A unique experience, a unique insight, a unique country
Visitors to the DPRK need to be aware of the fact that there are certain restrictions and rules to follow. None of these are impossible to comply with, and they must be seen in the unique cultural and political context of the DPRK.
The success of our visits to the DPRK depends, to a large extent, on the respect for the culture and the unique society shown by our participants.
The restrictions and rules largely concern photography, mobile and internet communication, compliance with the instructions of the local guides (who stay with the group day and night), lack of 'free movement' around the places we visit, and respect for the leaders. On each trip, there are a number of formal visits where formal dress is required.
Below please find a detailed description of how travel to the DPRK is different from any other country.
In order to ensure that these restrictions and rules are well understood, we will have a pre-trip briefing with all our tour participants in Beijing (or Shanghai, in the case of some of our Marathon tours) before the start of your trip to the DPRK. We are of course also happy to answer any questions you may have via email or over the phone.
Anyone who is willing to travel according to the guidelines provided will have an absolutely fantastic experience.
On the other hand, we advise anyone who is not prepared to comply with these restrictions and rules NOT to travel to the DPRK.
The success of our visits to the DPRK depends, to a large extent, on the respect for the culture and the unique society shown by our participants.
The restrictions and rules largely concern photography, mobile and internet communication, compliance with the instructions of the local guides (who stay with the group day and night), lack of 'free movement' around the places we visit, and respect for the leaders. On each trip, there are a number of formal visits where formal dress is required.
Below please find a detailed description of how travel to the DPRK is different from any other country.
In order to ensure that these restrictions and rules are well understood, we will have a pre-trip briefing with all our tour participants in Beijing (or Shanghai, in the case of some of our Marathon tours) before the start of your trip to the DPRK. We are of course also happy to answer any questions you may have via email or over the phone.
Anyone who is willing to travel according to the guidelines provided will have an absolutely fantastic experience.
On the other hand, we advise anyone who is not prepared to comply with these restrictions and rules NOT to travel to the DPRK.
Restrictions and rules
At the time of writing (July 2016), we are not able to obtain DPRK visas for passport holders from the Republic of Korea (South Korea). As soon as this changes, the website will be updated.
We can not take journalists and professional photographers into the DPRK on tourist visas. In the past there have been serious problems with visitors who failed to declare their status as journalists or professional photographers, and this puts the level of cooperation and trust that we have with the DPRK authorities at risk. We therefore ask all journalists and professional photographers to notify us of their position so we can suggest other alternatives. All participants will be required to sign a form confirming that they are not travelling as journalists or professional photographers, and that they have no intention of producing any kind of publication(s) about their trip to the DPRK.
The minimum age for travellers on our trips is 16 years (on the day of departure). Participants below the age of 18 must have parental consent for their participation in our trips.
Please be aware that whilst we do the utmost for our tourists, you are under very strict regulations as to what you can and cannot do and this is not negotiable. It is therefore only advisable visiting the DPRK if you can tolerate the following points:
- you will be restricted in your movement. In general, you are not free to wander around on your own. If you wish to go for an evening walk around the hotel, then a guide must be notified and he/she must accompany you. Leaving the hotel without the guides or the guides' express permission is not possible. If you are feeling the need for 'a breath of air' then a casual stroll along the river is possible but only if accompanied with a guide. It is possible to stroll in the grounds of the hotel but please ask the guide and do not take your camera. Mind you, our programs are so full that by evening time, you will be happy to sit down for a drink and a good conversation in the hotel, or to retire to your room to rest in preparation for the next day !
