Contrary to what you may think, traveling to North Korea is actually pretty simple
It’s not hard for the simple reason that you can only enter the country by being part of a tour group.
You are not allowed to enter North Korea on your own. You can’t just book a flight to Pyongyang and head out into the great wide open and explore.
Nope, you gotta book through a tour group.
There are a handful of approved tour groups based out of Beijing that offer tours into the country.
The tour company I booked through was Young Pioneer Tours.
They offer different tours throughout the year usually coinciding with special festivals or celebrations happening in Pyongyang.
The tour I booked was the Kim Jong Il Birthday & Spring Festival Tour which is a 4 night/5 day tour for €995 ($1500).
All the tours start out of Beijing so all you have to do is get yourself to Beijing and everything else is taken care of for you.
From Beijing you take a 24 hour train ride into Pyongyang or if that’s not your thing you can always take the short 2 hour flight on North Korea’s official airline, Air Koryo, for an extra €250 ($400).
Now, because you’re starting in China, you’ll actually need to acquire a Chinese Visa before you leave. They aren’t cheap at $200 but they are good for 10 years and, hey, there’s alot to see in China.
To be honest, it was actually one of the easiest trip plans I’ve made and I’ve actually spent waaaay more time planning the rest of my 3 week adventure through China and South Korea than I have with my North Korea leg.
So, what are you waiting for?
Go explore!!!