A DMZ tour from Seoul is an experience you should not miss whilst you’re in South Korea. With this tour, you can take a glimpse into life in North Korea, whilst soaking up the tragic history of how a nation became divided. Read on to find our DMZ tour review. Find out how to book a tour, the different costs, and the day’s itinerary.
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Preparing for the DMZ tour from Seoul
The day had arrived, and we were very excited about our trip to the North Korean border. Stupidly, the first time we visited Seoul we didn’t realise that we needed to book the DMZ tour a few days in advance. So, when we called a tour agency 2-days before we were due to leave for Japan, we were more than gutted to be told that we can’t book a tour at such short notice. As the tour was something we really wanted to do, we decided to head back to Seoul after backpacking Japan.
DMZ tour types
There are two types of tours; the demilitarized zone tour (DMZ), and the demilitarized zone tour with joint security area (JSA). The difference? Not much, other than that the JSA is where you actually step foot into North Korean territory and get up close to North Korean soldiers.
DMZ tour from Seoul costs
Costs can vary massively, depending on which company you choose to take your tour with. We chose to do our tour with Koridoor Tours. MASSIVE MISTAKE! We will tell you more about that later in this DMZ tour review! At the time we took the tour, the prices were as follows:
DMZ tour only: $42
Tour of the DMZ with Joint security area: $92
DMZ day tour itinerary
Departure and tunnels
The DMZ tour from Seoul started with a gathering at the Koridoor Tour office. At the office, guides checked our IDs and clothing, as visitors must be dressed well. After everyone had arrived and signed in, a coach and a guide took us to the third tunnel (DMZ). Here we could walk through the tunnel and learn the history of the war between South and North Korea. The tunnel itself is not much to write home about, but it’s worth checking out.
Lunchtime
After the third tunnel, we made a quick stop for a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant. We opted to munch on the sandwiches that we had bought before the tour began. However, the restaurant has plenty of local Korean food to choose from, but this is not included in the cost of the tour.
Dora Observatory
At the observatory, we could peek through the binoculars into a creepy fake North Korean town. Yes, FAKE! No one actually lives there. Our guide told us that North Koreans had built this colourful town and played loud music daily to show South Koreans, and visitors, that they are prosperous and doing well. This was a pretty cool part of the tour and the guide provided us with some very interesting information.
Dorasan Train Station
This part of the tour was very sad and emotional. We could really sense the desperation of South Korea to reunite with their Northern counterparts; so much so, a train station heading to Pyongyang has already been built and the train is sitting waiting to go. Another interesting item at the train station is the small piece of the Berlin Wall that had been donated to South Korea to show hopes of reunification.
Joint security area
Next up was supposed to be the most exciting part of the trip that everyone had been waiting for; the part where we would step foot into North Korea. As we approached the JSA, our bus pulled over and an American soldier boarded the bus to give us what was supposed to be a briefing. Instead, he told us that the border was now closed to tourists due to an incident that had happened earlier in the day. At this point, we weren’t quite sure if this was a joke or not. But NOPE, unluckily for us, it was not a joke at all.
JSA section cancelled
Instead of going to the JSA, our guide opted to take us all to a nearby park. This was just to waste time, so we fulfilled the tour length. In all honesty, though, I don’t think anyone wanted to do this. At this point, everyone was quite pissed off. When we arrived back at Koridoor’s tour office, surprisingly everyone had already left the office! So, there was no one there to talk to about getting a refund for the JSA section part of the tour.
Trying to get a refund
The next day, we went back to the office to speak to the manager about receiving a refund for the part of the tour that was cancelled. Unfortunately, the staff were rude and no longer showed the same enthusiasm as they did when we were making a booking. After asking where $50 per person had been spent, and how it was justifiable for them to keep it, we got nowhere and sadly left feeling robbed.
DMZ tour review conclusion
To conclude this DMZ tour review, the first half of the DMZ tour from Seoul was great. We enjoyed learning the history of the war and how the nation became divided. However, if the JSA section of this tour is high a priority for you, avoid going with cheapskate companies like Koridoor. We completely understand that at such a high-tension border zone, incidents can occur; resulting in border closures at short notice. But to not receive a refund for this was totally unacceptable, particularly after hearing from other travellers that other companies were happy to give refunds. On top of that, the customer service after the tour was totally disappointing and the manager refused to answer some of our questions. All in all, we do recommend taking a tour to the border of North Korea, just make sure to research the tour companies thoroughly beforehand.
