JSA tour recommendation?
 

The threads I'm finding on this are very old.

I'm looking to take a half day JSA tour on a Saturday (maybe Friday).

Does anyone know of tours that leave later in the morning or early afternoon.

I really don't want to meet at a central point across town at 7:30 am.

Thank you

For JSA tours, the main operators are Cosmojin and Koridoor. They all follow the exact same itinerary since the JSA is government controlled and has strict rules. They simply just depart at different times during the day and also do different things before or after the JSA part. The price should all be the same, around 90$. Anything that's not 90$ doesn't include the JSA. They do have times throughout the day, including afternoon departures, but it varies based on the calendar/day. Do book ahead as it sells out in advance.

Any other companies you find should be the exact same price as Cosmojin and Koridoor. Websites like Korea Travel Easy and Trazy all sell tours for this and other things, and use the same operators. They are just different local companies doing the same thing.

Thank you for the detailed information, but I can't locate any companies that offer tours that depart throughout the day.

Kosmojin - 8:00-15:00
Koridoor - no JSA only tour, only joint DMZ
Korea Travel Easy - DMZ only
Trazy - 9:30-15:30 (Tu-Fri only), but a lot of "fluff" like taking an extended lunch

I may rake the Trazy one only because it at least leaves later in the morning.

Thanks again!

We just took a tour organized by the Panmunjom Travel Center - specifically the tour with a North Korean defector - that I highly recommend. http://www.koreadmztour.com/program/program_1.asp

It leaves at 9:30 (check in at 9) from the Koreana Hotel, visits the JSA after lunch and is back in Seoul at 5. While not a late morning departure like you were looking for, I felt there was little "fluff" during the tour and the opportunity to speak with someone who until recently lived in North Korea was quite insightful.

I did see that in my research. Thanks for the personal recommendation. Much better than anonymous reviews on travel sites. I may not be able to commit to that time frame, but definitely an option to consider.

All JSA tours include other DMZ activities. The length and departure time are what varies by the day and the company. Some do more, some do less.

For insurance, I’m looking at a 10:30 departure tour for my friend when she visits this month. But it’s still all day and ends at 6:30.

When I did it years ago, I left at 7:30 AM and was back by 3:30.

if you want to go to JSA, these companies are the only way. Can’t go to the area and find something there, for instance. Bc government rules and security.

Yes, the 6 hour tours are fine, and there appears to be many of them, but they all require you to be at a central meeting point between 7-9 am.

Since the actual JSA portion are afternoon visits, I don't need to take 90 minutes out for a sit-down lunch and added time for tourist shopping.

I'm looking for something, which may not exist, that departs later in the day and returns later in the day.

Unfortunately, you are stuck with their times. The only solution I could think of would be to coordinate private driver to the JSA, get on the bus at the JSA, driver waits somewhere for you outside (like Dorasan Train Station), then you get back in with private driver and go back to Seoul. But I bet that'd cost a pretty penny, if even possible.

I like that idea, but I know there has to be passport checks and arrangements in the days prior and am not sure I would trust the driver to figure that out. I did contact a couple private guides who claim to do JSA tours (yes, I know they don't conduct the actual JSA portion) and am waiting to hear back. Thanks.

IME the JSA is the raison d'être for the tour. The rest of the stuff is pretty forgettable. If your schedule doesn't permit a tour which includes it, consider something else. There are many threads here with suggestions.

I think that's the best part too. I wouldn't waste my time doing any other tour that takes you to the Observatory or to buy DMZ souvenirs.

I'm with you 100%. That why I didn't want to wake up at 5:30 to get to a central meeting point by 7 to take a 7-8 hour tour which includes 90 minutes for lunch and jewelry shopping. Too much to do in Seoul!

I found this company with an 11:00 am Saturday departure and booked it. Will advise how it turns out.

DMZ TOURS | Korea DMZ Tour Reservation Center - Seoul Tour Korea

Did you go on the tour yet? Interested in how it was.

Not yet, but will report back when I do.

Apparently the JSA is closed for April, so unfortunately I won't be going. Trying to determine the quickest route to Dora Observatory for a quick glimpse. Do not want to go on a prolonged tour.

Just for april or is this going to go into may as well? I was planning on a mid-may trip.

I'm not sure. There's no website to check but I've been told all of April and until April 27.

