HISTORICAL-
  CULTURAL TOURS
COMBINED KOREA-JAPAN
  TOUR, Korean Portion
SPECIAL INTEREST TOURS
COMBINED HISTORICAL-
  CULTURAL / MOUNTAIN
  TREKKING TOURS
MOUNTAIN TREKKING TOURS
JEJUDO ISLAND, MT.
  HALLASAN TREKKING(1,950m)
  - 10 hours Trekking
COMBINED HISTORICAL-
  CULTURAL /FESTIVAL TOURS
ROOTS DISCOVERY TOURS
JAPAN EXTENSION
CHINA EXTENSION
HONGKONG EXTENSION
 
   
  
 
 
  12 Days / 11 Nights in Korea
 

Day 1 ¡ª Arrive in Seoul
Arrive in Seoul at Incheon International Airport, where you will be met and transferred to your downtown hotel. After check-in the balance of the day is at leisure. Overnight in Seoul.

Day 2 ¡ª Seoul
A full-day tour of the city of Seoul, where old meets new in modern Korea. Established by the founder of Joseon Dynasty in 1392, the capital of the Republic of Korea has a population of more than 12,000,000 people. Seoul is a city of incredible contrasts which, despite its immense size, make it one of the most fascinating cities in the world. It is the heart of Korea¡¯s culture and education as well as politics and economics. The tour includes National Museum of Korea which displays rich and priceless artifacts from prehistoric Korea to the end of the Joseon Dynasty£»Changdeokgung Palace (Palace of illustrious Virtue) - constructed in 1405, and is now the best preserved of Seoul's five palaces of the Joseon Dynasty£»Biwon (Secret Garden) - behind Changdeok Palace (illustrious Virtue) Are tranquil gardens of unequalled beauty and woodland originally constructed for the recreational area for the royal family and palace women£»Jogyesa Temple - it is the headquarters of the Jogye sect of Korean Buddhism, and the regional office of the World Fellowship of Buddhism£»Insadong Antique District - called "Mary's Alley" by foreigners, Korea's art and antique district reminds many visitors of a street museum. One hundred-odd antique shops, old bookstores, and art galleries are concentrated in this area£»Namdaemun Market - one of the oldest and largest traditional markets in Korea, with colorful and bustling spots for bargain shoppers£»and N Seoul Tower on Mt. Namsan for a bird's-eye view of Metropolitan city of Seoul. Overnight in Seoul.

Day 3 ¡ª Seoul / Korean Folk Village / Seoul
A morning tour of Seoul includes Gyeongbokgung Palace (Palace of Shining Happiness) the main palace during the Joseon Dynasty - passing by Blue House (Presidential Residence)£»National Folk Museum of Korea - the collections display complete items from every region of Korea which illustrate all aspects of traditional life. An afternoon tour visits Korean Folk Village outside of Seoul to see a superb and truly authentic display of Korean history including folk traditions, legends, and the lifestyles of the nobility, the 14th-20th centuries, Korea. Return to Seoul. Overnight in Seoul.

Day 4 ¡ª Seoul / Mt. Seoraksan National Park
Today, we journey to Mt. Seoraksan National Park, this northern stretch of Korea's eastern coast, which is rugged and mountainous with breathtaking scenery making it the "Alps of Asia", and give this area an unparalleled popularity with the dense forests bordering crystal clear streams, tumbling over cataracts and dropping from precipices to form fleecy waterfalls, as well as awesome saw tooth cliffs spiraling into the blue skies. Explore Mt. Seoraksan National Park with visits to Sinheungsa Temple-established in 653 A.D., claims to be the country's oldest Zen Buddhist temple, and it would be the oldest existing Zen temple in the world£»Cheonbuldong Valley-the most visually stimulating valley in the park£»and Biseondae (Flying Fairy Rock)-a wide, flat rock surface where the river rapids drain into a crystal clear pool and a peak rises majestically above the valley, one hears many legends of the heavenly nymphs who come to laugh and play while they bathes in the placid pools of the many glens hidden from human eyes. Overnight at a hotel at the foot of Mt. Seoraksan.

Day 5 ¡ª Mt. Seoraksan National Park / Gyeongju
Today, travel to Gyeongju - where was the capital of the Silla Dynasty from 57 B.C. to 935 A.D. and designated by UNESCO as one of the world's ten most historically significant sites with numerous relics of that era, and is called the "Museum Without Walls"-along the crystal east coast. Visit Gyeongju National Museum, which has the best collection of Silla Dynasty artifacts with more than 100,000 pieces. Overnight in Gyeongju.

