2024 Springtime In Korea

(featuring Asia's largest aquarium)

April 4 - 14, 2024 (11 Days & 9 Nights)

All Meals Included    Seoul (2 Nights), Namsan Seoul Tower, Gyeongbokgung Palace, National Folk Museum, Cheongwadae (The Blue House), Insadong Cultural Street, Jeju Island (2 Nights), Yongduam Rock, Bunjae Artpia (bonsai), Hanhwa Aqua Planet Jeju (Aquarium), Trick Art Museum, Busan, Jagalchi Fish Market, Gyeongju, Tumuli Park, Cheonmachong (Heavenly Horse Tomb), Gyeongju National Museum, Jeonju Hanji (Korean Paper) Museum, Jeonju Hanok Village, Korean Folk Village, Suwon KBS Drama Production Center, Seoul (2 Nights), Lotte World Tower, Namdaemun (South Gate Market), Myeong-dong Market

$100 EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNT
(deposit of $100 per person received by 11/30/2023 )

Thursday, April 4 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO SEOUL
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the airport for baggage check-in procedures.  We’ll depart Honolulu on a direct flight to Seoul, the capital of South Korea.  A meal and a snack will be served on board the flight.

Friday, April 5  (Day 02)
ARRIVE SEOUL  (D)
We’ll arrive at the Incheon International Airport in the late afternoon.  After completing entry and customs formalities, we’ll proceed to a local restaurant to enjoy a welcome dinner before checking-in to our hotel for the night.  We’ll spend two exciting nights at a fabulous hotel in Seoul.

Accommodations at Seoul Lotte World Hotel or similar

Saturday, April 6  (Day 03)
SEOUL  (B)(L)(D)
Enjoy a full-day of sightseeing, visiting some of the major attractions in this exciting city.  Standing high on Mt. Namsan in the heart of the city is N Seoul Tower, the symbol of Seoul and the city’s most recognizable landmark.  Weather permitting, we’ll proceed to the entrance of the tower and take an elevator up to the observation deck to enjoy a breathtaking view of the city.  A scene from the encore Korean drama ‘Beautiful Days’ was filmed in the pavilion located adjacent to the tower.  We’ll visit Gyeongbokgung Palace, the largest and grandest of the five royal palaces built during the Joseon Dynasty.  Located on the palace grounds is the National Folk Museum, featuring items and exhibits displaying the traditional way of life in Korea and providing an insight into Korean culture.  We’ll drive by to view Cheongwadae (The Blue House), the executive and official residence of the President of the Republic of Korea.  Insadong Cultural Street represents the focal point of Korean traditional culture and folk crafts specializing in a wide variety of merchandise that can only be purchased and appreciated in Korea.  Hanbok (traditional clothing), hanji (traditional paper), pottery, and arts and crafts are some of the goods that you can purchase in the shops on Insadong Street. 

Accommodations at Seoul Lotte World Hotel or similar

Sunday, April 7  (Day 04)
SEOUL - JEJU ISLAND  (B)(L)(D)
This morning, we’ll transfer to the Gimpo Airport to check-in for our domestic flight to Jeju-do, Korea’s largest island off the south coast.  On arrival, we’ll embark on a sightseeing tour of this semi-tropical paradise, noted for its three abundances: rocks, wind, and women.  One of the island’s famous symbols is a ‘dol hareubang’ (stone grandfather) - a statue of a kindly old man carved from porous volcanic rock and considered as a god, offering both protection and fertility.  We’ll make a photo stop at Yongduam Rock - an unusual lava formation shaped like a dragon’s head with its mouth wide-open - a famous Jeju Island landmark.  We’ll continue on to enjoy a stroll through Bunjae Artpia, also known as ‘The Spirited Garden’ - one of the world’s largest botanical garden.  Hundreds of bonsai plants are elegantly laid-out along the paths of the garden together with  pine trees, wisteria, wild flowers, and interesting rock formations.  We’ll check into our luxurious resort hotel on Jeju Island to spend two fabulous nights. 

Accommodations at Jeju Shinhwa World Resort or similar

Monday, April 8  (Day 05)
JEJU ISLAND  (B)(L)(D)
We’ll visit the Hanhwa Aqua Planet Jeju, now known as Asia’s largest aquarium - surpassing Okinawa’s Churaumi Aquarium.  Five tanks of marine life from the five oceans around the globe are featured at its World Oceans exhibit.   There are also other sections of the aquarium that include tanks dedicated to harbor seals, a penguin section, and a Living Ocean section featuring eels and crabs.  For your viewing pleasure, a tank containing sardines and several small sharks features a special performance of haenyeo (Jeju women divers).  The aquarium’s grand finale is a tank that showcases Jeju Island’s ecosystem with fifty species of fish.  This afternoon, we will also visit the Trick Eye Museum with many unusual optical illusion art.  You can enjoy immersing yourselves with the art pictures to create some funny and memorable photos,

Accommodations at Jeju Shinhwa World Resort or similar

Tuesday, April 9  (Day 06)
JEJU ISLAND - BUSAN  (B)(L)(D)
This morning, we’ll transfer to the airport to check-in for our flight to Busan, a beautiful port city and gateway to the Halleyo Maritime National Park.  Busan is blessed with great geographical advantages: the sea to its south and east, the river to its west and the mountains soaring in the city like beautiful twin towers.  Oiso! Boiso! Saiso! (Come! See! Buy!) Hear this continuous chanting at the exciting Jagalchi Fish Market, Southeast Asia’s largest fish market located along the Busan Harbor.  Here, you can shop for some of the many kinds of local specialties of Busan and the Gyeongnam region and we will stop at a vendor with a variety of dried seafood specialties that will be great for snacks and gifts to take home.  We’ll spend the night in Busan and perhaps try your luck at one of the local casinos this evening.