And I've been told if you want to do the DMZ you have to do the entire tour course which is 2.5-3 hours. There is no going just to Dora lookout.

There are meetings at the end of April between N and S Korea at the JSA so it is closed to the public.

Is this extending into mid-May in the lead-up to the summit?

Best to book now, contact your hotel concierge to see how long it is scheduled to be closed.

unknown, but concierge should know or call kori door during business hours. We have decided to replace it with the war memorial of Korea as our history spot..

I really have a bad karma. I tried to book a 3rd tunnel&Panmunjon Tour for the first week of May (05 to 09 May) but was told that :

- 05/05 is not possible due to national holiday in Korea;
- 06&07/05 are not possible because Panmunjon is closed on Sundays and Mondays
- 08/05 is not possible "due to military reason".

And since I'm leaving on the 09/05, it looks like I won't be able to visit Panmunjon. :(

I have the opportunity to visit the 3rd Tunnel as well as the Dora observatory. Is that interesting/worth it?

I did exactly this on my first Korea trip and found it incredibly fascinating.

Try another company, too. My friend that was visiting a few weeks ago had her trip cancelled due to "military exercise," BUT she claimed others that were at the tunnel and observatory did actually go that day. They told her "her time" was cancelled. So check again definitely!

And I mean, yes, I would go to see the Observatory and the Tunnel if you really want to. Just try to book the shortest tour possible for that to save your time. No need for lunch or a tour with a shopping stop.

[MENTION=95960]emma dog[/MENTION]
Good to know. I ended booking that "Half DMZ Tour" from Koridoor, looks interesting indeed.

[MENTION=321968]mikesaidyes[/MENTION]
That's what I did. I sent emails to 3 different companies and unfortunately they all had the same schedule. I agree with you and really wanted to avoid the ginseng/amethyst shopping stops. The tour I booked has a lunch stop but no shopping stop.

Thanks for the info folks.

We just came back from Korea and used Korridor tours.

They were very convenient to get to by train and the half day was actually more like 3/4 day.

Learned quite a lot and got to see the super deep tunnel that the NK dug claiming to be a coal mine, train bridge between north and south, and the famous Unification train station that is not being used but so clean ready to re-connect with the north.

Good lunch at the military / train station too!
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...1446467715.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c0cc906f58.jpg

DMZ museum

Honest question. The other tours start at 7-9am. You've found one that started at 11am.

You ended your other post with "too much to do in Seoul"

What other things were you planning to do for 4 hours in the morning?

I understand sleeping in.

Doint know when you are going, I will be there in 2 weeks and all of the JSA tours for Oct were KOed, although there are some for Nov+ I think if things start moving between all the sides that they too probably will be KOed. Im not talking about the 1/2 day tours that dont go to JSA. Back in Sept there were numerous JSA tours to be booked but as things moved ahead they were all KOed

Im doing Koridoor only cause its very close to where I will be staying and will be rushed to get to an evening event afterwards

There haven't been reports on here from folks who have visited for a while - perhaps because it has been closed for mine clearing, meetings, etc. - but it looks like there may be an expansion of the ability to move around the JSA if/when this takes effect (it has not yet despite report below.) Will be interested to hear from people who go as to what - if any - changes this means for the visit experience.

North Korea expects free movement at JSA to begin on November 1: travel agencies
Tourists will be allowed to cross demarcation line as of Thursday, authorities tell tour companies

Makes me wonder if the appeal of the "World's most heavily guarded border' will diminish now that tourists will be able to freely cross the line at JSA. NK Tourists can come and see the tree where the axe incident took place. But what appeal will there be for SK Tourists? Go see the fake village? See the checkpoint where the NK soldier drove past to defect to SK?

for some it will simply be being able to go where they werent able to go till now

Glad to have seen it in 2015.

Well, I had a tour scheduled for the 20th, and just got notice today that it's been cancelled. I guess I'm not too surprised, given everything that's been going on, but it's still disappointing.

Read somewhere yesterday that The North blew up 10 of it guard buildings along the front and if the JSA is now unarmed soldiers, dont think it will feel like it used to.

That said I did the 1/2 tour a few weeks ago, it was pouring out so not much to see and nothing else I would have done in Seoul but to a large extent it was a waste The 1st stop by the old Peace Bridge was the only real interesting part imo, with going to the train station the dumbest and most wasteful stop