Canadians must have a visa to enter North Korea. You can obtain a visa from a North Korean mission in a third country after approval from the government in Pyongyang. The process for obtaining visas can be extremely slow and arduous. Canadians arriving without a valid Canadian passport and visa may be detained, arrested, fined or denied entry. Professional journalists must apply for special permission to visit North Korea and may not enter the country on a tourist visa, even if they are travelling for personal reasons.
Foreigners can enter North Korea either by air or by train. If you are a Korean citizen or have family ties with North Korea, you should carefully consider your decision to visit. Authorities periodically subject dual citizens and children of former Koreans to certain laws and obligations.
Canadians who also have South Korean citizenship must obtain approval from South Korean authorities for travel to North Korea. Foreigners have been detained, and in one instance shot, for entering the country at unauthorized points. Learn about potential entry requirements related to yellow fever vaccines section. Be sure that your routine vaccines , as per your province or territory, are up-to-date regardless of your travel destination. Some of these vaccines include: measles-mumps-rubella MMR , diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, varicella chickenpox , influenza and others.
You may be at risk for these vaccine-preventable diseases while travelling in this country. Talk to your travel health professional about which ones are right for you. It can spread from person to person by direct contact and through droplets in the air.
Anyone who has not completed a vaccine series is at increased risk of being infected with the virus that causes COVID when travelling internationally. Regardless of where you are going, talk to a health care professional before travelling to make sure you are adequately protected against COVID Hepatitis A is a disease of the liver spread through contaminated food and water or contact with an infected person.
All those travelling to regions with a risk of hepatitis A infection should get vaccinated. Hepatitis B is a disease of the liver spread through blood or other bodily fluids.
Travellers who may be exposed e. Seasonal influenza occurs worldwide. The flu season usually runs from November to April in the northern hemisphere, between April and October in the southern hemisphere and year round in the tropics. Influenza flu is caused by a virus spread from person to person when they cough or sneeze or by touching objects and surfaces that have been contaminated with the virus. Get the flu shot. Japanese encephalitis is a viral infection that can cause swelling of the brain.
It is spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. Risk is low for most travellers. Vaccination should be considered for those who may be exposed to mosquito bites e. Measles is a highly contagious viral disease. It can spread quickly from person to person by direct contact and through droplets in the air. Anyone who is not protected against measles is at risk of being infected with it when travelling internationally. Regardless of where you are going, talk to a health care professional before travelling to make sure you are fully protected against measles.
Rabies is a deadly illness spread to humans through a bite, scratch or lick from an infected animal. Vaccination should be considered for travellers going to areas where rabies exists and who have a high risk of exposure e.
Yellow fever is a disease caused by a flavivirus from the bite of an infected mosquito. Travellers get vaccinated either because it is required to enter a country or because it is recommended for their protection. About Yellow Fever. Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre. It is recommended that you contact the nearest diplomatic or consular office of the destination s you will be visiting to verify any additional entry requirements.
Travellers to any destination in the world can develop travellers' diarrhea from consuming contaminated water or food. In some areas in East Asia, food and water can also carry diseases like cholera , hepatitis A , schistosomiasis and typhoid. Practise safe food and water precautions while travelling in East Asia. Remember: Boil it, cook it, peel it, or leave it! Typhoid is a bacterial infection spread by contaminated food or water. North Koreans are friendly and accommodating if you let them into your world and avoid insulting their beliefs or ideology.
Even during tense political moments, tourism within the DPRK is never affected. Furthermore, we continue to get up-to-date travel information from both the UK and Swedish embassies in Pyongyang. While in the country, our YPT guides carry local SIM cards, which can be used to make international phone calls and contact foreign embassy staff in Pyongyang.
To learn more about tourism in North Korea you may read our FAQ page or contact us directly on tours youngpioneertours. For first person experiences on our tours to North Korea or our other international destinations you may read their feedback on our 5 star rated TripAdvisor page. He is currently residing in Dandong, the border town of China to North Korea, where he has found himself the perfect balance of Chinese and North Korean lifestyle.
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Stay Connected. Is it safe to travel to the DPRK? I have seen news stories about tourists getting detained in North Korea — will this happen to me? Safety is our number one priority, and, as we have done since our first tour in , we take every step to ensure and maintain the safety of everyone who chooses to travel with us. We do this by providing crucial information, briefings, and warnings about the risks of travel to North Korea, which is a destination, more than any other, that one should be fully prepared for before making a visit.
When you travel to the DPRK with us you are legally entering the country as a tourist, and therefore must obey the local laws to ensure your safety, and that of the group. Breaking the rules is when safety becomes compromised. But, based on our experience of running tours for the last 25 years, as well as our continual consultations with those inside and outside of the country, if no rules are broken there will be no issue with tour safety, or how you are treated.