  Day 6 ¡ª Gyeongju / Andong-International Mask Dance Festival / Gyeongju
   
 
Drive to Andong to view Andong International Mask Dance Festival which opens from late September to early October, 2009. Enjoy Andong International Mask Dance Festival: Various tangible and intangible cultural properties derive from Andong where the largest number of properties is preserved. Andong International Mask Dance Festival aims to promote its tradition and culture through various programs and unfamiliar mask dance performances including Chajeon-nori (a tank game) by male players, Notdari bapgi (someone bends over to make a bridge so another person can cross over like a bridge) by female players, and Hwajeon-nori (firefighters). During the 10-day festival, diverse performances will be held every day to entertain visitors. The programs consist of domestic and international mask dance performances as well as modern performances, mime, and marionette performances. Festival Guide: The best tourist attraction during the Festival is to see the most typical Mask Dance in Korea. There are various themes which are dealt with in the performance such as the four seasons, life and death, local religion, and the natural environment, which captivates the audience of all backgrounds. Just seeing the brightly colored masks with over-exaggerated looks will surely

make visitors laugh. A world-famous folk dance team has also been invited to perform at this annual event, which will be a hit with the audience. Various programs are also prepared for visitors to participate in such as a Mask Dance Contest where single or group visitors can wear face-painting and make-up as well as show their dance creations. Andong Folk Experience will give visitors a valuable chance to feel the region¡¯s traditional culture and enjoy folk plays. The Andong Food Festival awaits visitors who want to taste the delicious regional foods. Andong Chicken Jjim(a steamed chicken), especially, for which Andong is very famous, will be quite satisfying. In addition to this, a number of additional events will be held including marionette performances, mime, art performances, exhibitions, and contests.Major Highlights: Along with the various performances at the festival, numerous small and big performance events at the festival and major performances on a huge outside stage will make visitors enjoy and amuse themselves more. The highlight of this festival is that visitors can select the theme of what performance they want to watch. What is more, even foreigners who do not understand Korean very well will not have much difficulty in understanding the story and the meaning of the mask dances. For visitors who want to have a good experience during the festival, various hands-on events have also been prepared such as ¡®Making Small Masks,¡¯ and ¡®Making Wooden Sculptures¡¯. Drive back to Gyeongju.Overnight in Gyeongju.

 
 

Day 7 ¡ª Gyeongju / Haeinsa Temple
A morning tour of Gyeongju includes Bulguksa Temple - originally constructed in 535 A.D., the most frequented and best-known temple in Korea, was added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1995£»Bunhwangsa Pagoda - erected in 634, is considered, with Cheomseongdae, one of the country's two oldest stone structures, and the pagoda was originally 9 stories high, only 3 remain today£»Anapji Pond-constructed in 674 A.D. as a pleasure garden to commemorate the unification of the peninsula by the Silla forces, used the recreational area for the Silla royal family and banquet garden to entertain royal important guests£»Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory-built in 634 A.D., is considered the world's earliest known existing observatory and admired by archaeologists worldwide£»and Royal Tumuli Park-a collection of royal Silla tombs located in the middle of Gyeongju with 20 tombs, of which Cheonmachong (Flying Horse Tomb) is the most famous with its excavation which yielded more than 10,000 treasure-artifacts. Drive to Haeinsa Temple, which is one of the three greatest temples of Korea, established in 803 A.D., chiefly known today as the repository of the Tripitaka Koreana, set of over 80,000 wooden printing blocks engraved with one of the most comprehensive compilations of the Buddhist scriptures in all of Asia, and the Depositories and the Tripitaka Koreana Wooden Printing Blocks were added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1995. Overnight at a hotel in the temple village.

