Nampo Travel Guide

A Port City on the West Coast of North Korea

Below is a brief description of some of the main points of interest in and around Nampo.

The statues of the leaders in Nampo were inaugurated on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the DPRK's National Day, 9 September 2015. KTG were the first group of foreigners to go there.

Location of Nampo

Chongsanri Cooperative Farm

West Sea Barrage

Orphanages

Ryonggang Hot Spa Hotel

Golf Course

Glass Manufacturing Factory

Water Bottling Factory

Waudo Pleasure Ground

Nampo (also spelled Nampho) city is located in South Pyongan province on the coast of the DPRK, southwest of Pyongyang.

An approximate 45 minute drive away from the capital of North Korea on the virtually empty Youth Heroes Highway leads to this bustling port city where the site of factories and Chinese joint ventures has become increasingly common in the past few years.

Chongsan Cooperative Farm

Before approaching Nampo this cooperative farm comes to site. An iconic symbol of communist states, cooperative farms basically consist of large farms with several facilities, more like villages, where farmers and their families live; an agricultural system currently literally unique to North Korea. This farm was visited by the Leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on several occasions and was declared a model cooperative farm by the state.

Visiting this farm will allow to walk around the fields to see what is produced there. It is also possible to see the tools and machinery section of the farm.

KTG staff member with the farm's managers

You can visit the cultural hall which is where movies and plays are shown to the farmers and their children, visit the homes of farmers and even the farmers children's day nursery and kindergarten.

Kindergarten at the Chongsan Cooperative Farm

This part of the trip will show you a different angle of the DPRK and is indeed quite a contrast to what is offered in the capital, Pyongyang.

Local guide at the Chongsanri Farm

Farmer shows us her livestock

360° of the Chongsan Farm

Click on the bubble in order to see our 360° image with sound of the Chongsan Farm!

Nampo West Sea Barrage

The West Sea Barrage is approximately 15 km away from downtown Nampo. It is 8 km long and covers the mouth of the Taedong River.

Built in the course of 5 years, it was finished in 1986 (Juche 75). This giant construction is a source of pride in the DPRK.

There is a viewpoint built in the shape of an anchor overlooking the whole project on the Pi Islet which allows viewers have panoramic views of the dam. The dam has a road and rail track and connects both shores of the Taedong River.

360° Image of the West Sea Barrage

Check our 360° image of the West Sea Barrage by clicking on the bubble below:

The West Sea Barrage hasn't just helped the local economy in terms of electricity, but it essentially also turned the Taedong River into a giant artificial lake, separating it from the West Sea and therefore providing fresh water for the local agriculture. As it separates the Taedong River (which leads to Pyongyang) and the West Sea, it protects the inland from floods.

If you go you will be driven on the road that covers the barrage while seeing the West Sea on one side and the Taedong River on the other.

There are various orphanages in Nampo. KTG helps foreign organisations give aid to North Korean orphanages, including those in Nampo. These are not tourist spots and if delegations go there they are expected to give non-monetary help. We have personally seen how the conditions of orphanages throughout the DPRK have drastically improved over the past few years. Please check our DPRK Humanitarian Aid page for more details.

This is where we stay if staying overnight in Nampo. The complex is located in Onchon county, about a 30 minute drive away from Nampo city. We have a page dedicated to this hotel, please feel free to check it out for more information. The complex consists of several duplex viilas and each spacious room has its own mineral hot spa bath tub. The interior designs of the rooms are very retro as tends to be the case with North Korean hotels.

Villa at the Ryonggang Hot Spa Hotel in Onchon county near Nampo

Salty water comes directly from the waterbed beneath the ground (that's right, not from the sea!) and allegedly has countless health benefits.

Picture of one of the rooms of the Ryonggang Hot Spa Hotel near Nampo

Note! According to our Korean partners, in order to fully benefit from the spa, you should not stay in the hot bath tub for over 15 minutes and then only rinse off the salt from the water in a second turn.

A clam barbecue is then usually arranged after the spa session. Nothing like some barbecued clams and oysters while chatting to our North Korean guides and driver and gazing at the stars that cover the clear skies of the west coast of North Korea.

Our friend, Mr. Pak and driver Mr. Kim splash the oysters with petrol (gasoline)

Yes, that is right, these is no ordinary clam BBQ, it is a petrol (as in gasoline) clam BBQ! We strongly recommend you to drink some local North Korean Soju to keep your stomach clean. If you do not have a strong stomach when travelling, then you may consider just sitting and chatting and skip the eating part.

The Ryonggang Hot Spa Hotel also has other leisure facilities such a pool room, table tennis room and Karaoke rooms. Do not, however, expect these to be too busy.

The Thaesong Golf Course is located not too far away from the hot spa hotel. It has 18 holes and around 50 hectares spread throughout 7 km. We arrange golf tours as part of our private tours and group tour extensions so do please let us know if this is something that interests you.

Entrance of Ta'en Friendship Glass Manufacturing Factory

Being able to first handedly see how a heavy manufacturing North Korean factory operates is not something many people have the chance to experience.

Our good friend Ms. Chae, who speaks Spanish and English, smiling with one of our travellers at the Ta'en Factory

The Ta'en factory has Chinese investment but is managed by North Korean personnel. We can see how glass is melted, solidified and cut as we walk through the factories and observe an array of DPRK propaganda posters and paintings used to encourage the workforce. You will be able to see too and painted graphs showing the factory's targets and achievements.

A visit here allows you to see, as the name suggests, how mineral water is bottled. Please note too that this facility may not always be opened to travellers based on local circumstances.

We are usually given free samples of the water bottled here and can buy more if we like.

4 kilometres away from the city, this scenic spot provides a rare combination of cliffs and pine tree inhabited hills all blending into the beach.

North Koreans enjoying a day at the beach in Nampo