Extended May Day Tour North Korea

North Korea May Day Tour 2014. The application deadline for this tour is April 3 2014. If interested in extending your tour please send us an e-mail stating how long you would like to extend for and if there are any specific places you would like to visit.

Our extended May Day Tour includes a variety of cities around the DPRK which cover historical sites, port cities and rural areas. If you are looking for an intense program during a signficant date in North Korea either of the May Day Tours may be of interest to you. Please note that you will have plenty of chance to purchase souvenirs in the DPRK whether it be at the hotel where there are vast collections of books, DVDs, etc available for sale or whether it be at stops during the trip at a DPRK books & stamp shop.

Day 1 - April 30 (Thursday)

• Depart from Beijing at 14.00 flight JS 252 Terminal 2, Beijing Capital Airport
• Arrive in Pyongyang at 17.00 (Pyongyang time)

PM

• Arch of Triumph - impressive monument
• Drive by Chollima Statue - built to reflect the DPRK's official policy to reconstruct the country after the Korean War at the speed of the Chollima Horse
• Welcome Dinner: KITC Restaurant
• Hotel check in: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang

Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang

Day 2 - May 1 (Friday) - May 1st National Holiday (International Workers' Day)

AM

• Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel
• Kumsuan Memorial Palace - Mausoleum where the leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il remain in state. Please note that this is one of the most important places in the DPRK. You are kindly asked to dress in formal attire (please contact us for more information regarding this).
• Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery - located near the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in the outskirts of Pyongyang, views of the whole city are offered
• Taeson Park - sporting and dancing events are held here. You will be able to wonder around by yourself in the park and join in the fun with the Koreans!

PM

• Lunch: Picnic lunch at local park or lunch at local restaurant
• Mansudae Grand Monuments - giant bronze statues of the leader Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il
• Moran Park - chance to celebrate locals on this National Holiday. You will be able to join in the singing and dancing. Thousands, and this is no exageration, of people gather here today. The spirits are high and the atmosphere is incredible. Although a capital city, Pyongyang does not receive many Westerners, meaning that you will be treated as a special guest by locals who usually have limited chance to interact with foreigners given that there are not many in the country.
• Juche Tower - stunning views of Pyongyang are offered from the top of this 150 metre tall tower (170 metres if we include the flame!)
• Workers' Party Monuments - if Mass Dances are held you will be able to attend, though this will only be confirmed on May 1st. Thousands of Koreans gather and dance (women wearing traditional Korean outfits and men suits) in a synchronised way. You will of course be more than welcome to join in!
• Ride on Pyongyang Metro - visit several stops as part of this extended ride on one of the busiest days in Pyongyang!
• Local funfair - even if you do not want to go on the rides, this is a great time to see locals have fun on a National Holiday and they will be with no doubt very curious at the sight of foreigners. Rides are 1 to 3 Euros per person but you do not need to try any of them if you would rather simply walk and look around the park, which itself is an experience!
• Dinner: Rungrado Restaurant

Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang

Day 3 - May 2 (Saturday)

AM

• Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel
• Drive to the port city of Nampo on the west coast of the DPRK
• Chongsanrim Cooperative farm - we will have the chance to see where farmers live and work. A visit to a farmer's home or to a school located within the farm premises will be arranged. This is an opportunity to see a unique characteristic of the DPRK which was common in communist states; a cooperative, that is a farm where groups of farmers work and live. It will also allow you to see how people work and live in the farm.
• West Sea Barrage - 8km long barrage that separates the Taedong River and the West Sea. This is a source of national pride in the DPRK. It has helped reduce floods in Pyongyang and also provides energy in the local area. You will have a view of the whole project which also lets you see a variety of ships off the DPRK coasts.
• Drive to Sariwon, the third largest city of the DPRK

