North korea
 

looking to visit Pyongyang for a weekend
flying air china
see that restrictions against US citizens end this fall
anyone know how long it takes to get a visa in beijing?
any OK hotels to stay at? dont really wanna do a rip off tour

I visited the DPRK last August with Koryo Tours and at the time US Citizens were limited to no more than 4 nights and only during the Mass Games. My understanding is that effective now, US Citizens can travel anytime to the DPRK but still must be accompanied by tour guides. I was very happy with Koryo Tours but am sure there are less expensive alternatives.

If you want to go to North Korea through the front door, a rip-off tour will be your only choice. You will need their paperwork to get the visa (usually tour companies deal with this aspect as well). The only other option is to get to the border with China, and accidentally cross in NK territory. Where you will no doubt reduce your cash outlay, but this option comes with consequences.

Jiejie is correct, you will have to pay for a rip off tour. North Korea is not a country you can just visit, especially if you are a US citizen. Since you are a US citizen, I would not try to get in via the back door as it will surely get you arrested or worse.

Having said that, some of my non-US citizen friends have visited and I hear Pyongyang is quite an unique destination. But please consider that you will be essentially enabling a despotic regime by giving the bankrupt (both morally and financially) government valuable hard currency. I do not want that on my conscience, but of course you are free to do as you wish.

was thinking of combining the trip with a trip to Burma....[not]

Don't forget Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia....and you will be blacklisted from USA :D

Since i already visited Iran, also landed in Venezuela...:D i am also thinking about going to DRPK.
So how much is a rip off tour?

The tours are roughly 2,500 Euro for a week, all inclusive. You stay at the fanciest hotels, eat their best food (comparatively speaking), and get to see all the museums, landmarks, DMZ, and so on.
I have been researching this for quite some time, and hope to go next summer.

It should be a once in a lifetime experience!

http://www.koryogroup.com/
http://www.korea-dpr.com/travel.htm

My "rip-off" tour was around 120 Euro/ night "full board" (incl. 3 meals), all trips, and two guides and a driver. Plus airfare (which was really a rip off on Air Koryo...) I assume that there will be a surcharge for US citizens. Did the tour in 2006, so prices may vary.

Wouldn't really consider this a rip off. Booked thru http://www.nordkorea-info.de/index.htm which is a German site, but there is a english description of the available tours here http://www.nordkorea-info.de/tourism..._rundreise.htm .
You won't have the choice of hotel or anything else. They put you where they want you to stay. The guides are, however, very helpful and try their best to please and show you what you'd like to see.

You could drop this guy an email, he's a German organizing tours of DPRK and very helpful. He might be able to help you as well (email address on the english tour descirption site, all on the bottom).

That's a fair point and as world citizens we all share a moral obligation.

On the other hand, the opportunity to see a little bit behind the curtain is somewhat unique. There's so little reporting that comes out of North Korea that one naturally ignores what is or isn't going on there. A counter to this general malaise would be to go there in person, even if it is a government-supported propaganda tour. If handled adroitly, one is always able to glean a few facts from "the locals".

That's also a very fair point. (by the way, I did not mean to be condescending or judgmental in my original post, even though, reading back, it sounded that way)

I do think it would be a wonderful destination as I have heard from friends who have visited that it is almost like going back in time - with the whole country remains as if it is back in the 50s and 60s.

Actually one very good travelogue I remember reading about visiting North Korea is from Slate:
http://www.slate.com/id/2224658

Nobody worries that they could become like the hikers who were snagged by Iranians and played like pawns in the diplomatic game? They got a former US president to make pilgrimage to Pyongyang to free some innocent journalists. Kim Jong-il and Ahmedinajad are enough reason for me to avoid these exotic vacation spots.

The hikers illegally crossed the border into Iran, albeit probably by accident. Your "innocent" journalists, on the other hand, did intentionally cross the border into North Korea and pretty much deserved what they got.

So, no, I really don't see North Korea kidnapping tourists who come in on state-organized package tours.

Same here...and even if you end up doing something wrong in the DPRK (such as for example, take a .... in the Kumsusang Memorial Palace), it'll be mostly the guides ending up in some labour camp, not you.

I can recommend the tour with Koryo Tours - certainly not a "rip-off" and Nick / Simon who will probably accompany you are great guys.

North Korea doesn't need any more tourist scare. They need the money.