114网址导航Beijing: +86 10
Our Office:
Travel advice
If you have read some of our
you will see what an amazing
experience a trip to DPRK with us is. We follow with some answers to questions
you might have:
Is it possible to visit
North Korea?
Yes, despite what the majority of people think, it
is possible to visit North Korea as a tourist and we have been doing this since
1993! The only nationality that can't visit as a tourist are citizens of ROK.
Americans are legally allowed to visit both by the DPRK and the US government.
How do I get there?
The only way to travel as a tourist is to join a
tour. You can either sign up for one of our group tours
design a private tour for you . You need to get yourself to Beijing and
arrange your own accommodation there (we can provide recommendations and help with bookings [). We then
take care of all the rest!
How far in advance do I
need to be in Beijing?
We only need you here in time for the pre-tour
briefing which is held at 4pm the day before departure. This is an important
part of the travel process and ensures that you are fully prepared for your
trip and will therefore get the most out of it.
need to give you my passport at any time?
No, all visas are issued using a passport copy and
passport photo which we ask you to send us when you apply for a tour. The visas
are then issued in Beijing on a separate piece of paper so there will be
nothing stuck in your passport.
like to have a visa in my passport - is there a way to get one?
The only way is if there is a DPRK consulate in your
country of residence. We will then arrange for the visa to be issued there and
once it is ready to be collected you will need to make an appointment to have
it issued.
is better, a group tour or an independent tour?
This all depends on you. Many people shy away from
the idea of
but actually, we like to think of ourselves as a
company that runs group tours for people who don't usually do group tours! The
truth is that it is the least expensive option for visiting North Korea and it
is actually a lot of fun to travel with a group of like-minded people. Also,
all of our group tours are accompanied by one of our western staff who are
experts in the DPRK and add real value to the tour.
are more expensive but do have the
added benefit that you can choose your own travel dates and we design the
itinerary to suit your requests.
also get to fit more in as you are able to get round sites more quickly and
some people also like the fact that you have much more one-on-one time with the
Please remember though that there is nothing that
you can do on an independent tour that can't be done on a group tour.
I sign up for a tour?
Once you have chosen
which tour you want to do then you need to complete the . In addition to this you will also need to email us a
scanned colour copy of your passport (full double page) and recent passport
photo. Please note that the passport copy has to be clear and all the
information easy to read when printed out or it will not be accepted for visa
issuance so please test it out before sending! We will then send you the tour
confirmation and invoice so you can pay the deposit. Once we have received that
then we can go ahead and apply for the visa.
I get the DPRK visa and how long does it take?
We usually issue the visa here in Beijing using your
passport copy and photo. It is issued on a separate piece of paper and not
stuck into your passport. If you live in a country that has a DPRK embassy then
you have the option of getting the visa issued there, in which case it will be
stuck into your passport. This is more work from your side as you have to
arrange to take your passport to the embassy, however, it is a good option for
visa-junkies! All tours need to be applied for 4 weeks in advance - this can
sometimes be shortened but in order to avoid running into any problems it is
best to stick to this deadline.
need a visa for China?
depends on how long you are planning on spending in China before and after the
trip and also whether you will be taking the train out of North Korea back to
Beijing. Usually, tourists require a double-entry visa for China but it is now possible to visit Beijing with no
visa for up to 72 hours (for most western nationalities) if you have an onward
ticket to another international destination from Beijing.
If you qualify for this then let us know and we
can send a copy of the DPRK plane ticket and visa to you in advance). If you
return from the DPRK to Beijing by plane then you can again transit with no
visa for up to 72 hours if you have an onward ticket (which must be from
Beijing, must be to an international destination, and must be direct – you
cannot fly for example from Beijing to Guangzhou and then abroad, this is not
considered to be in transit and would require a Chinese visa). If you enter
China by train from the DPRK then you would need a Chinese visa.
It is possible to obtain
a re-entry visa at the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang, however this can be quite
expensive (EUR 60 - 160 depending on your nationality and how quickly the visa
needs to be processed). This should be a last resort.
much does a trip cost?
You can find all the
prices on the tour pages [] or [] alongside the itineraries. All our prices
are in EUR but you are welcome to pay in USD, GBP or Chinese RMB if that is
easier for you.
