Book now for this exciting trip -- email contactus@adventure-travelers.com or call Lisa at 630-915-5618. Space is limited!

Day 1 | Tokyo - Kyoto

Your motor coach will pick you up between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. (from most of the major hotels in Tokyo) and before long you'll be out past the suburbs and into the neatly tended countryside beyond. Mount Fuji with its perfect, snow-capped conical shape will hover into view, ever more impressive as we approach. We'll continue right onto the slopes of Japan's highest mountain, and ascend to the halfway point at 2300 meters (7600 feet) for spectacular views of rolling fields, orchards, lakes, and streams.

Enjoy a Japanese style lunch then continue with a short relaxing cruise on Lake Ashi. Our afternoon outing will conclude with a breathtaking ride on the Mount Komagatake aerial tramway.

In the evening, you’ll have time to explore Hakone. Hakone is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu
National Park and with its hot springs and views of Mt Fuji is a popular outdoor recreation and spa destination.

Day 2 | Kyoto

From the hotel you'll head for the station to board the Bullet Train and speed your way to Kyoto in time for lunch. Today you'll tour the ancient capital of Japan by motor coach.

After a buffet lunch you'll continue to Nara, the first capital of a united Japan. Highlights will include the Todaiji Temple with its huge Great Buddha, the 3000 lanterns of the Kasuga Shrine, and the Deer Park.

Overnight in Kyoto and enjoy dinner on your own.

Day 3 | Kyoto - Tokyo

Enjoy breakfast on your own before heading out to see some of the great sights of Kyoto including Nijo Castle, the Golden Pavilion, and the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

After a buffet lunch you’ll be off to visit the Heian Shrine, Sanjusanggendo, and the Kiyomizu Temple. Tonight will again be in Kyoto with dinner on your own. There are a variety of options available to suit every appetite. Ladies, you’ll find a terrific high rise shopping center here if you’d like to get a little more exercise strolling the hundreds of shops.

Day 4 | Seoul

This morning is at your leisure for last-minute sightseeing and shopping before catching the airport express bus direct from your hotel or the “Super Express” train direct from Kyoto to Osaka for your flight to Seoul. Travel times: Bus 110 minutes; 75 minutes

Your flight is not included to provide flexibility in your schedule. Afternoon flights depart at 1:40, 3:05, 3:50, and 5:00pm arriving at 3:30, 4:55, 5:35, and 7pm respectively.

Upon arrival in Seoul you’ll be met by our local guide and transferred to your hotel for the evening. On the drive into Seoul from the airport you’ll get a sense of how modern and bustling this vibrant city really is, with its glass skyscrapers and bright city lights.

Days 5 | Seoul

After breakfast, you’ll begin a full day tour of Seoul including visits to the Changdeok Palace, which was built in 1405 as an auxiliary palace to Gyeongbok Palace, and the Secret Garden (a rear garden of Changdeok Palace which shows the distinctive natural beauty of Korean gardens.)

You’ll also stop at the Huwon Garden and Insadong Antique Alley. Insadong is a great place to spend an afternoon, even if you aren't a collector. The cobblestone streets are generally closed to traffic and are lined with art, souvenir, and antique shops, creating a quaint pedestrian-friendly atmosphere. Street vendors sell everything from traditional candy to scrolls bearing your name in calligraphic script. In the back alleys, you'll find beautiful tea houses; we’ll stop and have tea at Yeat Chajib.

Enjoy a Welcome Dinner at the traditional Sanchon restaurant where you’ll sample a traditional monk's feast (vegetarian) while watching a dance performance.

Lastly, there will be time to see the National Folk Museum and the Seoul Tower.

Day 6 | Seoul

Today you’ll find yourself immersed in a full day tour of the DMZ & the 3rd North Korean Tunnel. This is perhaps one of the most unusual tourist destinations in the world: The North Korean Tunnel. It was designed to make a surprise attack on Seoul. This visit is a real eye-opening experience that will leave you with a dramatic sense of the tremendous tragedy of separated families, the division of the peninsula and the hopes for reunification.

