Touring South Korea

Trip Overview

Our Korea Trek itinerary allows students to visit some of Korea’s most popular cities. From the DMZ, to the energetic cities of Seoul & Busan, to nature in Jeju island, this trek has it all. Delicious food, unique cultural experiences, great nightlife, and time on the beach makes for a balanced and fun trip.

 

Price range varies depending on group size, time of travel, accommodation level, and included activities.

Important Trip Information

Accomodations

  • Hotel 8 nights

Meals

  • 8 Breakfasts
  • 5 Lunches
  • 4 Dinners

Transport

  • Transfers between Cities

Trip Highlights

  • English speaking guide throughout
  • Seoul City Tour
  • Unique Seoul Tour
  • DMZ
  • Night Market
  • Dinner at Korea House
  • Nightclub with bottle service
  • Get Real Busan Tour
  • Karaoke Night
  • Korean BBQ
  • Jeju Hiking Tour
  • Jeju Nature Tour
  • Makgeolli making experience

Exclusions

  • International flights
  • International airport departure tax
  • Any visas required
  • Services not mentioned in the itinerary
  • Late check out at hotels
  • Meals and drinks not mentioned in the itinerary
  • Drinks with included lunches and dinners
  • Tips for leaders, guide and driver
  • Expenditure of personal nature
  • Personal Insurance
  • Optional activities

Additional Experiences
Itinerary Overview
Day 1 - Seoul

Embark on a journey with us to discover the rich heritage and cultural traditions of Korea on this full-day tour. With comprehensive tour of palaces, Buddhist temples and traditional folk museums dating back to Joseon Dynasty, you will feel, learn and experience the cultural legacy of Korean dynasties. As we walk through the streets of Seoul City you will see the harmoniously blended and contrasting sights of the old and new.

Lunch at Insadong Gejip Restaurant.

Walk through the streets of Seoul City, especially from Gwanghwamun Square to Cheonggyecheon Stream, you will see the harmoniously blended and contrasting sights of the old and new.

Discover Gyeongbokgung Palace and watch a traditional guard changing ceremony.

Journey through time at the Namsangol Hanok Village to learn about the lives of old Korean and the architectural structures while walking through this calm and soothing atmosphere.

Korean Royal Cuisine at Korea House. Korea House continues the legacy of traditional royal cuisine – the culmination of Korean culinary experience that has been preserved in literature, cookbooks, and knowledge passed down through generations.

Included Meals: lunch, dinner

Day 2 - Seoul

Experience the intensity of the Joint Security Area which connects North and South Korea. There is no other place in South Korea where you can get this close to the border of the North and South relations through this exclusive tour. Here you can witness the reality of Korea as a divided nation and get to know more about contemporary Korean history.

Onwards in the afternoon to visit Changdeokgung palace and Bukchon Hanok Village.

Learn more about the Korean War and feel the intense atmosphere.

Have a chance to see a North Korean village vividly.

Lunch at own expense at Heyri Cultural Village

Visit Changdeokgung palace which is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage sites, wearing Hanbok (Korean traditional costumes) to enjoy your last night in Seoul, Korea.

Shop at the night market in Dongdaemun which is open all night long.

EVENING ACTIVITY – Clubbing. Gangnam style is already old fashioned! Itaewon is the most hip place which recently became the city’s major hive of electric creativity and nightlife activity for young locals and tourists. If you want to spend your night, drinking and dancing all night long listening to trendy music from hip hop to electronica, you should go to Itaewon.

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch

Day 3 - Busan

Busan is Korea’s largest port city, filled with endless excitement and pleasant surprises. Every year, tens of thousands of visitors from all over the country and around the world flock to the cities many beaches to relax or to attend festivals.

Dinner at Yukpoong. You will be welcomed by the most famous Korean food, Samgyeopsal, thick, fatty slices of pork belly meat. A lot of Korean people eat Samgyeopsal during dinner & gatherings with friends and colleagues. Grill your own meat, and enjoy it wrapped up in leafy pockets of lettuce with red pepper paste. This traditional Korean specialty will be washed down with local beer…

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4 - Busan

Be ready to get your camera and upload it on your instagram. You will visit both the ancient and modern sides of Busan and will experience the most unique cultural thing today.

Makgeolli is a Korean alcoholic beverage which is milky, off-white and lightly sparkling rice wine, having a slight viscosity that tastes slightly sweet, tangy, bitter, and astringent. Chalky sediment gives it a cloudy appearance.

You will learn how to make the Makgolli with our special teacher, Cheonggil Yoo, who is a master who produces Geumjeongsanseong makkeolli!

The brewery is in the middle of the Geumjeongsanseong, referring to the Geumjeong Mountain Fortress.
Highlights:

Discover Beomeosa Temple, a cultural highlight and must-see historic site, with beautiful architecture neatly set against an extraordinary mountain setting.

Making the Korean alcohol, Makgeolli.

Lunch of Korean Fried chicken is included.

BUSAN BEACH SCENIC TOUR. SONGDO CABLE CAR SONGDO SKY PARK. Catch a stunning view of the sea, nearby forests and people fishing and hiking. The cable car itself leads to a rest area that has food, gift shops, hiking, and lots of photo opportunities. It takes 7 minutes to go up and you will sea the emerald color of sea just under your feet. Next its Songdo beach which is a popular beach as it is a quite and peaceful ocean spot. Take your time to to stroll along the beach front and mingle with the locals.