It seems like a lot of
money - what do I get for that?
The tours are actually extremely
good value for money because they are all-inclusive from Beijing to DPRK and
back to Beijing []. We employ the best
guides and pack the itineraries with exciting places to visit and things to
see. We provide the best possible tour itinerary and our experience tells us
that if you cut any corners you end up missing the best sites and get a second
grade trip. We are aware that tours are expensive but the basic reason for this
is that tourists to the DPRK are obliged to have a full service package. Only
two airlines fly to Pyongyang so there is almost no competition to keep prices
down. There are only 4 trains a week with very limited capacity and there is a
limited choice of hotels that are available to foreigners. If you choose to
travel with Koryo Tours you can book secure in the knowledge that you are
getting the best deal for the best tour of the DPRK available.
Do you offer any discounts?
Yes, students get 10% off
and there are also discounts for groups of people booking together.
journalist, can I visit?
North Korea does not
issue visas to journalists except in special circumstances where they are
invited by the authorities. Occasionally this restriction is relaxed and we are
able to take journalists, if you are a journalist wanting to go then please
contact us and we can try on your behalf or we can add your name to a list to
be informed as and when you are permitted to go. In the past some journalists
have tried to sneak in to DPRK by submitting false details, when this happens
the company they travel with is held responsible and there are in 1997 we were shut down for 9 months when a British Channel 4
journalist came on a tour with fake details - this not only caused us and our
Korean guides problems it also created problems for two aid agencies we had
introduced to the country. Please do not compromise our work in North Korea. We
require each of our tourists to sign a form stating that they will not publish
any articles about the tours without our express permission. Something we are
required to insist upon by DPRK law.
take photos there? How about using a video camera?
You can certainly take
pictures although there are many restrictions on photography that have to be
obeyed in DPRK, however even sticking to the rules you will come out with a
great set of photos. Everyone who visits always takes many more pictures than
they think they will (extra digital memory cards and sticks are NOT widely
available in DPRK so be sure to take plenty of those). The Koreans do not
examine your film or force you to develop the films you have taken (although
the customs officials at Sinuiju may ask to see your pictures if you take the
train out). Video cameras can also be taken into the country but should be used
carefully. In the recent past there have been some limitations placed on
cameras with GPS functions. Enforcement of this policy is rare though.
am there, am I free to go where I want?
No, tourists are not allowed to travel around freely
so at all times other than in the hotel, you will be accompanied by 2 guides
and a driver regardless of how many people in your group. Please remember this
is not a policy set by the travel company but by higher powers and there is no
way round this. Any attempt to sneak off from the guides will have serious
consequences for them and for you.
talk to locals?
Contact with local people
is possible, it’s allowed and is legal both for you to talk to locals and for
them to talk to you. However it can be difficult the main one
being the language barrier (foreign languages are not widely spoken in DPRK). Other
reasons include the fact that people are generally very wary of foreigners and
also are very shy, conservative and careful of drawing attention to themselves.
You are free to attempt a dialogue with a local but do not be surprised if they
are not interested in talking to you. However it can be very rewarding when you
do manage to make some human contact and your guides and tour leader will make
every effort to enable it. We make sure we take you to the best spots for
mixing with the locals, for example the May Day games in the park or at the
Kimjongilia flower show. In terms of finding locals at ease and more willing to
interact with foreigners we suggest visiting the country o
at these times people are often more willing to chat, dance, and share
home-made drinks and so on. A day off work and a little liquid social lubricant
works wonders to break the suspicious veneer!
safe to travel to the DPRK? I have seen stories in the news about tourists
getting detained in North Korea - is there a chance this will happen to me?
We are a British run company and take advice from&the British
Embassy who are based in Pyongyang and therefore have the most relevant advice
for tourists wishing to visit the country& The US Department of State currently recommends against all travel by U.S.
citizens to North Korea. &We of course take this extremely seriously and
make sure that because of our thorough tour briefings, our experienced and
professional staff and guides we make sure our visit to North Korea remains
safe and absolutely one of the most incredible trips possible. Our tour guides
are in North Korea most weeks and have mobile phone contact to our office in
Beijing and regular contact with the British and Swedish Embassies (who look
after US interests). We started tourism to North Korea in 1993 and take in the
highest percentage of western tourists to the country.
