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DMZ Past and Present: Korean Demilitarized Zone Tour from Seoul
1 day
Popular
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About this activity
After pickup from your Seoul hotel at your selected departure time, you will be taken by comfortable coach to the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a strip of land splitting North and South Korea, becoming one of the tensest fronts during the Cold War and the Korean War.
Stop first in Imjingak, a park located in the banks of Imjin River where you’ll see artillery and war artifacts that were used during the Korean conflict. Proceed to Freedom Bridge, crossed by nearly 13,000 Korean POWs on their return back to freedom. As you explore by foot, learn from your guide about the powerful significance of this bridge.
Re-board the coach and head to the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, located beneath the border of North Korea and South Korea. Here, learn about the role of these tunnels, which are believed to have been planned as a military invasion route by North Korea. See where the South Koreans have blocked the actual Military Demarcation Line with concrete barricades.
Continue to the DMZ exhibition hall to browse photographs and war artifacts. This hall now stands as a symbol of peace – an attempt to mend the damages wrought by Korea's history.
You’ll then be taken to the Dora Observatory, where you can use binoculars to scope out North Korea. Listen to your guide explain the lifestyle across the river as you observe the village of Kijongdong.
Next, head to Dorasan Station, a historic and symbolic spot that marks both the division and a gateway of exchanges between the north and the south. Proceed to the Unification Village to observe the daily life of this small farming community, which specialized in creating soybean milk, traditional soy sauce and corn goods. Then you'll stop by the Amethyst Factory or Ginseng Center before being dropped off at the Seoul City Hall.
If you choose the morning tour or afternoon tour only, you’ll end back in Seoul at City Hall. If you choose the morning tour with lunch, you’ll stop first at a local restaurant for lunch.
If you choose the full-day tour, you’ll enjoy lunch and then head to Insadong Antique Market, which was once the largest market for antiques and artworks in Korea. Browse the various shops, peruse crafts and bargain for that perfect souvenir with the help of your guide. Your tour will end here.
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Stop first in Imjingak, a park located in the banks of Imjin River where you’ll see artillery and war artifacts that were used during the Korean conflict. Proceed to Freedom Bridge, crossed by nearly 13,000 Korean POWs on their return back to freedom. As you explore by foot, learn from your guide about the powerful significance of this bridge.
Re-board the coach and head to the 3rd Infiltration Tunnel, located beneath the border of North Korea and South Korea. Here, learn about the role of these tunnels, which are believed to have been planned as a military invasion route by North Korea. See where the South Koreans have blocked the actual Military Demarcation Line with concrete barricades.
Continue to the DMZ exhibition hall to browse photographs and war artifacts. This hall now stands as a symbol of peace – an attempt to mend the damages wrought by Korea's history.
You’ll then be taken to the Dora Observatory, where you can use binoculars to scope out North Korea. Listen to your guide explain the lifestyle across the river as you observe the village of Kijongdong.
Next, head to Dorasan Station, a historic and symbolic spot that marks both the division and a gateway of exchanges between the north and the south. Proceed to the Unification Village to observe the daily life of this small farming community, which specialized in creating soybean milk, traditional soy sauce and corn goods. Then you'll stop by the Amethyst Factory or Ginseng Center before being dropped off at the Seoul City Hall.
If you choose the morning tour or afternoon tour only, you’ll end back in Seoul at City Hall. If you choose the morning tour with lunch, you’ll stop first at a local restaurant for lunch.
If you choose the full-day tour, you’ll enjoy lunch and then head to Insadong Antique Market, which was once the largest market for antiques and artworks in Korea. Browse the various shops, peruse crafts and bargain for that perfect souvenir with the help of your guide. Your tour will end here.
Included
- Expert guide
- Hotel pickup
- Lunch (if option selected)
- Transport by comfortable, air-conditioned coach
- Entry/Admission - DMZ
- Entry/Admission - The Third Tunnel
Not included
- Hotel drop-off
- Tram
- Gratuities
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- A current valid passport is required the day of travel.
- A moderate amount of walking through a steep and narrow tunnel involved - Comfortable clothes and shoes are recommended
- Participants must be physically fit to walk about 1300 feet (400 meters) at an 11 degree gradient
- You do not need to send a copy of your passport
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
75%
Reviews
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It was great in that we got picked up at our hotel and brought to several different sites along the way. What really upset us though was that we felt rushed and all the sites. Especially at Dora Observatory. We were only given 20 minutes, 12 of which were consumed by a video. The worst part was that while we were only given 20 minutes at the observatory, we spent nearly 45 at the tourist trap ginseng factory that wasnt listed on the tours itinerary making our drop off time much later than it should have been as a morning tour turned into an all day thing.
Great tour and very informative! Really learned a lot.
The tour was perfectly organized, everything was very precise and on time. We've got all official and non-official information about DMZ. Strongly recommended for everyone who is interesting in the earliest history.
The DMZ tour was great, our guide, Sonya, was informative and interesting. I was interesting to learn about the history of the DMZ and be able to go into one of the tunnels, as well as an observatory. The tour itself is worth 4 stars. HOWEVER, what the description does not tell you is that you will be forced to stop at a Ginseng store on the way back to Seoul, and forced to listen to a sales pitch to buy ginseng. This was not what i signed up for and I will be more cautious in the future to read more reviews.
We loved this tour, even with the obligatory overpriced shopping stops, which are easy to ignore. You get to see the infamous DMZ and see views from high above the border and into North Korea. One of their fake cities is even visible. Be sure to take the option and walk all the way down the access tunnel dug under the border. It is an enlightening experience.
Our tour guide was very funny and gave us lots of great information about Korean history as well as present-day culture.
Really nice tour, highly recommend to whom want to explore the history of the Korean War or just want to see the famous DMZ in the world. Knowledgable and funny tour guide.