A lot has happened this month: The Chicago Cubs are World Champions, Donald Trump is president-elect of the United States, and Koryo Tours has a new webpage.

We hope this new webpage gives a more informative and visually descriptive overview of not only our tours to North Korea and other destinations, but also our ongoing work in both cultural engagement and humanitarian work. The new webpage is also more user-friendly, featuring individual online accounts to help you view and manage your travel bookings with us.

We are quite excited about this platform as we wrap up an eventful 2016 and get ready for 2017. Here is some of what we have been up to this year and what is in store for the next:

Pyongyang's First Beer Festival

This August-September marked the first ever beer festival in Pyongyang, held on the historic west bank of the Taedong River and serving seven varieties of the eponymous Taedong River Beer. With plenty of beer on tap and live music, the festival was a hit with both locals and foreigners and likely to become an annual event. Check back for more details of next year’s dates!

New Cycling Routes in Pyongyang

While it has been possible for some years to bike Pyongyang’s modernist Kwangbok Street, this year saw the opening of new routes through the city. It is now possible to bike Sports Street, Future Scientist Street, Central Pyongyang, and parts of East Pyongyang. Our ‘Tour de DPRK’ next May will include this route as well as new routes on Korea’s beautiful east coast.

Kayaking the Taedong

This summer Koryo Tours organized the first kayaking on the Taedong River from Pyongyang to Nampo (and back!). The first tourists to kayak the Taedong River followed in October. For now it's possible to kayak from the Yanggakdo Hotel upriver to downtown Pyongyang or downriver to the Kangson Steelworks near Nampo. The total route is about 20 km, passing both idyllic riverside and large stretches of industry. It takes between 6-8 hours to paddle each way. Kayaking will be available as a extension to any group tour or on private tours from March of 2017.

Microlight Flights over Pyongyang

If you are not into boating, why not take a flight over the river? Mircolight flights take off from Mirim Flight Club in east Pyongyang and fly along the Taedong River to various landmarks, including the May Day Stadium, Juche Tower, and Mangyongdae. Flights are possible from April-November (weather dependent) as an extension to group tours or on a private tour. Contact us for more details!

Less than 150 Days until the 2017 Pyongyang Marathon

It's not too early to start training for next year's Mangyondae Prize Marathon on April 9th! Full marathon, half marathon, and 10 km races open to international amateur runners. Join on one of our eight marathon tours departing from Beijing, Shanghai, or Dandong to run the streets of Pyongyang. Koryo Tours is the official travel partner of the race.

The Koryo Courier is a monthly posting with the latest news from Koryo Tours.