However, we believe it's important that you familiarise yourself with your own government's position before booking a tour as many of them involve advice against all but essential travel, and it is only right and proper that you are fully aware of those statements, and their content, when making the decision to travel with us. We insist that anyone travelling with us attends a mandatory pre-tour meeting, and — thanks to our thorough tour briefings, our experienced and professional staff, and our unparalleled understanding from over two decades in the country — continue to conduct our tours to North Korea in a safe and responsible manner — for anyone and everyone who chooses to travel with us.
We have all heard of visitors to North Korea — including tourists — being detained in the country. These extremely rare cases are all on the public record, have made international news, and have been extensively reported. It is advisable to familiarise yourself with these cases and to be fully informed about the level of risk that comes from falling foul of the law when in the DPRK.
Punishment for what are seen as crimes there is disproportionate and exceedingly harsh. This is not something that should be whitewashed or downplayed at all. Rather, we continue — as we always have done — to take a sober and informed view.
Our staff are in North Korea most weeks, where they have mobile phone contact with our office in Beijing, and regular contact in Pyongyang with the British and Swedish Embassies.
We started tourism to North Korea in and, to this day, still take in the highest percentage of Western tourists to the country, and continue to do so in a safe and considered manner. What are the hotels like in North Korea? It is roughly a western 3 star Chinese 4 star equivalent and equipped with bars, restaurants, shops, swimming pool, bowling, casino, and other entertainment facilities including Karaoke of course. There are some slightly cheaper options in Pyongyang but the drop in standard is generally not worth the reduction in cost.
The hotels we use outside of Pyongyang are less well developed and have temperamental supplies of electricity and hot water, however there are some spectacular hotels in other places in DPRK such as the traditional Korean style Minsok Folk Hotel in Kaesong and the Pyramidal Hyangsan Hotel near Mount Myohyang.
Can I talk to locals? Contact with local people is possible. However, it can be difficult for several reasons; the main one being the language barrier foreign languages are not widely spoken in DPRK.
Other reasons include the fact that people are generally very wary of foreigners and also are very shy, conservative and careful of drawing attention to themselves. You are free to attempt a dialogue with a local but do not be surprised if they are not interested in talking to you. It can be very rewarding when you do manage to make some human contact and your guides and tour leader will make every effort to enable it. We make sure we take you to the best spots for mixing with the locals, for example the May Day games in the park or at the Kimjongilia flower show.
In terms of finding locals at ease and more willing to interact with foreigners we suggest visiting the country on a national holiday; at these times people are often more willing to chat, dance, and share home-made drinks and so on. A day off work and a little liquid social lubricant work wonders to break the suspicious veneer! What about the food? As a visitor and guest in the DPRK, you will be well fed with 3 meals a day including meat and fish.
The Koreans take the role of host very seriously so they will always over-cater! The food in the DPRK is far from fantastic but is not too bad.
Some meals are very good and some are just good enough. Vegetarians can be catered for although it cannot be guaranteed that utensils used to touch food will not have touched meat, or that cooking oil does not contain animal fats. If you are a vegan then we would need to discuss this with you before your trip. Fruit and chocolate are scarce in the DPRK so if you need this while you are on the tour then you should take it with you from Beijing.
All our group tours use Air Koryo which is the national airline and has a fleet of various Russian models acquired over the years. On flights between Beijing and Pyongyang, Air Koryo uses one of its two recently bought Tupolev Tu planes essentially a Russian which date from and Air Koryo is a safe airline and has been in operation since , in that time not one fatal accident has occurred.
Air China also flies to the DPRK several times a week so for independent tours you are welcome to use these, however, we prefer to use the Air Koryo fleet. Travelling Air Koryo means your holiday starts as soon as you get on the plane - the red uniformed Air Koryo hostesses, the in-flight DPRK magazines, the packed lunch and the North Korean history announcement over the tannoy are not to be missed.
For those on group tours, it can be arranged for you to use Air China if necessary but this will likely necessitate extra nights in Pyongyang at the start and end of the tour and therefore an increase in cost. We use the hard sleeper class meaning 6 berths to each section of the carriage. Meals are available in the dining car at additional cost. Trains in China and North Korea are designed for functionality rather than comfort.
If the sound of this makes you uncomfortable than we would recommend looking at the flight option instead. Those that do use the train will find themselves sharing it with other foreign tourists, local Chinese and even North Koreans so you'll be in for an interesting time one way or another!
Will there be a military parade? Military parades are held a lot less frequently than people think; less than once a year and only on major anniversaries. We were also able to see the same thing on Victory Day , so we hope that this remains an option for future parades although there are no guarantees. What exactly are the Mass Games? The Mass Games are an art form in North Korea, developed over decades, which can involve up to , performers in a minute spectacular display of synchronised gymnastics, dance, acrobatics and dramatic performance.
Think the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games - but on a much larger scale. The Mass Games returned in after a five-year hiatus.
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