Where to stay in Seoul
Feeling luxurious: Royal Hotel Seoul – Has excellent reviews and boats spa and wellness services for you to end your trip in style.
Budget private room: Coups Hotel – Has great modern rooms. The hotel is located just a 10-minute walk away from Changgyeonggung Palace and has excellent metro links
Dorm life: Itaewon Inn – Basic, but super cheap and has good links to the metro system.
For more prices and deals on properties in Seoul, CLICK HERE.
Essential resources for travelling in South Korea
Travel Insurance – No matter where you’re travelling to, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re covered for any accidents or losses. We spent days and weeks searching for insurance, but most insurers would not allow us to take out a policy as we were already abroad. Our personal choice is Safteywing. You can opt for automatic monthly payments, just like a subscription. More importantly, it is available in 180 countries and can be purchased whilst already travelling. There is no cap on the duration of travel.
Visa – Before you travel to any country, make sure to check if you need a visa. iVisa is a fantastic website that is super easy and quick to use. Just type in where you are from. and where you are going. to check if you need a visa. If you do, you can quickly make an application online.
Accommodation – Booking.com is our go-to when looking to pre-book accommodation online. Booking.com tend to almost always have the best rates and a FREE cancellation policy for most properties.
Tours & Activities – If you want to book tours and activities online, make sure to check out Get Your Guide. Get Your Guide takes the stress out of booking activities abroad. You will also find a range of benefits, such as skip-the-line passes, lunch included in your tours, and so much more.
Travel tips ebook -Before you head off on your adventure, make sure to download our free ebook. It has a whopping 109 budget travel tips to help you make your hard-earned cash go further. Click here to download your FREE ebook.
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Hey great pos guys… But mean spirited with the review for Koridoor. I guess having access to JSA revoked at the last minute is beyond anyone’s control and managing your expectations better when undertaking global travel might be required at times. Peace and love x
Hey, thanks for the comment 🙂 yeah we totally understand that with it being such a sensitive area, things like this could happen. The frustrating part was the handling of it afterwards. Especially when other companies that day were issuing. All the best, K & J
Great article! Would love to visit the DMZ since it is such a historically relevant place, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for your comment. The DMZ is definitely interesting and worth the visit.
Hm… very i teresting read. I had no idea about this tours. It was quite an experience for you two.
Thanks for the comment, yes it was a very interesting trip and if you ever go to Seoul, it’s something you should definitely look into doing if you ate interested in the divide between North and South Korea.
i’ve done dmz tour in vietnam, but i’m sure it would be a totally different experience doing it in korea with the north korea situation and all that. i’m so sorry that your tour ended up disappointed by the end of the day, but i could tell you had a great experience beforehand. 🙂
anyway, i’ve also got north korea on my bucket list but i heard to join the tour there is quite expensive. i’m so obsessed to see what’s up with north korean that i am volunteering for asian games in jakarta next year just to see whether i could meet anyone from north korea. 😀
btw, since you mentioned that to do this tour you must dress well, can you tell me what kind of outfit that is recommended or what to avoid if i want to join this tour one day? thank you! 🙂
Yes it was very interesting and even without the JSA part of the tour, it is still totally worth doing.
That’s so cool that you are going to an event in Jakarta, I hope you have the opportunity to speak to someone from North Korea. Apart from actually being there and emmersing yourself into another country, there is no better way to learn about culture and life in another country than to speak to someone who is from there first hand.
As for the dress code, they require you to dress smart/ casual. For example, shoes and not flip-flops. No short shorts/ skirts and no strappy t-shirts and no tracksuits. A nice pair of jeans or a knee length skirt with shoes and you are good to go.
North Korea!!! Oh wow!! Looks amazing. So much culture to experience
Love how you go into detail about each stop…makes me feel like I was there with you! 🙂
Glad you enjoyed the post and felt as though you were apart of the experience:)
Wow, this is so interesting! Of course I have heard of the North Korean government setting up fake businesses and things like that, but I had no idea they built whole fake towns! That is so interesting! And so cool that you got to see that! That is crazy that they didn’t give you a refund for the second half being cut short though! But atleast you still had fun. Now I know we will definitely visit the dmz when we go to South Korea!
Glad we have inspired you to take a trip here. It is certainly very educational and an eye opener to the divide of the two countries. Would love to hear your thoughts on it when you go 🙂