Kim Jong Il Birthday Tour 2017

Kim Jong Il Birthday Tour 2017. The application deadline for this tour is January 8 2017. 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.

If you are not a US citizen, you can also join this tour by train. Please contact us if you are interested in this option.

Day 1 - February 14 (Tuesday)

Depart from Beijing at 13.05 flight JS 152 Terminal 2, Beijing Capital Airport
Arrive in Pyongyang at 15.35 (Pyongyang time)

Night drive around Pyongyang
Arch of Triumph - walk around the area. See the giant mural showing the image of President Kim Il Sung upon his return to Korea after Korea's liberation from Japan in 1945
Hotel check-in: Yanggakdo Hotel
Welcome Dinner: KITC Number 1 Restaurant, Pyongyang

Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang

Please check our Youtube video below. It was shot during our Kim Jong Il Birthday Tour in 2016 and will give you a fair idea of what to expect on this tour. We recommend you to watch in HD!

Day 2 - February 15 (Wednesday)

Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
Depart to Kaesong (Panmunjom, the DMZ) - this city was not destroyed during the Korean War and we can therefore see some traditional Korean architecture. We will then visit the DMZ, the last area where the consequences of the Cold War are still very alive.
38th Parallel (DMZ) - chance to enter the famous blue negotiation rooms where talks between North & South Korea have taken place

Lunch at Tongil Restaurant (Kaesong) - dishes are served in small covered golden plated bowls, with no less than 12 small dishes per person. The number of dishes served symbolised the rank of the person eating and 12 is the highest ranking of all!
Koryo Museum (Kaesong) - the first university in the Korean Peninsula, it dates from the 900s and is located in extremely peaceful surroundings
Stamp shop - just outside of the Koryo Hotel, we usually make a quick stop here. A wide variety of stamps, postcards, artwork, etc can be purchased.
Concrete Wall - allegedly built by the South and only visible from the North. See one of the world's most important nature reserves as hardly any humans have stepped on the land dividing the Korean peninsula since 1953. It is interesting to listen to a WPA personnel tell us the story behind this. The drive there is around 30 to 40 minutes away from Kaesong and we drive by very small villages on the way there.
Drive back to Pyongyang
Dinner: Chongryu restaurant, Pyongyang

Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang

Day 3 - February 16 (Thursday) - National Holiday - Leader General Kim Jong Il's 75th Birthday

Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
Kumsusan Memorial Palace - where the leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il lie in state, one of the most sacred places in the DPRK

Kumsusan Memorial Palace in the winter, Pyongyang, DPRK (North Korea)

Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery - views of the whole of Pyongyang are available atop the hill where this cemetery is located

Mansudae Grand Monuments - Giant bronze statues of the leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. There will be many locals here today
Kimjongilia Flower Exhibition - thousands of locals go to see flowers given to Kim Jong Il on occasion of his birthday. There is usually local media interviewing Koreans
Juche Tower - chance to go up the 150 metre tower (170 metres including the torch) that offers a panoramic view of Pyongyang
Monuments to the Workers' Party - monument consisting of a hammer, sickle and brush that rise 50 metres in the sky
Kim Il Sung Square - This is the square where military parades and rallies take place (the ones we usually see on TV when there are news regarding North Korea)
DPRK foreign Language Bookstore - chance to read & purchase DPRK publications in English and in other languages
Expected Mass Dances - thousands of Korean students dance in a synchronised way and we will have the opportunity to join in!

KTG staff member dancing with Koreans at the Mass Dances on Leader Kim Jong Il's Birthday in Pyongyang, North Korea (DPRK)

There will likely be optional extra activities available such as Music Concerts or Synchronised Swimming shows. These will be offered on the spot once in the DPRK
Local beer bar - chance to have a few drinks before dinner
Dinner: local restaurant, Pyongyang
Expected Fireworks Display after dinner - these are usually held at 8.30 pm

Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang

Day 4 - February 17 (Friday)

Breakfast: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang
Victorious Fatherland Liberation Museum enormous museum holding original vehicles used in the Korean War and explaining the DPRK version of the war. This was restored recently. The theme of the Korean War is very important in DPRK.
USS Pueblo - US spyship captured in 1968 by the DPRK

North Korean Ice Rocket sculpture in Kim Il Sung Square with the Juche Tower in the background

DPRK Ice Rocket Sculpture in Kim Il Sung Square. The Juche Tower can be seen in the background across the Taedong River.

Pyongyang Metro - we will take an extended ride with locals. This is one of the deepest subway systems in the world and the stops are beautifully decorated.
Mangyongdae Native House - the Birthplace of President Kim Il Sung

Lunch: Local restaurant, Pyongyang
Drive to the port city of Nampo - We will drive on the almost completely empty lanes of the Youth Hero Highway which was built by university students at the end of the 1990s i.e. the "Arduous March" period. Some of our Korean guides who we have been working with for many years now actually worked in building this highway when at university. It is always extremely interesting to hear what guides have to say about their own experiences and about life in North Korea by listening to their own personal experiences. With no doubt this helps us make the most out of the trip. Having known the guides for several years after going to the DPRK so frequently has allowed us to create very close relationships with them. This combined with our small sized groups allows our travellers to have more of a personal relation with our guides. Many of our travellers send us messages and pictures for their guides after their trip to DPRK.
Chongsanri Cooperative Farm - see how Koreans work and live in this model cooperative farm. We will be able to walk around the farm and listen to how it is run

Chongranri Cooperative Farm near Nampo, DPRK (North Korea) during the winter

West Sea Barrage - ride along the 8 km long barrage to the hill top with a great view of the project. This project has helped protect the Taedong River and is seen as a national source of pride in DPRK. It has helped reduce floods in Pyongyang and also generated electricity for the local area. Former US President Carter visited the site in 1994 and you can have your picture taken where the Leader Kim Il Sung and him took their picture.

West Sea Barrage (North Korea) in February - the West Sea of Korea is partly frozen in this image

Drive back to Pyongyang through Nampo City Centre - we will be able to see the port on the way back and the main sites in this lively port city
Farewell Dinner: Pyongyang Number 1 Duck BBQ Restaurant

Overnight: Yanggakdo Hotel, Pyongyang

Day 5 - February 18 (Saturday)