29 October 2018, 12:52
NEW - Saga launches first tour to South Korea and Japan
Follow leaders of North and South Korea to border where historic summit took place
- Board Japanese bullet train
- Dine at a sumo restaurant
- See spectacular cherry blossom
The chance to follow the leaders of North and South Korea – not to mention Michael Palin – to the border between their countries is part of a fascinating new Saga tour.
The demilitarised zone where the North’s leader Kim Jong Un met South Korean president Moon Jae-in during their historic summit in April, and which recently featured in travel presenter Palin’s TV documentary about the region, is a highlight of Saga’s 13-night tour Essence of South Korea and Japan.
A bullet train journey, temple visits, breath-taking views of snow-capped Mount Fuji and, in spring, the spectacular cherry blossom, feature in Japan, and there are tours of South Korean cities Gyeongju and Busan as well as the capital Seoul, including the 777-foot N Seoul communications tower, with its all-round observation decks.
The adventure, Saga’s first to South Korea, begins at Seoul’s Incheon Airport, widely regarded as the world’s best, and the border visit is scheduled for the fourth day.
It includes Korean War monuments, a secret passage created for the North to infiltrate the South, viewpoints into the northern side, a United Nations military post, the area where, in 1976, two American soldiers were killed with an axe after attempting to cut a tree and, for a lighter end to the day, the option of watching a cooking show incorporating acrobatics, magic and comedy.
Entertaining dining arrangements are something of a theme for the trip, with meals at a Ninja-themed restaurant, a Japanese-style pub, an eat-what-you-make sushi class and, on the final night, around a sumo wrestling ring.
Other excursions in South Korea include visiting the seventh-century astronomical observatory of Cheomseongdae, and in Japan a cruise on the volcanic Lake Ashi and take a cable car ride up Mount Komagatake.
Accommodation is in Saga-rated 4Q hotels in Seoul, Gyeongju and Busan in South Korea, and Kyoto, Hakone and Tokyo in Japan.
For details call free on 0800 056 0464 or visit saga.co.uk/Japan
13 nights† from £3999* departing September 2 and October 28, 2019 and March 18 to May 4, 2020, with Korean Airlines.
Price includes VIP door-to-door chauffeur service, return flights, airport taxes, accommodation, most meals, porterage, tour manager, optional travel insurance and additional cancellation rights, or a discount if passenger has own insurance.
*Price is £s per person based on two people sharing on September 2, 2019 departure, including optional travel insurance or a reduction of £65 if not required. Insurance underwritten by Great Lakes Insurance SE, UK Branch. †Includes one night aboard aircraft. Prices are subject to availability and may change, but current price will be confirmed at the time of booking.
