Dear All
Please find in this mail an update regarding tours to DPRK
(North Korea)
for US citizens later this year. As you will be aware already DPRK does not
usually issue visas for US citizens so this will be one of only a handful of
opportunities you have had for going in the last few years (last few windows of
opportunity were short periods in 1995, 2002, 2005, and earlier this year). US citizens are never admitted to the country
unless there is a Mass Games performance going on and this fall there has been
an event scheduled to run from August 1st until October 10th,
we have been informed that it is highly likely that US citizens will be permitted entry
at that time.
However there are several important points to be aware of,
this situation is very complicated and as is normal in DPRK not everything is
quite clear, there are unknowns and confusing elements which we have done our
best here to clear up, please see the information below and if you are
interested in making a trip, or have already booked one with us, then please
read very carefully as all information here is important and it is crucial that
all is understood. If anything remains unclear then please get in touch with us
as soon as possible and we’ll be more than happy to clarify and explain.
Please understand that we have no control or influence over DPRK tourism
policy, they are not motivated by factors that other industries are such as
money, the desire for higher tourist numbers, etc so we just have to go by the
information that we are given. Please do be aware though that we have been the
only specialists in this field since 1993 and we do know what we’re
doing! We aren’t in the business of promising things that we are not sure
that we can deliver and have laid out all the information below entirely
honestly without misrepresenting anything. I hope the information contained
here is of interest and hope we can take you on the trip of a lifetime to North
Korea soon, we guarantee you have never been anywhere like it, don’t miss
out on the most unique holiday that it is possible to take!
Please pass on this email and our website details to
anyone you know who may be interested in this opportunity.
Best regards and hope to hear from you
Simon Cockerell (Koryo Group)
- As
mentioned above the Mass Games is scheduled to run from August 1st to October 10th
so any tours that are in DPRK during that time will be able to attend the
performance, however there is a chance that the numbers of US tourists will be limited and as we expect
these tours to be popular we only have US tours listed up until Sept 8th
– 11th at this time as we are not fully confident that we
will be able to run tours for Americans after that date. If you cannot
make one of the earlier tours and are only available to travel in the
second half of September or in October then please let us know and we can
inform you as soon as we have a better idea of the likelihood of tours at
that time going ahead.
- We
are adding one more tour
during this time, it will be on our website at the beginning of next week
and will be for the dates Sept 1st
– 4th this is the last tour we will add until
we hear whether Americans will be accepted after Sept 8th. If
you are interested in this departure please let us know so we can hold a
space for you, tours are selling out now so book early to avoid
disappointment. Please see the very foot of this mail for our updated tour
list.
- In
all past opportunities for US citizens to visit DPRK, tours have been
limited to 3 night stays
only, and with flight in and out from China being the only transport
option; this time round this is highly likely to be the case again but
there is a chance that tours may be
extended by a night and that a train ride back to Beijing at
the end of the tour may be possible. As you will see from our webpage of
US tours available at http://www.koryogroup.com/tours/index-us.html
all tours are currently from Sat – Tues, if it becomes possible we
will offer extensions to Sat – Wed and hopefully exiting the country
by train on the Wednesday which would mean you arrive back in Beijing on
the Thursday morning. As a result of this we ask that you have maximum flexibility in the booking of
onward flights after the tour so that you can take advantage of the
opportunity for a longer stay if it becomes available. We will update as
soon as we know anything more about this but please be aware that it may
be as late as early August (when the first tour is underway) that we know
more. This is far from ideal of course but we don’t want to make any
claims that are not accurate and the truth is that it is speculative at
the moment. We have our fingers crossed and our friends and colleagues in Pyongyang are working
on obtaining permission for extended tours. When you sign up for one of
the tours please let us know if you are
interested in an extension should the possibility arise
- In
the case that longer tours are permitted then obviously the price will
rise somewhat. As you’ll see on our website the standard price for
US regular tours is EUR 1590, and for VIP tours EUR 2290. If the tour is
extended to 4 night stays with the train out then the price will rise to EUR 1840 for regular tours and EUR 2590 for VIP
tours. As always we offer discounts of 10% for students, 5% off
if 3-4 people sign up together, 10% if 5 or more people join as a group
and 10% off for people who have previously traveled with us.
- Group
sizes are limited to 16 people for VIP
groups and 25 people for regular tours, we expect all these
groups to be popular and indeed one tour is sold out already and others
are getting full so we encourage you to sign up as early as possible.
