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Expedition - Pyongyang Marathon, North Korea
Premier
Beijing to Hong Kong Getaway
View tripOverview
Highlights (Bullets)
- Visit the eye-opening demilitarised zone (DMZ) at the border of North and South Korea
- Run the incredible Pyongyang marathon, cheer from the sidelines or take in a football match while runners compete
- Discover delicious Korean cuisine
- Take in the sights at the abandoned village of Panmunjom
- Explore a Confucian university from the Koryo period
- Journey to the Paeksong Revolutionary site
- See the USS Pueblo, a US intelligence vessel still in commission following its capture in 1968
Short Description
Not just for the marathoners among us, this journey into the heart of secretive North Korea comes with a whole slew of incredible sights and experiences. This journey begins and ends in Beijing, and the marathon takes place early on, leaving a week to get under the skin of this isolated nation. Travel around the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, its capital of Pyongyang and surrounding sights like Pyongsong and the demilitarised zone (DMZ). Visit a range of monuments and museums dedicated to the leaders of the country and learn about the history of this truly fascinating place thanks to the North Korean guide who will join you on this journey.
Theme
N/AAttractions & Cities Visited
N/AActivities & Interests
N/AItinerary
Day 1 Beijing
Touch down in China’s massive capital city. Get your bearings and get acquainted with your group in the afternoon. Perhaps head out to sample some tasty street food for dinner.
Day 2 Beijing to Pyongyang
Enjoy a free morning before hopping on a plane to fly to Pyongyang and into North Korea. Your guides – who will accompany you for the duration of your time here – will meet you at the airport, and your experience here begins with a visit to the Mansudae Grand Monument. Afterwards stop by the Arch of Triumph and then take the afternoon for sightseeing. Enjoy dinner at a restaurant.
Day 3 Pyongyang
Leave the city behind this morning and head to the coniferous green hills of Mount Myohyang. Visit the beautiful Buddhist Pyohon Temple and enjoy a visit to the International Friendship Exhibition as well. Take in the beautiful scenery of this picturesque spot before heading back to Pyongyang in the afternoon. Enjoy a group dinner in the evening.
Day 4 Pyongyang
Limber up – today is the Pyongyang Marathon. Of course, if you’re a non-runner there’s still plenty for you to do on this trip so you’ll either participate in the event or watch a football match that is played while the runners compete. Enjoy lunch after the marathon closing ceremony in a revolving restaurant at the Yanggakdo Hotel before visiting the Juche Tower – so named after the philosophy of ‘self reliance’ introduced by Kim Il-sung and built to commemorate his 70th birthday. Visit the Monument to Party Foundation and go deep undergound with the Pyongyang Metro.
Day 5 Pyongyang
Head out for a jam-packed day of sightseeing. After breakfast Visit the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetery and pay your respects before cooking lunch at the Chongryu Hotpot Restaurant. Enjoy a tour with a knowledgeable guide at the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum before visiting the captured warship, USS Pueblo, taken in 1968 while on a US spy mission. Go behind the scenes of the Pyongyang Film Studios and then relax the rest of the day away at the Changwang Health Complex.
Day 6 Pyongyang
Drive to the city of Pyongsong today and explore the Paeksong Revolutionary site, the Pyongsong Textiles Factory and the local Ponghak Brewery. Drive to Kaesong to overnight.
Day 7 Pyongyang
The strip of land designating the demilitarised zone (DMZ) is, despite its name, actually the heaviest militarised border in the world. Visit this fascinating spot and then stop by the abandoned village of Panmunjom. Then, drop into the Koryo Museum to see an amazing Confucian university with over 1,000 artefacts from the Koryo period. Enjoy a traditional lunch before heading back to Pyongyang.
Day 8 Pyongyang to Beijing
Enjoy your last morning in North Korea before heading back to Chinese territory. Board an overnight train to Beijing in the afternoon.