Enroute you’ll also visit the Changgyeong Palace, another well-preserved royal complex with magnificent gates and elaborate bridges, evoking visions of an earlier era, Jongmyo Shrine, a heavily wooded garden with architectures containing the royal ancestral tablets of Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

This evening enjoy dinner at the Korea House with traditional food, music and dance performances.

Day 7 | Seoul

Today let out your inner child and experience pottery making at an artisan's workshop! The majority of the day will be consumed by both making and learning about pottery and its significance to the Korean culture.

Your day also includes a tour the Icheon Ceramics Village. It’s here that a new ceramic culture was created to focus on maintaining the ancient ceramic traditions of Korea. There are 40 traditional kilns and 300 pottery workshops in the village.

While in the Village you’ll also have an opportunity to visit the Haegang Ceramics Museum where you can trace the development of celadon and porcelain through Korean history.

Lunch will be served at local restaurant with Icheon Ssalbab (steamed rice served out of a hot stone pot) with several types of delicious and unique Korean side dishes.

Day 8 | Seorak National Park

It’s time to break out of the cities and see some of Korea’s amazing countryside. Today you’ll take a full day tour to Mt. Seorak National Park. You’ll travel on a breath-taking 1,100m-long cable car ride to visit the Gwongeumseong Fortress which commands a fine view of Outer Seorak.

Other stops today include the Sinheungsa Temple established first in 652 A.D., as well as Naksansa Temple in Sokcho.

Natural points of interest include Biseondae Plateau, named after the legend of an angel ascending to heaven from the plateau, and Osaek Mineral Springs, which are thought by some to bring relief from digestive ailments.

Your evening will be spent in the beautiful Seorak National Park surroundings.

Day 9 | Seorak - Seoul

Begin your day with a tour of Naksansa Temple, which was built during the Shilla Kingdom. During this period (668 –935) the Korean culture began to really take shape, with Buddhism expanding and generating the construction of numerous temples and works of art. The temple has a very old bell and a seven-story stone pagoda. Uisangdae Pavilion, which sits atop a sheer cliff near the temple entrance, is a famous viewpoint for sunrise over the East Sea.

In the afternoon we’ll return to Seoul for an evening at leisure. Now is a great time to do some shopping down on “Tuxedo Row.” Clothes you select and are measured for this evening will be ready before you depart for home!

Day 10 | Seoul - Busan

Today is completely at your leisure. We’ll be happy to arrange any special tours you may wish to take, or to order any show tickets you need. Again, you’ll check out of your room and deposit your luggage with the bell desk for the afternoon. Meeting at the prearranged time, you’ll be transferred to the airport for an evening flight from Seoul to Busan, Korea's principal international port city.

Day 11 | Busan

Begin your half-day tour of Busan with a visit to the world famous Jagalchi Fish Market. Divided into fresh and dried markets you’ll stroll the western section of live, freshly caught seafood, as well as the eastern section filled with stall after stall hawking a dazzling variety of dried fish.

You’ll also visit Busan Tower (offering a spectacular view of the city), Taejongdae Park and Haeundae Beach leaving you feeling like a native by noon.

Spend the remainder of the day at your leisure exploring all the great markets in this bustling port town.

Day 12 | Busan - Gyeongju

Transfer to Gyeongju. As the capital of the Silla Kingdom for almost a thousand years, Gyeongju preserves vast amount of significant and fascinating historical heritages. Along with Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto, the Gyeongju Historical District has been designated as a World Heritage by UNESCO. Due to the bountiful historical, natural and cultural attractions, this region has long been a major tourist destination in Korea. You’ll visit Tumuli Park, Bulguksa Temple, Burial Mounds, the National Museum, and the Gyeongju Cheomseongdae Observatory.

Day 13 | Gyeongju - Seoul

After breakfast we’ll drive to Seoul leaving you with an afternoon free for shopping at Itaewon or Namdaemun Market. Tonight enjoy a Korean style Farewell Dinner.

Day 14 | Seoul

Today you will be transferred to the airport for your international flight home.