also doesn’t include tips to guides. It also doesn’t include, of course, personal expenses or drinks, and there may be other optional activities in the tour (eg a visit to a Fun Fair, upgraded meal options) that are also offered while we are in North Korea, all at (reasonable) extra costs.
Prices
The main tour is $2495 per person, based on sharing a twin room. If you are traveling alone (and a lot of people did so in 2012, even married people leaving their spouses behind), we can either help see if any other tour members would like to share with you, or you can choose to pay a single supplement of $345.
There are some optional upgrades available.
If you wanted to upgrade your hotel from a standard twin room to an upgraded room, with either a twin or double bed and slightly more space, then this would be an extra $250 per person (or $500 for a single). (There are also larger ‘double suites’ with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large common living area that might make sense for families or two couples traveling together.)
If you wished to upgrade your flights from coach to business class, this would be an extra $330 per person.
You can learn more about the tour here, see a detailed daily itinerary, understand the pre and post tour options, and register for the tour here. Or return back to the main North Korean tour page here.