PM

• Lunch: March 8th Hotel - hotel located in the city centre named after the International Women's Day
• Chonbang Mountain - located in the outskirts of Sariwon, it is situated in a picturesque quiet environment. Local painters usually come here given the beautiful landscapes that the area offers. We will see the old mountain walls
• Buhddist Temple - also located on Chongbang mountain. Chance to meet a local monk
• Walk around Food Street - We drive back to Sariwon city centre after Mt. Changbang and explore what the city has to offer. Chance to walk around one of the busiest streets in Sariwon and stop by a local "Sul Jib" (meaning wine house or bar) to try some of the local delicassy; makoli, a traditional Korean drink (with low levels of alcohol). Sariwon is renowed for having the best makoli in the DPRK.
• Check local models of ancient pavillions and have an explanation of ancient Korea - apart from seeing models of Korean ancient pavillions and maps of the ancient Korean peninsula, one of the main highlights here is that there are usually Koreans playing games such as shooting targets (corks used as bullets). Not many travellers visit this city and we are always welcome to have a chance at the game!
• Walk up the local hill - the whole city of Sariwon and beyond can be seen from here. The walk itself is not that long, around 5 to 10 minutes, but the views give you a chance of not only seeing people getting along with their daily lives around the city but also the landscape stretching miles away into the horizon
• Drive back to Pyongyang
  
• Dinner: local restaurant, Sariwon

Overnight: March 8 Hotel, Sariwon

Day 4 - May 2 (Sunday)

AM

• Breakfast: March 8 Hotel, Sariwon
  
• Depart to Kaesong (Panmunjom, the DMZ)
• 38th Parallel (DMZ) - chance to enter the famous blue negotiation rooms where talks between North & South Korea have taken place

PM

• Lunch at Tongil Restaurant (Kaesong)
• Drive back to Pyongyang - we will have a break on the 2.5 hour drive back to the capital
• Stop at the reunification Monuments - chance to have some pictures taken at these giant monuments
• Korean War Museum - the newly restored museum shows the DPRK version of the Korean War. The sheer size of the museum is breathtaking
• USS Pueblo - US Spy ship captured by the DPRK in 1968, it sits in North Korea as trophy
• Dinner: Pyongyang Number 1 Duck BBQ Restaurant, Pyongyang

Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang

Day 5 - May 3 (Saturday)

AM

• Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel
• D.P.R.K Film Studio - see where Korean movies are filmed. If lucky you may be able to see the fliming of a movie!
• DPRK Art's Studios - chance to see where different forms of DPRK propaganda and arts are produced
• Grand People's Study House - chance to see Koreans studying. You may have students who are keen to practice their language skills with you! Impressive views of Kim Il Sung Square at the top of the Grand People's Study House are breathtaking.

PM

• Lunch: local restaurant, Pyongyang
• Drive to Mt. Myohyang - located in an isolated and bucholic surrounding, a trip here will allow for some relaxation after having seen so much of North Korea.
• Brief walk around the area
• Hotel check-in: Chongchon Hotel
• Dinner: Chongchon Hotel

Overnight: Chongchon Hotel, Mt. Myohyang

Day 5 - May 3 (Sunday)

AM

• Breakfast: Chongchon Hotel
• International Friendship Exhibition Centre - exposing thousands of presents given to the leaders Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jon Un and Comrade Kim Jong Suk (wife of President Kim Il Sung and mother of General Kim Jong Il). A visit here will give you the chance to see Koreans from all corners of the country as work units all over the DPRK come to see the gifts presented to the leaders of the country
• Drive back to Pyongyang

PM

• Lunch: local restaurant in Pyongyang
• Relaxing walk around the Taedong River ending at Kim Il Sung Square
• Kimilsungia and Kimjongilia Flower ExhibitIon Centre - centre with flowers named after the leaders of the country exposed and visited by many North Koreans
• Golden Lane Bowling Alley - see where locals enjoy their evenings and feel free to have a game!
• Farewell Dinner: local restaurant, Pyongyang

Day 5 - May 3 (Saturday)

AM

• Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel
• 10.40 am Train to Beijing - Please contact us if you are interested in exiting by plane

PM

• Stopover at Sinuiju train station bordering China where DPRK customs takes place (customs officers will come on the train to proceed with formalities). We then cross the bridge over the Yalu River back into China.

Overnight: train

Day 6 - May 4 (Sunday)

Arrive in Beijing at 08:31 am

End of North Korea May Day Tour