EASTERN ADVENTURE BY RAIL IN NORTH KOREA

NORTH KOREA BY TRAIN
‘EASTERN ADVENTURE BY RAIL’
Oct 1 – 11/12 (Sat – Tues/Wed)
Flight / Train
10 nights in the DPRK plus 1 on the train
2890 Euros
Travel by train across North Korea from Pyongyang to Chongjin in the North East!
A stunning travel opportunity that crosses North Korea overland by train from
Pyongyang to the beautiful Mt Myohyang and all the way to therarely-visited east
and north-east coast, and the major industrial city of Chongjin. As the DPRK’s remote
north-east was previously only accessible from Pyongyang by a special charter flight,
you will be among the first foreigners to experience the spectacular scenery between
the capital and the remote North-East Coast.
This tour will provide the opportunity to travel along two routes very seldom
traversed by rail on tours of the DPRK. Firstly, we will make the scenic journey
from Pyongyang to the stunning Mt Myohyang. The long journey northwards from
Hamhung to Chongjin, meanwhile, will reveal entire parts of the country very rarely
seen by foreign eyes, as our train meanders its way through remote mountains and
along the pristine coastline of the DPRK’s far north-east, stopping at as-yetundiscovered cities such as Sinpho and Kimchaek and passing by isolated beaches.
We will be travelling in vintage 1970s carriages with Korean diesel locomotives and
fully-functioning restaurant car, and will travel overnight by train within the DPRK, as
we make our way non-stop back from Chongjin to Pyongyang at the end of the trip.
As a final bonus, we will take a ride on a local trolleybus in Chongjin, adding even
more to what will be a truly ground-breaking tour!
Itinerary:
Friday 30th September – TOUR BRIEFING
4PM - group assembles in the Koryo Tours office for a pre-tour briefing which will
last approximately 1 hour and is designed so that you will get the best out of your
tour. Please be punctual - you can even come early, pay any outstanding tour fees
and browse our art gallery and merchandise.
Saturday 1st October – ARRIVAL DAY
AM: This morning we will meet outside the Koryo office (time to be confirmed) and
together head to Beijing Airport Terminal 2 for our flight Beijing to Pyongyang (1.5
hrs) - the showcase capital of the DPRK.
PM: Upon arrival in Pyongyang (approximately 3:30pm - DPRK is half an hour ahead
of China), we proceed through immigration and customs and meet our guides who
will accompany us during our stay. On arrival we will visit the Arch of
Triumph, built in 1982 to commemorate Korean independence from Japan. This is,
put simply, much like the famous Parisian monument, but bigger. We will also visit
the Mansudae Grand Monuments in the centre of Pyongyang. This monumental
Guidepost Tours, 131 Belinda St., Gerringong NSW 2534 Australia
Phone 1300 733323
Lic # 2TA5895 A division of SCT Travel Group – IATA AFTA Uniglobe / Magellan - ASTA Accreditation & Consumer Protection
website: www.guideposttours.com.au
email: [email protected]
complex was laid out in 1972 to mark Kim Il Sung’s 60th birthday, and consists of two enormous statues of the DPRK’s two leaders (the
second of which was added in 2012). We’ll then check into our hotel for dinner.
OVERNIGHT: Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang - Pyongyang’s premier international hotel
Sunday 2nd October – PYONGYANG CITY TOUR & MT
MYOHYANG
AM: This morning we will visit the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War
Museum, which, as well as an amazing set of war-themed exhibits and displays,
houses a large collection of military vehicles of all kinds dating from the 1940s and
50s. We will begin our first train journey of the tour and depart Pyongyang for Mt
Myohyang – the Mountain of Mysterious Fragrance – two hours north of
Pyongyang. It’s said that the air is so fresh here that, regardless of how much
alcohol you drink, you won’t have a hangover the next day (provided you sleep with
your window open, of course). We’ll leave that up to you to test out! Lunch will be
served in the dining car.
PM: On arrival at Mt Myohyang we’ll check into the hotel in time for dinner.
OVERNIGHT: Chongchon Hotel, Mt. Myohyang (basic but comfortable hotel
surrounded by beautiful scenery; no 24 hr hot water) UPGRADE OPTION: For EUR
120 per person you can stay in the Hyangsan Hotel - renovated in 2010 this is one
of the top hotels in the country and perfect for those who want a little luxury.
Monday 3rd October – MT MYOHYANG
AM: Our first visit of the day is to the area’s main attraction: theInternational
Friendship Exhibition. Built in 1978, these two huge subterranean halls are filled
with gifts to the leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, presented to them by people
from all over the world, including heads of state, as well as ordinary citizens. It’s
estimated that if you spent one minute in front of each gift it would take over a year
to see the whole exhibition. Before stopping for lunch, we take a look around the
nearby thousand-year-old Pohyon Buddhist Temple. It was destroyed during the
Korean War, but was rebuilt as a working temple, complete with North Korean
monks.
PM: After lunch we’ll make our way back by train to Pyongyang in time to check into the hotel and have dinner.
