Sonbong and Rajin North Korea Tour: 4 Day Itinerary

Sonbong & Rajin North Korea Tour - this sample 3 nights / 4 days itinerary the North Korea Special Economic Zone, Rason, includes a night by the beach. At KTG Tours we have a variety of itineraries and are constantly exploring new options for our customers. We can arrange independent tours to North Korea all year round and programs can be customised based on your personal requests. Please contact us if you are interested in any specific aspects of North Korea or if there is a specific itinerary you may have in mind.

Day 0

Arrive in Yanji, capital of the Korean Autonomous Region of Yanbian, Jilin Province, China. We have extensive experience in North Korea and in China and know this unique city extremely well.
Please note that we can help make your accommodation arrangements in Yanji and book your tickets there if you need our help to do so.

Rason International Telecommunications building in North Korea (DPRK). This region is full of signs showing that it is a special economic zone in North Korea, officially named DPRK

Ryugyong Restaurant - named like the famous Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, this DPRK restaurant and hotel in Yanji provides some of the tastiest dishes in the whole city. The staff are mainly from Pyongyang, though there are people from other parts of the DPRK. The musical performance attracts as many people as the food does!

Overnight: Ryugyong Hotel, Yanji

Day 1

Breakfast: Ryugyong Hotel, Yanji
We leave early by bus to the border with the DPRK to start our Sonbong and Rajin North Korea tour. Once we go over customs in China we will go over customs in the DPRK. Please note that our luggage will be carefully checked. You will be briefed weeks before the trip and the day before departure on articles than are allowed into the DPRK as well as on your expected behaviour there.
Arrive in Wonjong, North Korea, and meet our local guides.
Transfer by coach to the city of Rajin

Lunch: Local restaurant, Rajin North Korea
Walk around the city centre. We will see the Monument of the President Kim Il Sung, the Monument of the Sun. The Leader Kim Il Sung is officially the Eternal President of the DPRK and he is highly respected.
Rajin Golden Triangle Bank - unique opportunity to see a bank in North Korea. Foreign currency can be exchanged in this North Korean bank.
Rajin Port - we will be able to walk around the port. There are several joint ventures in Rason, mainly with Chinese and Russian companies. To the surprise of many, there are also US companies based in Rason, some of which we have regular contact with. The famous Mangyongbong Ship which was used by many Koreans returning from Japan to the Fatherland in the 1960s and 1970s via Wonsan is anchored here.
Local Kindergarten & Performance - chance to see a truly impressive performance by the children of Rajin
Stamp Shop - DPRK stamps are impressive, many depicting propaganda posters and pictures of the Leaders
Songbong & Rajin North Korea Tour Welcome Dinner: Local restaurant, Rajin

Overnight: Rajin Hotel, Rajin North Korea

Day 2 Farm house in Rason, DPRK. We will be able to walk around this North Korean village located in the remote northeastern part of the Korean Peninsula near Russia and China

Breakfast: Rajin Hotel
Walk around Sahyangsan a mountainous area in North Korea

Lunch: Local restaurant
Souvenir Shop - opportunity to stack up on local stamps, books, DVDs, posters, etc. There are books and DVDs in foreign languages or with subtitles so do not worry if you do not speak Korean!
Art Gallery - see an impressive assortment of DPRK art. It is also possible to purchase some of the work
Kimilsungia and Kimjongilia Flower Exhibition - the flowers were named after the Leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. The Magnolia is the national flower of the country.
Taehung Fish Shop - you can buy seafood and have it cooked for you at dinner. The seafood and fish is extremely fresh in this area where the lack of a busy industrial environment means that the waters are unpolluted.
Rajin Shoes Factory and the Rason Textile Factory - these are both joint ventures, something not too common in the DPRK
Foreign Language School - we will be able to walk around the school and to interact in English with the Korean students!
Rajin Beach Park - we will have a relaxing walk and see locals spend an evening of leisure. Great way to finish an intensive first two days in this remote part of the DPRK

Overnight: Rajin Hotel, Rajin North Korea

Day 3

AM Chujin beach in Rason, DPRK (North Korea) with KTG

Breakfast: Rajin Hotel
Early departure to the Pipha area
Pipha Isle
Drive by the known Emperor Hotel & Casino
Boat Ride - this is optional (100 RMB) and lasts around one hour. The main purpose is to spot some sea-lions and feed the seagulls. Those of you not interested in joining can explore the seafront.

Lunch: Pipha Isle - we will have some seafood by the stands located right at the seafront!
Chujin beach - chance to relax by the beach and to make some Korean Kimchi! We cannot stress how transparent the water is in the sea in Rason.
Dinner: local restaurant
The Chujin Tourism Hotel is located by the seafront where the lush landscape blends into the sea. We strongly recommend an early morning stroll by the beach in the morning!

Taehung Seafood Processing factory in Rason, North Korea. This is a special economic zone in the far northeastern part of the DPRK

Overnight: Chujin Hotel

Day 4

Breakfast: Chujin Hotel
Taehung Seafood Processing Factory - Rason is well known for its seafood and it is not uncommon for Chinese tourists to go there mainly for the seafood and the beaches.
Sungjondae - historical site dedicated to the Korean Admiral Ri Sun Shin, considered one of the best admirals in history and a hero on the Korean Peninsula.

Lunch: local restaurant
Sonbong Revolutionary Site - this is where the Leader Kim Il Sung re-entered Korea after Liberation from Japan. Korea was a Japanese colony for decades. If interested in the recent and ancient past of Korea please see our North Korea History section.
Leave Rajin and head back to the Chinese border
Customs at Wojong, DPRK
Drive back to the capital of Yanbian,Yanji.

End of the 4 day Sonbong & Rajin North Korea Tour

Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin, China | KTG® Travel guide
KTG® Tours | The Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture is located in Jilin province, Northeast China, bordering North Korea (DPRK) and Russia. A unique region where Chinese, Korean and Russian cultures meet.
Rason Special Economic Zone in North Korea | KTG® Tours DPRK Travel Guide
Rason | KTG® Tours | Casinos, Internal Borders and Economic Experiments in North Korea. The largest Special Economic Zone of the DPRK is located in the far northeastern part of the country bordering China and far east Russia. We arrange budget tours to this part of North Korea. Rason is the joint name given to the Rajin and Sonbong. We will be able to visit a North Korean market and the Golden Triangle Bank
Yanji China | KTG® Tours | capital of the Korean Autonomous region, Yanbian
Yanji in China | KTG® Tours | is the capital of Yanbian, a Korean autonomous region in Jilin province, China. We meet here before going to Rason North Korea and eat at the DPRK Ryugyong hotel, not the one in Pyongyang
Rason Tour | KTG® Tours | short budget trip to Rajin and Sonbong in North Korea
Rason Tour | KTG ® Tours | visit the special economic zone in North Korea Rajin and Sonbong at a low cost budget rate. KTG are experts in trips to North Korea. Discover this remote corner of the DPRK and Yanbian
Rajin-Sonbong - KTG - a Northeastern adventure in North Korea’s Special Economic Zone
Rajin-Sonbong - follow KTG on our two day adventure in this special economic zone of North Korea called Rason bordering Russia & China. Located in the far northeast we arrive here after a 30 hour train ride from Pyongyang!
Pyongyang to Rason with KTG - exploring the DPRK by train with locals!
Pyongyang to Rason by train with KTG - we took this amazing and unique domestic train route rcently opened to visitors, without guides, lasting 30 hours going from the capital of North Korea to Russia. The train is full of people going to the eastern part of the DPRK and the far northeastern part as well as of workers going to Russia