Day 8 ¡ª Haeinsa Temple / Busan
This morning drive to Busan. A tour of Busan includes Beomeosa Temple which is located at the edge of a famous Geumjeongsan mountain in Busan. Busan's greatest temple, Beomeosa translates as "Fish of the Buddhist Scripture Temple". Beomeosa Temple was founded in 678 AD by monk Uisang during the reign of King Munmu of Silla Dynasty and most of the present buildings date from reconstructions of the 17th and 18th centuries, representative of mid Joseon Dynasty temple architecture£»Daeungjeon Main Building of the Beomeosa Temple which was rebuilt during Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) and is one of the most delicate and luxurious architectures of Joseon Dynasty£»Iljumun of the Beomeosa Temple- the three story pagoda with four pillars, built in the 9th century, and seven royal palace wings, pavilions, three gates, and eleven hermitages (natural monument)£»Mt. Geumjeongsan Fortress is located on the peak of Mt. Geumjeongsan (801.5m) in Busan. Its original name was Dongrae Mountain Fortress, but it was changed because of its location. Its length is 17,377m, and 1.5m~3m high; it is the largest fortress in Korea. But now there is only a 4 km section remaining from the original.£»Kukje Market - Kukje Market is one of the largest traditional markets in Korea with various goods in store. All products are sold at affordable prices and the stores in this area also function as a wholesale markets£»Taejongdae Seaside Cliff Park-the scenery of rugged cliffs dropping straight down to the sea is breathtaking, along with a panoramic sea view from the Park, overlooking the Korean Strait - on a very clear day you can even see the Japanese island of Tsushima on the horizon to the southeast£»and UN Memorial Cemetery where the Korean War (1950-53) dead from the sixteen UN allies rest in honored serenity and is the unique one in its kind in the world. Evening to Busan center. Walking in front of the sea and take the fantastic views of the Great Bridge of Busan which is 7.4 km long and the longest bridge in Korea over the sea, and walk on the night streets and enjoys the views. Overnight in Busan.

Day 9 ¡ª Busan / Tongyeong Harbor-Hallyeo Maritime National Park / Busan

A morning tour of Busan includes Yongdusan Park, where provides a pleasant touch of greenery on a hill in the heart of the city and a very popular public park with Busan Tower£»Busan Tower - Yongdusan Park crowned with the tower, 120-m-high tower observatory dominates the most of the area of the city, and the sea and harbor views spreading below the tower are spectacular£»and Jagalchi Fish Market-Busan's most active fish-dealers' cooperative, the colorful spectacle is also a great attraction for tourists and camera buffs. Drive to Tongyeong Harbor, where has the most extensive ferry network between Busan and Yeosu, and is home port for one of the largest concentrations of fishing and sightseeing boats on the southern coast. Take a sightseeing boat at Tongyeong Harbor and a full-day tour of Hallyeo Maritime National Park - stretches across 400 islands along the southern coast, and it is a 93-mile-long waterway running from Hansando Island where Admiral Yi Sun-sin defeated Japanese invaders by his own invented Turtle Boat, south of Busan, to Yeosu in the west, where, with islands dotted here and there, is sometimes mistaken for a lake and it is divided into six sections and has both stunning natural scenery and many sites of historical interest. * Sightseeing boat tour of Hallyeo Maritime National Park is subject to cancel according to the bad weather. This afternoon will be left for leisure or an improvised trip which you may arrange. Drive back to Busan. Overnight in Busan.

Day 10 ¡ª Busan / Boseong / Gwangju / Gochang / Gwangju
Travel to Boseong where the largest tea-growing area in Korea is. Known as the birthplace of Korea¡¯s tea industry, it accounts for around 40% of domestic tea production. Visit beautiful Tea Terraces in Boseong. Drive to Gwangju, where is the capital of Jeollanam-do Province and the sixth largest city in the Republic of Korea, with a population of 1.2 million. Visit Gwangju National Museum, which was built to house the precious Chinese porcelains that were salvaged in 1976 from a Chinese trading ship wrecked at Sinan 600 years ago, and the museum also displays relics and paintings from the Baekje and Unified Silla Dynasties and the Joseon Dynasty.
Continue to Gochang Dolmen Site. Sightseeing of Gochang Dolmen Site- a neatly arranged, highly-raised dolmen is placed beside the jar stand lying behind Kim Yeong-in¡¯s home in Jidong, Dosan-ri which is 4km away from Gochang-eup. 3km toward Seonunsa, a 2km range of dolmens lie at Sanggap-ri, Asan-myeon, Jungrim-ri, Gochang-eup, Maesan-ri and Songam-ri. Beginning with the 5m length, 4.5m wide, 4m high and 150 ton dolmen, all 477 dolmens are numbered with white paint. Archaeologists date the Gochang dolmens back to the Bronze Age. Drive back to Gwangju.
Overnight in Gwangju.

Day 11 ¡ª Gwangju / Seoul
Drive back to Seoul, passing the rolling, green countryside and clusters of unique tiled houses.
Free afternoon in Seoul. Overnight in Seoul.

Day 12 ¡ª Seoul / Depart Korea
Transfer to Incheon International Airport for departure.