OVERNIGHT: Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang
Tuesday 4th October – HAMHUNG
AM: This morning we re-board our special train for our rail journey eastwards
to Hamhung, passing through the farmland, local towns and rolling hills of the
DPRK’s central areas. This journey takes about 11 hours, and we will have lunch on
board the train in its restaurant car.
PM: We will arrive in Hamhung late afternoon, on the way to our beachside
guesthouse, we will pay a visit to the Hamhung Fertilizer Factory, a huge
complex which provides the best glimpse of socialist heavy industry in the country.
OVERNIGHT: Majon Guesthouse, Hamhung
Guidepost Tours, 131 Belinda St., Gerringong NSW 2534 Australia
Phone 1300 733323
Lic # 2TA5895 A division of SCT Travel Group – IATA AFTA Uniglobe / Magellan - ASTA Accreditation & Consumer Protection
website: www.guideposttours.com.au
email: [email protected]
Wednesday 5th October – CHONGJIN
AM: This morning we will have a city tour of Hamhung, the city’s main square and brutalist Grand Theatre which dominates the
space; the theatre was opened in 1984, and is one of the city’s landmark buildings. We will also visit the statues of Kim Il Sung and
Kim Jong Il, which lie on a hill commanding wonderful views of the monumental centre of this post-war socialist city. We will
depart Hamhung train station late morning for our pioneering journey north to the
remote industrial city ofChongjin on the DPRK’s north-eastern coast. This is a long
journey of 12 hours, and will give us plenty of time to admire the views of
spectacular coastline, isolated beaches and local Korean towns through which we
will pass on our journey. We will have a hearty breakfast and lunch in the train’s
restaurant car.
PM: After meandering through the mountains and up the shoreline of the DPRK’s
north-east, we will arrive in Chongjin in the early evening, just in time to visit the
bar at the local Seamen’s Club for drinks and dinner. A Chongjin institution, this is
a great place to mix, play pool, and drink with locals, and to enjoy the city’s
maritime atmosphere. We will then go to the Chongjin Tourist hotel for the
night. Many of the hotel’s rooms overlook the main train line, providing a great
chance to observe night-time rail traffic and soak up the city’s industrial
atmosphere.
OVERNIGHT: Chongjin Tourist Hotel, Chongjin
Thursday 6th October – CHONGJIN
AM: This morning we will have a comprehensive tour of Chongjin on a vintage
1970s trolleybus! We will visit the city’s vast main square and giant statue of
Kim Il Sung, as well as Chongjin Revolutionary Museum, located on one side
of the square, to learn all about the history of the city and its role in the Korean
revolution. We will also get a chance to discover two educational establishments in
the city, as we tour theChongjin E-library and the Steelworks Kindergarten,
where we will see a musical and dance performance by the local children. Following
this, we will have our second chance to get a feel for DPRK industry, with a tour of
the city’s Foodstuffs Factory. This enterprise has only recently opened to foreign
visitors, and provides a fascinating insight into the production of consumer goods.
PM: Following the morning’s city tour, we will have lunch in a local restaurant in
Chongjin, before boarding our overnight charter train for the port city of Wonsan.
OVERNIGHT: On train
Friday 7th October – WONSAN
AM: Arriving at Wonsan new Railway Station at around 10am, we will first go to
our local hotel to check in, and then head to a seafood restaurant in the city centre
for a delicious, freshly-caught lunch.
PM: This afternoon we will take a tour of this coastal city, which is not only the
location of the DPRK’s main port, but also contains many examples of 1970s and
80s socialist buildings and public spaces. We will take a tour of the city’s huge port
area, as well as its central square, still frozen in the mid-1980s. A highlight of
the tour will be the visit to the city’s Old Railway Station, now a museum, which
we will visit in the early evening. It was from this train station that Kim Il Sung
himself departed for Pyongyang after arriving back in the DPRK in September 1945
after liberation from the Japanese, and we will visit the small hotel in which he
stayed before his departure, as well as the station’s original ticket hall and the very
steam locomotive and carriages which conveyed the leader to Pyongyang.
OVERNIGHT: Dongmyong Hotel, Wonsan
Saturday 8th October – PYONGYANG
AM: This morning we will depart Wonsan and continue our journey by charter train to the capital, as we head westwards back to
Pyongyang through the central towns Yangdok and Sinyang, passing waterfalls, lakes and quiet local settlements on the way. Lunch is
on the train.
Guidepost Tours, 131 Belinda St., Gerringong NSW 2534 Australia
Phone 1300 733323
Lic # 2TA5895 A division of SCT Travel Group – IATA AFTA Uniglobe / Magellan - ASTA Accreditation & Consumer Protection
website: www.guideposttours.com.au
email: [email protected]
PM: After lunch we will arrive in Pyongyang in the mid-afternoon, in time to visit the Korean Film Studios, where most of the major
Korean feature films released since 1949 were made.
OVERNIGHT: Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang
Sunday 9th October – PYONGYANG
AM: This morning we will take a ride on the entire famous, ornatePyongyang
Metro. We will travel through all stations on this system, reportedly one of the
deepest in the world. Its stations are decorated with socialist-realist mosaics and
reliefs depicting the revolutionary history and achievements of the DPRK. On this
special tour, we will be able to alight at all stations on the system to admire the
superb decoration on the platforms.