Independent tours (information can be found at http://www.koryogroup.com/tours/independent-us.html)
operate on the same principles as group trips and can be run over any of
the weekends available, please contact Hannah at Hannah@koryogroup.com if you are
interested in reserving one of these, we are taking bookings for these
tours now also – please note the same conditions apply as with the
group tours
- It
may be possible to obtain visas for Korean-Americans (on US passports) but
this isn’t yet certain, we would ask if this refers to you that you
apply as early as possible, ROK passport holders cannot be taken, neither
can journalists or professional photographers, we ask you not to apply for
tours if this covers you
- Why
travel with Koryo Tours? -
North Korea has the smallest tourism market of any country in the world,
less than 2000 westerners visit annually, and the total amount of
Americans that have been there as tourists is almost certainly lower than
750. People there are not used to dealing with Americans and have a very
bad view of the US, as a result they err on the side of caution at all
times (they rarely allow Americans in, the length of stay is restricted,
they charge a higher price for tours, etc) so please be aware that it is a
very different country. However, travel broadens the minds of both the
travelers and the people being visited, increasing US tourists serves to
expose the people of DPRK to Americans who don’t fit their
stereotypical view, this is of great benefit in the long run. It is very
worthwhile traveling there and we try to maximize contact with the local
population at all times and have had great success in doing so. As in all
cases this requires maximum flexibility while on the tour, not all things are possible at all times
and the laws must be obeyed
but the guides are as relaxed as they can be and will facilitate as much
as possible as long as the group has sustained their trust. It is a
destination like no other and we know more about it than anyone else. We
were the first to get American visitors into the Mausoleum of Kim Il Sung
which had previously been off limits to US tourists and we have taken
about 75% of all US
tourists who have ever been to North Korea. In addition to
offering the best value for money by far we also offer unquestioned
expertise and we personally accompany each US group. No other company can
offer this level of service or price, shop around and do the necessary due
diligence; we’re confident you’ll come back to us.
- We
don’t believe in hiding any of the costs of our tours so we charge all inclusive from Beijing to DPRK and back, the
only extra fees that you will need to be concerned about are listed below:
Ø Mass Games ticket
– these cost between 50 and 300 Euros (the 50 Euro ticket is perfectly
good) and are bought on the spot in Pyongyang
Ø Airport Tax
– if departing Pyongyang
by plane a tax of 10 Euros is applied, this is payable in DPRK. No tax payable
if leaving by train and tax departing from Beijing is included in the price already
Ø Visa fee
– the DPRK visa costs 40 Euros for US citizens, we ask that this be paid
to us in cash at the meeting we have for all tourists the day before the tour
Ø Single room supplement – this is 40 Euros per person per night for US citizens
(cost price, not marked up), we don’t force you to pay this just for
traveling alone, if you would rather share then we will find someone in the
group for you to share with, you only have to pay the fee if you specifically
request a single room
So I hope this information has been useful to you. As I
mentioned above, if anything is unclear please drop us an email or call and
we’ll be happy to clarify to the best of our abilities. As soon as any
more up to date information becomes available we will sent it right out to you.
We really hope you can make it with us this year to see the world’s most
unusual country and the most spectacular display on Earth; the Mass Games. It
is not known when the next opportunity for US citizens to travel will be so
grab this chance and travel with us, we guarantee a remarkable and
unforgettable experience, I look forward to hearing from you!
With warmest regards from all of us at Koryo Tours.
2007 US citizens tour list
August 4 – 7 US Tour 7
Sat (plane) – Tues (plane)
Flight in and out, 3 nights in DPRK
Price: 1590 Euros + Mass Games ticket
August 11 – 14 US Tour 8
Sat (plane) – Tues (plane)
Flight in and out, 3 nights in DPRK
Price: 1590 Euros + Mass Games ticket
August 18 – 21 US Tour 9 (VIP
TOUR)
Sat (plane) – Tues (plane)
Flight in and out, 3 nights in DPRK
Price: 2290 Euros + Mass Games ticket
August 18– 21 US Tour 10
Sat (plane) – Tues (plane)
Flight in and out, 3 nights in DPRK
Price: 1590 Euros + Mass Games ticket
August 25 – 28 US Tour 11
Sat (plane) – Tues (plane)
Flight in and out, 3 nights in DPRK
Price: 1590 Euros + Mass Games ticket
September 1 - 4 US Tour 12.1 NEW TOUR
Sat (plane) – Tues (plane)
Flight in and out, 3 nights in DPRK
Price: 1590 Euros + Mass Games ticket NEW TOUR
September 1 - 4 US Tour 12 (VIP
TOUR)
Sat (plane) – Tues (plane)
Flight in and out, 3 nights in DPRK
Price: 2290 Euros + Mass Games ticket
September 8– 11 US Tour 13 (VIP TOUR) FULLY BOOKED
Sat (plane) – Tues (plane)
Flight in and out, 3 nights in DPRK
Price: 2290 Euros + Mass Games ticket FULLY BOOKED
September 8 – 11 US
Tour 14 FULLY BOOKED
Sat (plane) – Tues (plane)
Flight in and out, 3 nights in DPRK
Price: 1590 Euros + Mass Games ticket FULLY BOOKED
