info@krahun.com
Independent Tours
Rason-Chongjin Tour
Description

For those who would like to go deeper into North Korea and compare Rason to other areas of North Hamgyong Province, this tour takes visitors 100km south to Chongjin, the capital of the province and the country’s third largest city. Our Rason-Chongjin Tours allow guests to visit a city that has only recently opened to Western tourists for the first time and to truly experience a part of North Korea not experienced by many. Chongjin contains one of North Korea’s most important international shipping ports and is known for its manufacturing and steel industries. Both Russia and China operate consulates in Chongjin, signifying its importance as an economic center for the country. In addition to visiting Chongjin, our Rason-Chongjin Tours can also include visits to other less visited cities such as Hoeryong, Onsong, Kyongsong, Myongchon, Orang, Gomusan, and others. At the end of the tour, guests exit through Tumen and have a chance to walk across the bridge back into China, a truly unique experience

One of the main attractions of Chongjin, and of North Korea more broadly, is Mount Chilbo, one of the most beautiful mountain ranges on the entire peninsula. Named the “Seven Treasures Mountain”, Mount Chilbo contains breathtaking rock formations and is composed of Inner Chilbo, Outer Chilbo, and Sea Chilbo, and was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Centre’s tentative list in 2000. Guests can explore this rarely visited mountain range and beaches on the eastern edge. Visitors can also enjoy a visit to a local home stay and enjoy spending time and having snacks with locals, play sports with locals, try their hand at Korean style wrestling, and enjoy the famous natural hot spas.

All our Rason-Chongjin Tours are accompanied by one of our very own expert staff members for the Chongjin portion, giving you the added comfort of having your very own Western guide intimately familiar with traveling in North Korea. Guests should note that Mount Chilbo’s availability is dependent on weather and is generally available from April to the end of November. Please contact us if you would like to visit Mount Chilbo outside of this time period.

Sample Itinerary

Both components of our Rason-Chongjin Tours – the Rason leg and the Chongjin leg – can be modified by guests!  Guests can choose to tour Rason for as short as 1 day and Chongjin for as short as 3 days.  Below is a sample itinerary of a 5 night/6 day Rason-Chongjin tour, and even the activities below can be modified as well.

DAY 1

Off to North Korea!

AM

Your tour begins!  We depart Yanji in the morning by private chartered bus.  It’s a 2 hour drive to the China-DPRK border and we drive through several other cities along the way.  After being personally led through the border by one of our Krahun staff members, we head to downtown Rason and enjoy lunch at the Rason International Trade Agency.

PM

After lunch, we visit a foreign language book store and souvenir shop where guests have a chance to see and even buy DPRK books written in other languages, including English.  Then we’re off to a local kindergarten to watch an entertaining musical performance by the students.  Afterwards, guests visit mosaic portraits of President Kim Il Sung and General Kim Jong Il.  Then it’s off to a greenhouse to see and learn more about the Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il flowers.  Before heading back to the hotel, guests visit Rajin Port to see and learn more about an important part of Rason’s development and future.  The day comes to a close with dinner and rest at the hotel.

DAY 2

Exploring Rason

AM

Guests start the morning off with a rare chance to bike along the beautiful eastern coastline to our headquarters with our own company bikes.  With the ocean on the left, guests will ride through villages and farmland while school children and farmers wave as you ride by.  The optional bike ride is an incredible opportunity to get up close and personal with everyday life in North Korea, and is the only bike ride of its kind in the entire country!  Upon reaching our headquarters, guests take a tour of our farm and learn more about our history in the country.

PM

After enjoying a wonderful home-cooked meal in our dining hall with an ocean view, guests visit the foreign language middle school where students learn one of several languages, including English.  Guests have a wonderful opportunity to visit a classroom and talk to students learning English in a small group setting.  Next, guests visit the Golden Triangle Bank and have the option of exchanging currency for North Korean won, which can even be used later.  Then it’s time to hit the main market and shopping area in town, the only opportunity in the whole country where foreigners are actually allowed to visit and shop where the locals shop, a truly unique and eye-opening experience. Walk around, haggle with vendors, and move among a sea of locals for a truly local experience! To end the day, guests visit a state-run sewing factory before returning back to the hotel for dinner and rest.

DAY 3

From Rason to Chongjin

AM

After breakfast in Rason, guests travel to Chongjin arrive in time for lunch. Chongjin is located approximately 100 km south of Rason along the coast.

PM

After lunch, guests set out to explore the city. First up is a visit to a local kindergarten where children wow guests with singing and dancing. Up next is a trip to Pohang Square, the center of the city, where guests stop by giant bronze statues of Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, erected in 2014. Guests then travel to Kyongsong, which is 30 km away, and is known for its famous natural hot springs and ceramics. Visitors have the option of visiting the hot springs, believed to have a variety of health benefits, and a place visited by thousands of Chinese guests every year. The night ends with dinner and rest at a Kyongsong Hotel.

two men on a boat ride

DAY 4

Tour Chongjin
and Mt. Chilbo

AM

Guests head out to spend a day exploring Mount Chilbo, stopping along the way to enjoy beautiful scenic spots dotting the landscape.  We stop by the Yombun revolutionary site on the way, known for being one of the first places on the eastern side where villagers a novel way to get salt from the ocean.  Before heading to the mountains, guests check in at Chilbo Hotel and enjoy lunch.