The DPRK does not appear
on any lists of countries where it is dangerous to visit and is probably one of
the safest countries in the world for a tourist.
The few instances of foreigners
getting detained in North Korea have happened when they have either entered
illegally, or have committed what the DPRK see as a crime - such as
proselytising. When you travel with Koryo, you are entering the country as a
legal tourist and provided you are respectful and stick to the rules, you will
have absolutely no problems whatsoever.
be spied on/will the guides try and brainwash me?
Despite claims in various
newspapers and blogs it seems to us (although we don't know for sure) very
unlikely indeed that the Koreans would bug the hotel rooms of western visitors.
Paranoid fantasies aside, what can the average visitor possibly have to say
that would be of interest to the Korean authorities? If they want to hear a
foreign viewpoint on something they will ask you! Nevertheless as in all places
in DPRK it is best to restrain any criticisms until having left the country.
The guides, like all North
Koreans, have very strong beliefs which probably differ quite starkly however they will not try to brainwash you for perhaps the simple
reason that their system of 'Juche' socialism is intended for those of Korean
blood only. They are not into spreading world revolution through the mouths of
their handful of western visitors. They express their beliefs and faiths very
strongly and these are held universally throughout the DPRK so it is both
impolite and futile to argue certain points with the Koreans. They will not try
to brainwash you, so don't try to 'liberate' their minds in return, it is
disrespectful, will breed resentment and cause irritation.
visiting North Korea affect me travelling to other countries in the future?
Not at all. There are no countries who will refuse
you entry because you have travelled to North Korea - including the US and ROK.
In any case, for most people there won't actually be any evidence that you have
travelled there anyway as the visa is on a separate piece of paper and this is
what gets stamped rather than anything going in your passport.
a South Korean stamp in my passport - will this cause a problem?
No, the DPRK authorities do not care if you have
visited South Korea before so having a stamp in your passport won't cause any
are the hotels like?
It is not possible for
tourists to stay in back-packer/hostel-type accommodation so the hotel we usually
use in Pyongyang is the deluxe class Yanggakdo Hotel. It is roughly a western 3
star (Chinese 4 star) equivalent and equipped with bars, restaurants, shops,
swimming pool, bowling, casino, and other entertainment facilities (including
Karaoke of course). The hotel has reliable electricity, heating, air
conditioning, hot water, and now have foreign TV channels including BBC World
and Japanese and Chinese TV. There are some slightly cheaper options in
Pyongyang but the drop in standard is generally not worth the reduction in
The hotels we use outside
of Pyongyang are less well developed and have temperamental supplies of
electricity and hot water, however there are some spectacular hotels in other
places in DPRK such as the traditional Korean style Minsok (Folk) Hotel in
Kaesong and the Pyramidal Hyangsan Hotel near Mount Myohyang.
about the food?
As a visitor and guest in
the DPRK you will be well fed with 3 meals a day including meat and fish. The
Koreans take the role of host very seriously so they will always over-cater! The
food in DPRK is far from fantastic but is not too bad - some meals are very
good and some are just good enough. Vegetarians can be catered for although it
cannot be guaranteed that utensils used to touch food will not have touched
meat, or that cooking oil does not contain animal fats. If you are a vegan then
we would need to discuss this with you before your trip. Fruit and chocolate is
scarce in the DPRK so if you need this while you are on the tour then you
should take it with you from Beijing.
Which airlines do you use
and can I take a train in/out of the country?
All our group tours use
Air Koryo which is the national airline and has a fleet of various Russian
models acquired over the years. On flights between Beijing and Pyongyang, Air
Koryo uses one of its two recently bought Tupolev Tu-204-300 planes
(essentially a Russian 757) which date from 2008 and 2010. Air Koryo is a safe
airline and has been in operation since 1956, in that time not one fatal
accident has occurred.
