North Korea Travel Forum

Hi all,
I'm just getting ready to leave for south korea for a year and while there i would really like to visit the DPRK, I am an Irish citizen but i'm traveling with an israeli dude (no possible way he can go?????) thats not really my query anyway... i've antisipated i'd have to go alone..(alone, as in i dont know anyone but with an organised tour group)
What I want to know is, what's the cheapest way to do this for say 5 days?????
thanks
Fiona

I can't help personally but if you’ve not already done so have a look at VT Member SLLiew’s North Korea page at http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/b0c09/689/ . It might give you an idea about organised tours and what to expect.

Cheers
Clive

A friend of mine is probably going in Summer 2008. I wish I could but we are moving, so no time.
BTW: going from South Korea is not necessarily CHEAPER than from Ireland, even if it is geographically close. Technically, a round-trip train ticket from Bratislava (Slovakia) to Tumangan is a mere 100 Euro (+ reservation). This was many times discussed, so look around transsib topics, too.

HI! Fiona:

Unless I am mistaken, it's not possible to visit North Korea on your own. All visitors to N.Korea do so via organised tours. N.Korea isn't really reaching out to the outsiders and all visitors are tightly monitored. I hardly think a backpacker/individual traveller would be welcomed.

There are tours from China and S.Korea, though recently tours too were allowed from other countries. However, they remained highly supervised and you are not allowed to mingle freely with the locals.

If you think that going in a supervised organised tour is no fun, then the closest thing you can do is to pay the DMZ a visit while in S.Korea. You will get a chance, I was informed, to touch N.Korean soil during the visit so that should be the closest you will get to the country.

As far as I know, the only tour of North Korea that goes direct from South Korea are the Mt. Kumgangsan Tours that lasts between 3 and 5 days; depends on tour package you choose. There are no extensions and the trip costs about $500US. There are longer tours of 9 days and 2 weeks that originate in China, but there is only one that goes direct from South Korea currently. Those other trips cost considerably more. You cannot choose your length of stay in North Korea. All of the tours a "canned" and you are closely monitored with your group. As the other posters have said, you cannot do backpacking of North Korea or slip off on your own. So there is no "cheap" way to do it as the group price is set by the tour agency sponsoring the trip. Below is a link about the Kumgangsan tour packages and costs.

http://www.gonseekorea.com/etc/event2.htm

Thanks, you're tha man, just too bad, it won't be this year either.

BTW: your opinion about a VERY capitalist idea: creating an eBook "Train travel 101 in Europe and Asia" with places Portugal, Sapin, France, UK, Germany, Italy.... Russia, Iran, Syria.... China, VietNam, NKorea being covered - than eBaying it? I mean... I have the Bratislava-Tumangan, Budapest-Venice and, say, P'yongYang-Ussuriisk ticket pricing in my head and/or spereadsheet with all multipliers, discounts... why not make eBook? Of course, NKorea will be just the icing, but France, Germany, Italy, Russia is a mainstream... People like Rick Steve have no clout and just repeat what www.raileurope.com sez, sorry. LP is (regarding trains) "Lame Planet" :-(

Won't say, I am the best, but doing it since childhood as a hobby. Maybe time to make some $$$ out of the hobby?

Whether you travel alone or with a group, you will be assigned two guides and driver. Obviously, that means that the cost of travelling alone is greater than as a member of a group, where the members share the cost. Entry for tourists is from China, either by air or rail.

Ask me again in May, after I've been there......

Also from RU, via Tumangan twice a month. They just won't tell because it's more complicated to arrange.
See the pictures of the Moscow-Tumangan-PY car here:

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ne/North_Korea/pix.html

The ticket in this car from Bratislava till Tumangan is 100 Euro r/t (+ supplement Ussuriisk-Tumangan-Ussuriisk for ca. 40 Euro, Zilina-Moscow-Zilina ca. 40 Euro and Moscow-Tumangan-Moscow ca. 120 Euro. Total: 100+40+40+120 = ca. 300 Euro for the Bratislava-Tumangan-Bratislava round-trip by train).

I already posted the tickets, they are also on the same server.

Individual trips are not allowed, KITC (Korean International Travel Company) which is DPRK's government travel company, only allows group travel.

As far as I know there is no restriction about your Israeli friend visiting. However, I did hear rumors that the groups are segregated by nationality. I highly suggest you contact KITC and request clarrification on that part.

Even if you do not have an organized tour, when you submit your applications, KITC will lump you in with others if they accept your application.

As mentioned, currently the only tour allowed into DPRK from South Korean soil is to hike the mountain. The current cost for that is ~$300 and is a one-day trip with no stops allowed.

I went in September, from South Korea, and had to go via China as the consulate in Beijing is where you must stop to get your papers. From Beijing, you can either fly into P'yongyang, or travel by train through Dandong and over the Yalu river. But due to economics, the train seats go quickly.

SL's travel pages for DPRK are limited to the DMZ from the south.

Here are a few more links you should check:

http://www.koryogroup.com/
http://www.jaunted.com/tag/North%20Korean%20Travel
http://www.northkorea1on1.com/
http://www.stat.ualberta.ca/people/schmu/nk.html

That last one will be the most useful to you as it contains travel logs from visitors and travel agent contacts.