Day 9 Beijing
Your North Korea marathon adventure concludes upon arrival in Beijing – but you could always stay a few extra days to take in as much of this thriving city as you like.
Availability
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4,331 Intrepid Travel Travel Reviews & Ratings
Expedition - Pyongyang Marathon, North Korea
Company Reviews
Sardines in a can
If any of us had been physically inflexible or overweight we could not have coped with the sleeping arrangements . It is impossible to sit on the top bunk and even turning over in bed requires considerable planning .
An adventure does not mean cutting back on basic essentials …
In our view there were too many people in too small a space .
Two complete strangers were also asked to sleep together in an extremely small double bed , which meant that one of them decided to sleep on deck or in the living space .
The only redeeming factor was our Skipper who is professional, friendly , informative and skilled .
I would recommend this trip if the numbers were reduced .
I feel totally cheated
Have not even started and not impressed
No help when things go wrong (seriously ill on trip)
Trip 1- I was taken very ill while in Vietnam and had to drop out of the tour. I had no help from the guide- no help with getting to a doctor (I don't speak Vietnamese and was too ill to get out of bed anyway), he didn't even assist with arranging a hotel room.
Trip 2- I've had to cancel an upcoming (2024) trip, but haven't received the refund despite phoning the customer service line several times. The people I talk to are nice, but don't seem to be able to actually get anything done. They just suggest waiting a bit longer- not sure how long they think is acceptable to hang on to someone's money really.
Check for other companies offtering the same trip
Once I had paid for my trips, it was very difficult to get in touch with Intrepid to ask a question.
During the trips, several times I was told something one day only to have the info change without any good reason. The guides need proper training about dealing with the heat. Some of use suffered from dehydration and heat stroke and the guides were quite flippant about it. I was told that the guides would not leave anyone behind, but it happened several times.
There was one guide (a trainee) who really took some of the pleasure out of my cycle tour. She spoke to me with a tone used for a child. This tone and her attitude to me almost bordered on harassment.
I went on a third cycling tour with a different company after my 2 with Intrepid and it was much better than my experience with Intrepid.
As the demand for ebikes rises, tour companies such as Intrepid need to increase their fleet of ebikes. They also don’t need to charge the huge amount to rent these ebikes. We only want to rent them, not buy them. As the cost of ebikes comes down, if should reflect in the rental price.
Ecuador guide Eitel made the tour…
Details
Flight & Transport Inclusions
Roundtrip air to/from trip start & all internal transport Plane, Bus, Train
Group Size
Intimate Group - 12 max
Maximum Number of People in Group: 14
Maximum of 14 travellers per group.
Accommodations
Hotel (7 nts), Overnight sleeper train (1 nt)
Additional Information
Style descriptions
Our Original style trips have a great balance of included activities with your group and free time to explore independently. Where we stay ensures we keep our travellers firmly entrenched in a region’s people and culture, and provides them with unique local experiences that benefits the community too. In most locations we stay in simple tourist-class hotels (i.e. 2-3 stars), plus on many trips you'll also get to experience a night with a local family on a homestay or something a little different like a Bedouin camp in the Sahara. Original style trips come with all manner of transport modes and use a mixture of local and private transport. You might find yourself sailing in a dhow in Zanzibar, jumping on a rickshaw in Sri Lanka or sailing on a yacht through the Galapagos. No matter the mode, it's all about minimising our environmental impact and making getting around part of the adventure.
Finish point
- Beijing Railway Station 北京火车站（北京站）
- No. A13 Mao Jia Wan Hutong Dongcheng District
- 北京市东城区毛家湾胡同甲13
- Beijing
- CHINA
Physical Requirements
Be prepared for some serious physical activity. The majority of activities included on this trip will be challenging. The fitter you are, the more you'll enjoy your holiday.
Trip ID#:
intrepid-CJSN
Meals Included
Meals
6 Breakfasts, 5 Lunches, 6 Dinners
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