DMZ Tour: pros and cons
Meggie
3 days ago
I finally visited the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea!
This post is very specific in what it is not. This is not a political post, not a means to negatively speak about any country nor any people group, not a way to offend anyone.
The goal is to discuss what an organized day tourist trip to this region is like as an experience for foreigners who have not previously been to the DMZ.
Anyone visiting a restricted or closed international border will have a bias based on which side of the border they're from and which side they're looking across into. Since this is a tourism-focused site for all things South Korea, I'm looking forward to sharing my experience around this with you!
There were barely enough photos to share here, as most of the two zones around the border expressly prohibit any media footage, even if personal. While many tourist places do allow photos and videos for additional fee or with easily- obtained permissions, note that this is not one of them.
As the onlt way to legally visit the DMZ is on an organized, certified tour, it's important to understand what is and isn't on the docket to decide if this is for you.
Most tours are 1 day, start early morning, begin and end in Seoul city center, and are on seemingly identical charter tour buses. Most will feature a dominant language for touring; most of the ones I ran across focused on English language.
I found an operator on Creatrip, and chose them based on relatively last-minute availability and reviews. This one uniquely featured an "interview" with a North Korean defector, but otherwise seemed identical.
This tour was great in that the group was from many continents and countries! Our guide was experienced and repeated himself, which was helpful for many.
My grandfather served here, as part of a foreign military operation, decades ago. He has long passed away, and I don't think of him often. It was especially meaningful to hear our guide share history facts while walking around areas I knew that he had also been to, connecting over our shared footsteps all these years later.
While many government- approved tour guides host seemingly identifical day trips (matching lanyards, same driving routes, etc.), if you care about the details, look at a detailed itinerary for your top choices. I learned that our group spent more time at shopping stops that were further away from the DMZ than other groups had scheduled. We also didn't have a bus with a toilet, or an operator who offered bottled water; not deal breakers, but if you're spending a day outside in 35-40° Celsius, under the sun, it's good to prepare accordingly.
There are plenty of snacks and drink stops along the way, along with souvenir kitsch.
My favorite part was descending into the replica third tunnel, a pseudo cave built by the South Korean government to show what one of the discovered infiltration tunnels dug looks like. You definitely need the helmets provided! It was not a short or gradual walk down, let alone back up. Those with claustrophobia, lung conditions, heart conditions and mobility restrictions should carefully evaluate if this is appropriate for them, as it's totally optional.
This specific tour was not what was advertised- they drove us to a luxury jewelry amethyst shop in downtown Seoul as part of the tour? It started at a different time and a different place, and it ended at a different time and place as well. The bus was turned off when not acticely driving, so no air conditioning in 30°+ had us waiting on street curb outside instead during breaks.
I think everyone would benefit from this living history experience!
