Pyongyang Marathon Train Journey

8th – 14th of April 2021

After our previous sucessful trip, we are once again organizing a unique marathon trip to the Pyongyang Marathon in North Korea.

Above Borders is the first Danish travel company to arrange this spring trip. We provide you the opportunity to have a truly unique running experience for the Pyongyang Marathon in the world’s most isolated country! In addition, we guarantee that you will gain deeper insight into North Korean culture, where you get to interact with local North Koreans as well as experience the beauty of East Asia in springtime.

On the trip, we will visit one of the most intense military areas in the world, where both South and North Korean soldiers stand guard, and we will greet North Korean schoolchildren who may have never heard of Denmark. You can also look forward to North Korean cuisine, which offers many delicious dishes and traditions. In short, we promise that the tour will give you lots of interesting and thought-provoking experiences that you can hardly wait to share with your friends and family when you return to Denmark.

Please note: It’s not a requirement that you run an entire marathon. You can choose between 5 km, 10 km, half marathon or marathon.

Itinerary

• Day 1
• Day 2
• Day 3
• Day 4
• Day 5
• Day 6
• Day 7

We meet at the Hotel Hilton Garden Inn in Dandong. Here you will meet your tour guide and the other travellers who are on the trip. Together, we dine at one of the few North Korean-run restaurants outside North Korea. Here you will also receive the latest information before tomorrow’s entry to North Korea.
After dinner, a walk is possible around the streets of Dandong and at the harbour, where you can see in the darkness the water to North Korea.

The day includes an approximately five-hour train ride from Dandong to Pyongyang, where there will be a unique opportunity to interact with travelling North Koreans – if you are humble and outgoing, they are often open about their personal lives. Upon arrival, we will visit Pyongyang’s “Arch of Triumph” before attending a joint dinner in the company of our North Korean guides. The day concludes with a walk along Changjon Street to Kim Il Sung Square – the square where all parades and processions are held.

Among other things, the program offers a tour of Pyongyang’s beautiful architectural metro, which is one of the deepest in the world. We also get a guide to the past when we get a tour and listen to storytelling at North Korea’s war museum. Prepare for an angle on the Korean War that is somewhat different from the general Western narrative. We also go out and look at the running path and start to feel the butterflies in our stomachs for the race.

Race day for the Pyongyang Marathon – the day we’ve all been waiting for. At Pyongyang Stadium we start out with the opening ceremony followed by the Pyongyang Marathon itself. Subsequently, the prize ceremony is presented, after which we have lunch at a local restaurant. In the evening, we drive to the border town of Kaesong, where we spend the night.

The morning starts with a walk in Kaesong City, which offers the opportunity to experience the city and encounter local North Koreans. After the walk, we will head to one of the most intense military areas in the world: the DMZ (Demilitarized zone) between North and South Korea. The area is located on the border between North and South Korea and is constantly monitored by soldiers from both sides. If you’re lucky, try standing with one leg on either side of the border! In Kaesong we also find the Koryo museum where we learn about Korean culture and history before the Korean War. On the way back to Pyongyang, our guide talks about North Korea’s reunification policy and how North Korea looks at a future reunion.

We’ve come to the last day in North Korea. Before heading back to Dandong, we’ll go for a morning walk on “Future Scientist Street”. At the train station we say goodbye to our guides and turn our eyes back to China.

It’s the last day of the trip and hopefully you are filled with exciting and unique experiences after the trip to North Korea. As well as saying goodbye to each other, there is the opportunity to go on to experience Dandong and, for example, see the “Broken Bridge” which goes halfway across the river to North Korea. You can also go on a small excursion and visit a piece of the Great Wall of China.

Tour guide – Adil Mirzakhanova

Adil is an energetic and committed tour guide who is passionate about giving her guests a unique and unforgettable experience, in the countries she travels to. So far she has travelled in over 50 countries around the world as a tourist, backpacker, exchange student, expat, volunteer and tour guide. Adil loves to get new experiences and learn about other cultures – especially through meeting the locals. For Adil, travelling around cultural exchanges is about learning, understanding and respecting each other’s similarities as well as differences. The most important thing for her is that her fellow travelers have a broad insight into a country’s cultural aspects, rather than an often superficial impression that many news platforms provide.

Important information

Above Borders is member of the Danish Travel Guarantee Fund (Member 2943). This is your guarantee that we follow Danish law related to group tours. We are always be available if you have any questions and we ensure that we will send you material as preperation for our tour to ensure you are well prepared.