Air China also flies to
the DPRK several times a week so for independent tours you are welcome to use
these, however we prefer to use the Air Koryo fleet. Travelling Air Koryo means
your holiday starts as soon as you get on the plane - the red uniformed Air
Koryo hostesses, the in-flight DPRK magazines, the packed lunch and the North
Korean history announcement over the tannoy are not to be missed.
For those on group tours,
it can be arranged for you to use Air China if necessary but this will likely
necessitate extra nights in Pyongyang at the start and end of the tour and
therefore an increase in cost.
On the majority of our
tours there is the option to take the 23 hour train ride out of the country
back to Beijing (unfortunately, this is not possible for American citizens). We
use the soft sleeper class meaning 4 beds to each cabin. Meals are available in
the dining car.
there be a military parade?
Military parades are held a lot less
frequent less than once a year and only on major
anniversaries. Up until 2012 western tourists were not allowed to attend the
military parades but we managed to get special access to the one held on the
occasion of Kim Il Sung’s 100th birthday (15th April
2012) – not in Kim Il Sung Square itself but we watched as it passed through
the streets joining the locals as they cheered on the tanks! We were also able
to see the same thing on Victory Day 2013 so we hope that this remains an
option for future parades although there are no guarantees.
exactly are the mass games?
The name mass games is actually a bit of a misnomer
as they aren't actually games at all. It is a performance lasting 90 minutes
which involves around 100,000 performers. Think the opening ceremony of the
Olympic Games but on a much larger scale. The best way to get a grasp of what
they are like is to see a clip [] but we recommend actually going to
see them for yourself! They are usually held in August and September but check
with us for updated info.
happens if I get sick in North Korea?
Pyongyang has a
foreigners’ hospital which is of higher quality than the other hospitals in the
country, if you need any medical treatment above the order of a few aspirin or
a plaster/band-aid then you would be sent here (note that Koryo Tours cannot be
held responsible for any medical costs and we require that all our tourists are
covered by medical insurance - we can provide this). In dire emergencies you
should check that your insurance company has a provision to have you airlifted
back to Beijing where there are international hospitals available.
We recommend taking a simple first aid kit
with painkillers, medicine for diarrhea, etc as these are not easily
available.
write about my trip afterwards? Is it ok to put pictures online?
is no problem with you writing a travelogue about the tour, posting pictures on
Facebook or other social media, or other normal and conventional methods of
telling people about the journey. As for blogging this is generally not a
problem either although the North Koreans would consider DPRK-focussed blogs to
be a form of journalism so please do contact us if you are concerned that you
may fall into this classification and we can advise. We are often sent people’s
blog postings and travelogues after the tour so that we can fact-check or
provide any more info for them and are always more than happy to help out in
this regard.
are people who say that visiting a country such as North Korea is wrong and
that all we are doing is supporting the government - is this true?
We don't believe this to
be true. The amount of money the DPRK government receives through tourism is
very minimal and certainly not enough to fund a nuclear programme or the like. Travel
broadens the mind and nowhere is that truer than in North Korea. We believe
that there is a benefit to be gained by both those who visit and those who are
visited from increased human-level contact between both sides. Just as most
North Koreans have hardly any experience of interacting face to face with foreigners
almost nobody outside of the DPRK has ever met a North Korean. We would like to
see that ratio change over time and believe that non-governmental tourism is
the best way to go about this. There are very few restrictions on who can visit
and the United Nations, European Union and other agencies see tourism as a
positive way of engagement.
Are there any other special events
tourists can attend?
Mass Games generally happens every year from August to September although the
dates do vary and sometimes they are not held at all (2014 for example). We do
get access to other celebratory events such as Mass Dancing in public spaces.
We cannot guarantee what celebrations will take place on a national holiday
until quite close to the date and in some cases only on the day. Mass dances
usually take place on national holidays but no advance notice is given but the
guides will be able to find out when and where they are happening on the day
itself. Please contact us and we can update you with what activities are expected.
May Day (workers' day off) is often a great time to attend festive celebrations
with the people (team games such as tug of war competitions in the park) and
mid-April is the Pyongyang festival for Peace and Friendship where entertainers
from around the world (mainly the socialist countries) come and perform. There
is also the Pyongyang Film Festival held once every two years in September. We
always manage to attend the best event that it is possible to attend on
festival days.