PM: First stop of the afternoon is Mangyongdae Native House – the native
birthplace of President Kim Il Sung. Next on our itinerary is another Koryo tours
innovation - a tram ride around the city, in some of the classic 1950s vehicles
that still ply their trade on the streets of the DPRK capital. See the streets on a
leisurely drive around the capital, get some great photos, and experience some
vehicles that aren’t in use anywhere else in the world any more. Ideal for
transportation buffs as well as those with a casual interest in cities. Next we visit
the Juche Tower. At 150m, and topped with a flickering red torch, this is the
highest stone monument in the world. To end our city tour we go to the Party
Foundation Monument – an iconic sculpture of a hammer, sickle and calligraphy
brush which was constructed to celebrate 50 years of Workers’ Party rule. Last stop
of the day is at Taedonggang Microbrewery and bar for a well deserved drink
before dinner!
OVERNIGHT: Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang
Monday 10th October – PARTY FOUNDATION DAY!
AM: Our first visit is to the Kumsusan Memorial Palace of the Sun,where North
Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie in state. This is a place of utmost
importance for Koreans and tourists should behave accordingly. Men should wear a
shirt and tie; women should dress smartly. Next we take a short drive to
the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery.Here, you will see superb individually
crafted bronze busts of the country’s anti-Japanese heroes, including one of Kim
Jong Suk (the mother of Kim Jong Il). The cemetery was designed to overlook the
city – the idea being that the fallen martyrs should have a view of their country
being rebuilt. We then visit the Foreign Languages Bookshop and take a leisurely
stroll through the streets of Pyongyang. On our journey, we walk through the heart
of the city, and stop by Kim Il Sung Square. This is where the capital’s mass
dances take place and the military parades pass through.
PM: We will spend the afternoon taking part in the celebrations of the 71st
anniversary of Party Foundation, so there will be some celebrations in Pyongyang
today! We will go first to Moran Park, where we will be able to mingle with
picnicking and celebrating local Koreans as they dance and sing on this national
holiday. We will also hopefully see a Mass Dance in one of the large public areas of
central Pyongyang to mark Party Foundation Day as well as a special circus
performance.
OVERNIGHT: Koryo Hotel, Pyongyang
Tuesday 11th October – DEPARTURE DAY
AM: Today is departure day.
For those flying out the flight departs Pyongyang at 08:20 and arrives in Beijing at
approx 10:00am.
Those taking the train option depart Pyongyang station at 10:10.
The journey to Sinuiju (border city) takes around 5 hours and lunch is served in the
dining car for those who want it (EUR 5).
The immigration/customs procedures on the DPRK side take between 1.5 to 2.5 hrs
and there is no need to get off the train at any time.
The international carriages then continue over the Friendship Bridge which spans
the Yalu River (as you cross look to the left to see the bridge damaged in the
Guidepost Tours, 131 Belinda St., Gerringong NSW 2534 Australia
Phone 1300 733323
Lic # 2TA5895 A division of SCT Travel Group – IATA AFTA Uniglobe / Magellan - ASTA Accreditation & Consumer Protection
website: www.guideposttours.com.au
email: [email protected]
Korean War) and on to Dandong, China. The immigration/customs procedures here are much quicker - around 30 minutes.
Those doing the Dandong option alight here and the train (the carriages attach
onto a Chinese domestic train) departs at 18:30 local time. Dinner can be eaten in
the Chinese dining car (costs RMB 80).
End of tour.
Please note that after the tour, we will send out a list of all the tour participants' email addresses so you can keep in touch, swap photos,
etc. If you do not wish to be on this list then please let us know.
TOUR COST: EUR 2890
VISA FEE: EUR 50
PRE-TOUR MEETING: September 30th (Friday), 4PM, at our office in Beijing
Room upgrades available – please ask for more information.
TOUR FEE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:
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Flight Beijing-Pyongyang-Beijing
All meals on the tour except on the train out of DPRK – see below
Hotel accommodation
All entry fees
Two guides and a driver per group
All transportation in DPRK
NOT INCLUDED IN THE TOUR FEE:
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Optional single room supplement of EUR 40 per night
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The lift up the Juche Tower EUR 5
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SINUIJU EXTENSION: RMB 50 for the bus across the bridge to Dandong to be paid
on the spot to the local guides
Spending money for drinks and souvenirs
DPRK visa fee EUR 50
EUR 50 surcharge for the plane to Beijing
Tip for the guides (approx EUR 20-25 total)
Entry tickets for special events if applicable – for example Revolutionary Opera if
being staged, or a visit to the funfair
Meals will have a complimentary beer but you will have to pay for extra drinks
above those provided. If you are vegetarian or have special dietary requirements
then please inform us beforehand
Guidepost Tours, 131 Belinda St., Gerringong NSW 2534 Australia
Phone 1300 733323
Lic # 2TA5895 A division of SCT Travel Group – IATA AFTA Uniglobe / Magellan - ASTA Accreditation & Consumer Protection
website: www.guideposttours.com.au
email: [email protected]