PM

It’s time for Mount Chilbo! Guests spend the afternoon exploring Inner Mount Chilbo, hiking various trails and taking in the beautiful scenery.  Guests enjoy stories from local tour guides who explain the various rock formations dotting the landscape.  Guests visit Kaesim-sa, a well known Buddhist temple founded in the 800s AD before heading back to the hotel for dinner and rest.

DAY 5

More of Mt. Chilbo and Chongjin

AM

After breakfast, guests explore first head to Outer Mount Chilbo to hike several more trails.  Then it’s off to the eastern part of Mount Chilbo known as Sea Chilbo.  Guests visit a local North Korean’s home to enjoy snacks with a local family and see how North Koreans live.  Guests also enjoy the beautiful beach which is often populated with local North Korean families relaxing at the beach as well.  Guests can enjoy the waters, join in a volleyball game with the village residents, or even try their hand at traditional Korean wrestling with the locals!

PM

After lunch on the beach, guests return to Chongjin to explore more of the city. Guests visit the Electronic Digital Library near the center of the city, which is usually packed with locals there to learn Chinese, take photoshop lessons, listen to online lectures from universities in Pyongyang, and a variety of other invaluable resources. Chongjin also has a Seamen’s Club catering to foreign crews passing through which is also where guests sit down for dinner before heading back to the hotel.

DAY 6

More Cities in the Province

AM

Guests venture out to explore several more cities before heading back to China. The first stop is Hoeryong, famous as the birthplace of President Kim Il Sung’s wife, Comrade Kim Jong Suk. Here, guests can visit the home where Comrade Kim Jong Suk lived as a child while walking the beautiful grounds filled with apricot trees. After Hoeryong, it’s off to Onsong to see the Wangjaesan Grand Monument, one of the largest monuments in the entire country. Guests enjoy lunch in Onsong before heading to Namyang.

PM

After lunch, guests walk across the bridge from Namyang, DPRK to Tumen, China, a unique border crossing experience and the only place in the entire country where foreign guests can cross the border by foot. From there, a private van takes guests back to nearby Yanji where we end the tour with a debrief dinner.

Customizing Your Tour

The first step to customizing your tour is as simple as filling out the form below. Even if you’re not certain of the dates, tour length, or number of people, go ahead and tell us of your interest and what you’re looking for in the form below. The tables provide tour prices for each leg of the tour, and the total amount can be paid in Euros. If you’re not yet sure about the length of your tour or the number of people, no selection is required at this time.

Rason Leg

1 nights, 2 days
$550 $400 $325 $275
2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people
2 nights, 3 days
$750 $550 $475 $425
2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people
3 nights, 4 days
$875 $625 $550 $500
2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people
4 nights, 5 days
$1,025 $725 $625 $575
2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people
5 nights, 6 days
$1,150 $825 $700 $650
2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people
6 nights, 7 days
$1,275 $925 $775 $725
2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people
7 nights, 8 days
$1,425 $1,075 $825 $775
2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people
8 nights, 9 days
$1,550 $1,175 $950 $825
2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people
9 nights, 10 days
$1,650 $1,275 $1,050 $875
2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people

Chongjin Leg

2 nights, 3 days
€575 €475 €325 €250
2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people
3 nights, 4 days
€750 €650 €450 €350
2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people
4 nights, 5 days
€950 €825 €575 €450
2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people
5 nights, 6 days
€975 €850 €675 €550
2 people 3-5 people 6-9 people 10+ people
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1 Step 1
Nameyour full name
Rason Leg
Chongjin Leg
Number of peopleyour full name
Number of peopleyour full name
Desired Tour Dateyour full name
Desired Tour Dateyour full name
Night / Dayspick one!
Night / Dayspick one!
CommentsPlease feel free to ask us any questions and tell us anything about your desired tour such as possible tour dates, possible group size, itinerary options, etc.
 
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Please feel free to ask us any questions and tell us anything about your desired tour such as possible tour dates, possible group size, itinerary options, etc.

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Some Things to Keep in Mind

The China-DPRK border is typically closed on Sundays and so tours cannot start or end on that day.

Guests have the option of paying their tour fees in US Dollars.  Contact us for more information.

Rason-Chongjin tours require a minimum of 2 people

Rason-Chongjin tours should be scheduled at least one month before the tour begins

The border is closed on major North Korean holidays and so tours cannot start or end on these days. Please contact us for more information to confirm possible tour dates.

Guests can also add Pyongyang as a third leg to our Rason-Chongjin tours!  Please feel free to let us know below if you are interested in possibly adding Pyongyang as well.

Mount Chilbo is generally available to visit from April to the end of November. Please contact us if you would like to visit outside of this time period.

Whether you’re in the early stages of simply contemplating a tour or ready to register and finalize, you can begin by filling out the form above.  Once we confirm your tour dates, we’ll help guide you through the registration process for your tour.  You can also email us at info@krahun.com with any questions.

Included in Tour Fee

  • DPRK visa fee and processing
  • China customs fee and bridge transportation
  • Round-trip transportation from China and DPRK
  • Hotel accommodation in DPRK
  • 3 meals per day in DPRK
  • All transportation in DPRK
  • One expert Western guide from our staff
  • Two DPRK tour guides
  • One DPRK driver
  • Standard tips for DPRK tour guides and driver
  • De-brief meal after tour

Not Included in Tour Fee

  • China visa fee and processing
  • Travel expenses to and from China
  • Spending money for drinks and souvenirs in DPRK
  • Transportation, meals, and accommodation in China
  • Travel insurance or medical evacuation insurance (not required but recommended)
  • Entrance fees for special events, if applicable