EVENING – KARAOKE. Music is one of the powerful ways to bond! Colleagues can gather together by singing and dancing. You will see the score after you singing one song, and we can do a competition game, adding all the score of one team! Let’s see who is the best singer in this team. And also, as you can see the picture on the right side, this Karaoke in Busan could be the most oriental and Korean style one in the world. It will be an unique experience!

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 5 - Busan

BUSAN ‘GET REAL ‘ TOUR. This tour allows you to experience the real Busan, a beautiful ocean city that is famous for its spectacular beaches, fresh seafood and an endless series of tourist destinations.

Armed with a map you join the scavenger hunt at Gamcheon Cultural Village, an enchanting town known as Asia’s Santorini.

Add a very special touch to your day in Busan with a market tour. You will stroll through the famous Jagalchi Market, which is the largest fish market in Korea, and BIFF (Kkangtong Market) to pick up your own fresh ingredients.

Get ready to admire stunning panoramic views of the city at Busan Tower.

Feeling tired after long flight? Discover and experience Korean Style spa (Jjimjilbang) which you can heal your body, soul and mind.

MARKET TOUR. Select what you like and want to eat while you walk through Jagalchi and BIFF Street. At Jagalchi Market, you will see the fresh seafood and also experience the daily life of people who live at the shore side. If you are not a fish-lover, then you can enjoy the local traditional food on BIFF street.

Select your ingredient yourself at the Jagalchi Market the largest seafood market in Korea. You will have a free time to choose your own meal.

Complete experience – from choosing your preferred seafood,to bargaining, telling the cook what to cook right through to the eating part. (Guides will be able to assist)

BIFF (Busan International Film Festival ) Street and Square has shops selling Korean local food. People who prefer not to eat seafood, may can come to BIFF Square for lunch.

Korean Style Spa (Jjimjilbang). Taking a bath at a jimjilbang is one of must-do things when you visit Seoul in South Korea. Enjoy a pampering good soak and scrub here! Experience Korean culture together at the Spa land located in the Centurm City in Busan which is one of the best luxury Jjimjilbang in Korea!

Explore Korean culture – Koreans take their baths very seriously. Some Koreans will attend a Jimjilbang on a weekly, biweekly, or even monthly basis. Explore the reason why Koreans love to come here so much!

Utilize the highly developed and user friendly payment system: electronic wristbands used for lockers and payment at the café and vending machines.

Try the diverse facilities in this huge sauna; relaxing hot and cold soaking pools, bathing and massage areas, various saunas, entertainment lounges, and communal sleeping rooms.

Included Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6 - Jeju

Welcome to Jeju. Jeju Special Self-Governing Province is a premier tourist destination, boasting mild weather and scenic beauties of beaches, waterfalls, cliffs and caves. Some of the top tourist sites include a national park with diverse flora and fauna, breathtaking views, and the world’s longest lava tube, registered as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage.

JEJU NATURE TOUR. Get the breathe with the most beautiful nature in Jeju. And, take a break while tasting and learning a Korea’s traditional tea culture.

Visiting Cheonjeyeon Waterfall which can see stunning scale of waterfall. Cheonjeyeon Waterfall means “Pond of Heaven”. At this place, you will see stunning scale of waterfall.

Yongmeori is a sandstone bed created by layers of sand that have been deposited for tens of millions of years. The mysterious scenery of the coast is enough to make anyone who witnesses it exclaim in wonder.

Tea leaves from Jeju have unique quality thanks to the ecological characteristics of Jeju as a volcanic zone. You will fee, its aroma and taste at this wonderful Green tea museum.

You will have your own dinner and some free time at Dongmun Night Market where is a Jeju’s traditional markets.

Included Meals: breakfast, dinner

Day 7 - Jeju

HIKING MT. HALLA. Climbing the Halla Mountain is no easy task. Located at the center of the Jeju Island, Hallasan(Halla Mountain) is 1950 meter-high mountain, the highest in South Korea. If you climb the mountain, you will definitely realize that Jeju Island is an island made out of basalt rocks indeed. Definitely, Hiking at Mt. Halla can be your the most unforgettable experience in a lifetime!

Night Activity: Bar Hopping. Live music bar, pub, wine bar, lounge bar, etc. Stay one place or visit all of them wherever you want to enjoy Your night!

Included Meals: breakfast

Day 8 - Depart Jeju

JEJU UNESCO TOUR. Manjanggul Cave is one of the finest lava tunnels in the world, and is a designated natural monument. You will see a variety of interesting structures inside including 70cm lava stalagmites and the lava tube tunnels. One of the special places that people visit to see the sun rise as each old year turns to the new, that’s Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak).

Included Meals: breakfast

Day 9 - Depart Lisbon

Today is free for you to keep exploring Lisbon on your own pace. You can visit one of the hundred museums in the city or just relax having a Bica (Coffee) or some wine.

In the evening regroup again for a Farewell Dinner to say good-bye to Lisbon and Portugal.

Included Activities: Farewell Dinner

Included Meals: breakfast

If you are interested in a trip like this, complete a Request Form here.