Over the last three decades, Douglas Grimes, the founder of Mir, a tour company, has built a business around his ability to gain access to destinations that are difficult to reach, and this year he adds North Korea to the list, offering an 11-day tour making stops in Nampo and Pyongyang, as well as Kaesong, in the demilitarized zone.
The first tour, a rare opportunity for westerners to visit the country, sets out from Beijing in July, stopping first in Pyongyang, the country's capital, to view historical sites and monuments. It continues to Nampo, to view the West Sea Barrage, a massive dam separating the Taedong River and the West Sea; then moves on to Kaesong, to visit the national park on Mt. Kuwol, the 14th-century Tomb of King Kongmin, and Panmunjom.
It continues to Nampo, to view the West Sea Barrage, a massive dam separating the Taedong River and the West Sea; then moves on to Kaesong, to visit the national park on Mount Kuwol, the 14th-century Tomb of King Kongmin, and Panmunjom.
Back in Pyongyang, tourists will visit the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum; the U.S.S. Pueblo, a Navy ship seized in 1968; and the Pohyon Temple on Myohyang Mountain, before finishing with a final meal back in Beijing.
Rates start at $5,195, with an additional $650 for flights within Asia, and Mir coordinates the application process for travel visas.
Mr. Grimes, who conducted an exploratory trip last year, said that he found that the country did not live up to its "bizarre, dangerous and scary" reputation. Instead, he saw a pastoral countryside and an immaculate capital, he said in an email.
"I was pleasantly surprised that people seem to be relatively O.K. and going about their daily lives, not repressed," he said. "The country is undeniably a wreck, but not every North Korean spends all day suffering."
Mir will also offer a new private train tour from Europe to Iran in October. The inaugural 15-day journey through five countries on the Golden Eagle Danube Express, called "The Jewels of Persia" tour, begins in Budapest, with stops in Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Iran, where passengers can tour eight Unesco World Heritage sites, including the ruins of Persepolis (from $12,995).
"Our trips are all about enlightenment, " Annie Lucas, Mir's vice president, said in an email. "We cater to the more well-traveled, to people who want to see a place for themselves and make up their own minds," she said, adding that many who had relatives who had fought in the Korean War or grew up hearing stories about Korea might be excited to see the place "they never thought they'd be able to go to in their lifetimes."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
In Transit Blog: New Trips to North Korea and Iran
Dengan url
http://travelwisatawan.blogspot.com/2014/03/in-transit-blog-new-trips-to-north.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
In Transit Blog: New Trips to North Korea and Iran
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
In Transit Blog: New Trips to North Korea and Iran
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar