Wednesday, October 27 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO SEOUL
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the Korean Airlines lobby at the airport for baggage check-in procedures. We will depart Honolulu on Korean Airlines on a direct flight to Seoul, South Korea. A meal will be served on board the flight.
Thursday, October 28 (Day 02)
ARRIVE SEOUL (D)
We’ll arrive at the Incheon International Airport in the late afternoon. After completing entry and customs formalities, we’ll transfer to our hotel in downtown Seoul, the capital and largest city in South Korea to spend two nights. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
Accommodations at SEOUL LOTTE WORLD HOTEL or similar
Friday, October 29 (Day 03)
SEOUL (B)(L)(D)
After breakfast, enjoy a full day of sightseeing, visiting some of the major attractions in the city of Seoul. Standing high on Mt. Namsan in the heart of the city is Namsan Seoul Tower, the symbol of Seoul and the city’s most recognizable landmark. We’ll ride a cable car to the top of Mt. Namsan to visit the tower, providing a breathtaking view of the city from the observation deck. A scene in the encore Korean drama “Beautiful Days” was filmed in the pavilion located adjacent to the tower. Fond memories of Korean tradition, charm, and flavor await us at the Korean Traditional Culture Experience Center. We’ll learn about Korean traditional etiquette, experience wearing the traditional Korean style costumes called hanbok and observe the art of making kimchi. You’ll have the opportunity to enjoy making your own kimchi to take with you. Before dinner, we’ll enjoy a performance of “JUMP” - a show that combines the traditional Korean martial arts with incredible gymnastic skills in a comical style.
Accommodations at SEOUL LOTTE WORLD HOTEL or similar
Saturday, October 30 (Day 04)
SEOUL * MT. SEORAKSAN (B)(L)(D)
This morning we’ll travel to Chuncheon, the capital of Gangwon Province, noted for its many river islands. Located in the middle of the North Han River sits a half-moon shaped island - Nami Island - a place filled with dreams and romance. We’ll visit this beautiful island by ferry - best known as the location where many scenes of the popular Korean soap opera “Winter Sonata” were filmed. See the area where Jun-sang and Yu-jin held hands as they walked slowly down the redwood-lined pathway. Our journey continues on to scenic Mt. Seoraksan National Park, Korea’s most popular national park - often referred to as the ‘Alps of Asia’. The breathtaking scenic beauty of this mountain encompasses granite peaks, lush green valleys, dense forests and glorious waterfalls and is especially beautiful during the autumn season, attired with various colors of fallen leaves. We will spend the night in Mt. Seoraksan.
Accommodations at MT. SEORAK KENSINGTON HOTEL or similar
Sunday, October 31 (Day 05)
MT. SEORAKSAN * SOKCHO BEACH * GANGNEUNG (B)(L)(D)
Our travels continue on to Sokcho - a coastal city located in the northeastern part of Gangwon-do, famous for its gorgeous beaches and as the gateway to the beautiful Mt. Seoraksan. We’ll visit a little fishing village that was used as one of the filming locations of the popular soap opera ‘Autumn Story’. Our travels continue south along the scenic coastline to overnight in Gangneung, known for its beautiful sunrise, clean white sand, and clear waters. This former fishing village has become a favorite beachside resort for tourists and locals alike.
Accommodations at GANGNEUNG HYUNDAI HOTEL or similar
Monday, November 1 (Day 06)
GANGNEUNG * GYEONGJU (B)(L)(D)
Early this morning, enjoy the beautiful sunrise before we depart for Gyeongju, once the capital of the ancient Silla Kingdom. Now boasting glorious historical and cultural remains, this area is known as the ‘museum without walls’ and designated by UNESCO as a major cultural site. We’ll visit Tumuli Park, containing a collection of royal Silla tombs. One of the most famous, Cheonmachong (Flying Horse Tomb), is open for viewing. We’ll see how the huge tombs were built and how items were arranged in them. At the Gyeongju National Museum, view displays of numerous precious relics of the Silla heritage including magnificent gold crowns, potter and Buddhist artifacts. Within the garden is another famous symbol of the Silla people’s artistic and religious spirit, the Divine Bell of King Seongdeok. We’ll spend the night in Gyeongju.
Accommodations at GYEONGJU HILTON HOTEL or similar
Tuesday, November 2 (Day 07)
GYEONGJU * BUSAN * JEJU-ISLAND (B)(L)(D)
We’ll travel south to Busan, a beautiful port city, and visit Jagalchi Fish Market, known as the largest fish market in Southeast Asia to shop for some local specialties at discounted prices. We’ll continue on to the airport in Busan for our flight to Jeju-do, Korea’s largest island off the south coast. On arrival, we’ll embark on a brief sightseeing tour of this semi-tropical paradise - often called “samdado”, the island of three abundances: rocks, wind and women. Two of the island’s symbols are the “dolharubang” (stone grandfather) - a black lava statue of a kindly old man and “haenyeo” - the island’s women divers. These women slowly submerge to incredible depths on the ocean floor in search of shellfish, abalone and sea urchins. We’ll visit Bunjae Artpia, the only park in Korea specializing in bonsai cultivation and known to be the largest of its kind in the world with over 1,000 plants. We’ll check into our elegant hotel to spend the next two nights. Enjoy a stroll through the gardens of the hotel with a romantic scene of Dutch windmills overlooking a lakeside cliff and the famous bench that was used for scenes in the popular Korean drama ‘All In’.
Accommodations at JEJU LOTTE HOTEL or similar
Wednesday, November 3 (Day 08)
JEJU ISLAND (B)(L)(D)
Enjoy the beautiful Jeju Island scenery as we embark on another full day of sightseeing. On the rocky shores of the island’s beaches, we’ll visit ‘Seobjikoji’, where scenes of the popular Korean soap opera ‘All In’ was filmed, including the famous All In house located on the hillside. Enjoy this picturesque view overlooking the Pacific with a romantic atmosphere. A visit to the Seongup Folk Village will provide you with an opportunity to see some of the friendly island villagers who still live in Jeju-style thatched-roof stone houses with stone and clay walls. Unique characteristics found here include folk songs, traditional foods, crafts, and a souvenir shop selling an assortment of traditional Korean products.
Accommodations at the JEJU LOTTE HOTEL or similar
Thursday, November 4 (Day 09)
JEJU ISLAND * GWANGJU * NAEJANGSAN PARK * JEONJU (B)(L)(D)
This morning, we’ll transfer to the airport for a domestic flight to the city of Gwangju. On arrival, we’ll travel north to Naejangsan National Park, especially scenic during the autumn season with its beautiful fall foliage. We’ll continue on to the cultural city of Jeonju, noted for the traditional mulberry paper called hanji, used in calligraphy and also to make umbrellas, fans and other items. The Pan Asia Paper Museum is the only museum in Korea devoted to the history, development, use, and culture of paper. We’ll see a demonstration on the procedure of traditional paper making and craftsmanship and also have the opportunity to participate in the paper making process - making your own paper as a souvenir. Jeonju is also known for its culinary dish bibimbap - a bowl of rice mixed with meat and vegetables and there is an old saying “don’t leave Jeonju without trying it”. We will spend one night in the city.
Accommodations at JEONJU RIVIERA HOTEL or similar
Friday, November 5 (Day 10)
JEONJU * SEOUL (B)(L)(D)
Our drive continues on to the cosmopolitan city of Seoul. En route, we’ll visit the Korean Folk Village, an open-air folk museum where the customs and lifestyles of past generations have been preserved. Observe potters, weavers, blacksmiths and other artisans practice their handicraft skills in traditional fashion. Enjoy the folk music, dance performances, and acrobatics. We may even have an opportunity to watch a dramatic performance of a traditional Korean wedding ceremony. At the marketplace, experience some of the exotic flavors of Korean food from various regions. On arrival in Seoul, we’ll take you to shop at Namdaemun Market, the nation’s largest wholesale center with the best selection of various merchandise at bargain prices. Enjoy ‘NANTA’, a non-verbal performance of free rhythmical movements that dramatize customary Korean percussions in a unique comedy stage show. The show storms into a huge kitchen where four capricious cooks prepare a wedding banquet using all kinds of kitchen items - pots, pans, dishes, knives, chopping boards, brooms and even each other into percussion instruments. We will spend two nights in Seoul.
Accommodations at SEOUL LOTTE HOTEL or similar
Saturday, November 6 (Day 11)
SEOUL * DMZ * SEOUL (B)(L)(D)
This morning we’ll travel to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), visiting The 3rd Infiltration Tunnel & Observatory, the nearest tunnel from Seoul and one of the most fascinating places inn the world. Established after the end of the Korean War, the DMZ cuts the Korean peninsula in half where North and South Korea both ceased military and offensive activities. The bridge at Imjingak Park is called Freedom Bridge and following the end of the Korean War, prisoners of war crossed over this bridge to freedom in the South. This afternoon, we’ll make a visit of the Suwon “KBS” Drama Center, the famous television and movie filming center. Many scenes of the popular soap operas and historical drama series were filmed here at this production center with indoor and outdoor sets. A popular setting used to film a scene in ‘Wife’ can be seen as you walk through the streets of the outdoor village. This evening enjoy a farewell dinner at ‘Korea House’.
Accommodations at SEOUL LOTTE HOTEL or similar
Sunday, November 7 (Day 12)
SEOUL TO HONOLULU (B)
After breakfast this morning, we’ll have some free time to do some last minute shopping at the shops located near our hotel. This afternoon we will transfer to the Incheon International Airport for our evening flight home to Honolulu. We’ll arrive in the morning on the same day due to the crossing of the International Date Line.