- in the DPRK you will be under close scrutiny from the guides and security. Use of cameras causes the majority of problems. You can only take photographs and/or video of what the guides allow. The public are (officially) obliged to report all photography. Taking photos of soldiers, at check points, poverty, sneaked photos and close ups of people without their express permission may cause serious problems. Photography when being driven around is also restricted. Even what we would interpret as 'day to day' harmless scenes may cause problems. It is too easy to get carried away and think that it is not causing offence or would not put the guides in danger. This is not the case and therefore we ask our travellers to take a very responsible attitude even though it may mean missing the photographic opportunity. If the group gets the confidence of the guides (which we usually do !), then you will have amazing opportunities for photography and you will miss out on very little. DPRK regulations state that you cannot take a lens over 150 mm into the country.
- we are 'invited' to the DPRK and therefore we ask our tourists to respect the Korean people and their vision of the leaders. This involves bowing at the 20 metre statues on Mansudae and on various other occasions. Chewing gum, eating sweets and wearing scruffy clothing in places of Korean national importance (such as the Mansudae statues, the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, the Friendship Exhibition and Manyongdae birthplace of Kim Il Sung) will offend the guides.
In all these instances it is the guides who get into trouble and not you. If you are happy just to be taken around the 'system' with all the diatribe and trimmings, then you will have the most amazing experience. If any of the above poses a problem it is advisable not to visit the DPRK; we can not afford to see our guides put in serious trouble by visitors who are not aware of their actions.
We can not take journalists and professional photographers into the DPRK on tourist visas. In the past there have been serious problems with visitors who failed to declare their status as journalists or professional photographers, and this puts the level of cooperation and trust that we have with the DPRK authorities at risk. We therefore ask all journalists and professional photographers to notify us of their position so we can suggest other alternatives. All participants will be required to sign a form confirming that they are not travelling as journalists or professional photographers, and that they have no intention of producing any kind of publication(s) about their trip to the DPRK.
The minimum age for travellers on our trips is 16 years (on the day of departure). Participants below the age of 18 must have parental consent for their participation in our trips.
Please be aware that whilst we do the utmost for our tourists, you are under very strict regulations as to what you can and cannot do and this is not negotiable. It is therefore only advisable visiting the DPRK if you can tolerate the following points:
- you will be restricted in your movement. In general, you are not free to wander around on your own. If you wish to go for an evening walk around the hotel, then a guide must be notified and he/she must accompany you. Leaving the hotel without the guides or the guides' express permission is not possible. If you are feeling the need for 'a breath of air' then a casual stroll along the river is possible but only if accompanied with a guide. It is possible to stroll in the grounds of the hotel but please ask the guide and do not take your camera. Mind you, our programs are so full that by evening time, you will be happy to sit down for a drink and a good conversation in the hotel, or to retire to your room to rest in preparation for the next day !
- in the DPRK you will be under close scrutiny from the guides and security. Use of cameras causes the majority of problems. You can only take photographs and/or video of what the guides allow. The public are (officially) obliged to report all photography. Taking photos of soldiers, at check points, poverty, sneaked photos and close ups of people without their express permission may cause serious problems. Photography when being driven around is also restricted. Even what we would interpret as 'day to day' harmless scenes may cause problems. It is too easy to get carried away and think that it is not causing offence or would not put the guides in danger. This is not the case and therefore we ask our travellers to take a very responsible attitude even though it may mean missing the photographic opportunity. If the group gets the confidence of the guides (which we usually do !), then you will have amazing opportunities for photography and you will miss out on very little. DPRK regulations state that you cannot take a lens over 150 mm into the country.
- we are 'invited' to the DPRK and therefore we ask our tourists to respect the Korean people and their vision of the leaders. This involves bowing at the 20 metre statues on Mansudae and on various other occasions. Chewing gum, eating sweets and wearing scruffy clothing in places of Korean national importance (such as the Mansudae statues, the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, the Friendship Exhibition and Manyongdae birthplace of Kim Il Sung) will offend the guides.
In all these instances it is the guides who get into trouble and not you. If you are happy just to be taken around the 'system' with all the diatribe and trimmings, then you will have the most amazing experience. If any of the above poses a problem it is advisable not to visit the DPRK; we can not afford to see our guides put in serious trouble by visitors who are not aware of their actions.