Accommodations at Busan Paradise Hotel or similar

Wednesday, April 10  (Day 07)
BUSAN - GYEONGJU -  DAEGU  (B)(L)(D)
Our journey continues north to Gyeongju, once the capital city of the Silla Kingdom.  A vast number of archaeological sites and cultural properties from the Silla period still remain in this historical city which is often referred to as “the museum without walls”.  Among one of the historical sites to visit is Tumuli Park, featuring an extensive collection of royal Silla tombs, presumed to be those of kings and court officials.  The dimensions of the tombs vary and most of them are earthen and mound-shaped.  During the excavation of one of the most famous - Cheonmachong (Heavenly Horse Tomb), numerous artifacts including a gold crown, gold and silver ornaments, horse fittings, and weapons were uncovered.  We’ll have an opportunity to enter this tomb - the only one open for public viewing.  At the Gyeongju National Museum, precious relics of the Silla Kingdom are contained, including magnificent gold crowns and Buddhist artifacts.  In front of the main building stands another famous symbol of the Silla people’s artistic and religious spirit - the bronze Divine Bell of King Seongdeok.  We’ll continue on to spend the night in the city of Daegu.  

Accommodations at Daegu Grand Hotel or similar

Thursday, April 11  (Day 08)
DAEGU - JEONJU - DAEJEON  (B)(L)(D)
We’ll drive west to the cultural city of Jeonju to visit the Jeonju Hanji Museum, Korea’s first museum specializing in paper.  The museum has an extensive collection of artifacts and a data-base documenting the long history and superiority of Hanji paper.  A guide will explain the history and procedure of traditional paper-making and craftsmanship with displays, artifacts, and exhibits.  We’ll also have an opportunity to participate in the paper-making process with the help of a jijang (paper-making expert).  Enjoy a stroll through the Jeonju Hanok Village - a traditional-style village located in the heart of the city with hundreds of traditional ‘hanok’ style buildings, tea shops, restaurants, and souvenir shops.  Jeonju is also well-known for its culinary dish - bibimbap (a rice bowl topped with savory meat and vegetables).  There is an old saying, “don’t leave Jeonju without tasting it”.  We’ll continue on to spend the night in the city of Daejeon.

Accommodations at Daejeon Lotte City Plaza Hotel or similar

Friday, April 12  (Day 09)
DAEJEON - SEOUL  (B)(L)(D)
Our journey continues on back to the cosmopolitan city of Seoul to stay for two more exciting nights.  En route, we’ll visit the Korean Folk Village, an open-air folk museum where the customs and lifestyles of past generations are preserved.  Observe potters, weavers, blacksmiths and other artisans practice their handicraft skills in traditional fashion.  Enjoy folk music, acrobatic and traditional dance performances.  At the marketplace, experience some of the exotic flavors of Korean food from the various vendors offering their specialties.  In the afternoon, we’ll visit the Suwon KBS Drama Center, a famous television and movie filming center in Korea.  Many scenes of popular soap operas and historical drama series are filmed in the indoor and outdoor sets at this production center.  Continue our drive to the exciting shopping city of Seoul.  This evening, we will enjoy a theatre performance of The Painters: Hero, an innovative performance that stages the process of painting with visual effects along with dance and comedy.

Accommodations at Seoul Lotte City Hotel Myeongdong or similar

Saturday, April 13  (Day 10)
SEOUL (B)(L)(D)
Today we will enjoy more sightseeing and shopping around Seoul city.  We will make a visit to the tallest building in Seoul, the Lotte World Tower.  We will experience the elevator ride to one of the highest observatory deck measured at 555 meters high. You may witness an unobstructed 360 degree panoramic view of the city . We continue on for some shopping time at the Namdaemun (South Gate Market), best known as a shopper’s paradise and one of the largest traditional marketplaces.  The main and side streets are lined with shops and sidewalk stalls offering a wide selection of merchandise and housewares at a fraction of the normal price.  In the afternoon, we make our way to Myeongdong, Korea’s trendiest shopping district with many fashion stores and cosmetic outlets, as well as fashion accessories for the young at heart.  The streets will also be lined with many interesting food vendors. This shopping area is busy until the late evening and is located nearby to our hotel.

Accommodations at Seoul Lotte City Hotel Myeongdong or similar

Sunday, April 14  (Day 11)
SEOUL - HONOLULU (B)
After enjoying breakfast, the morning is at your leisure to relax or do some last minute shopping in the area around the hotel until our departure to the airport.  We’ll transfer to the Incheon International Airport for our evening flight home, arriving Honolulu in the morning on the same day due to the crossing of the International Date Line.  A late meal will be provided for you on board the flight.

The tour price is based on double occupancy and a minimum group size of 20 passengers.  Fare adjustment may apply for groups of under 20 passengers.  The rate is based on tariffs and exchange rates effective 10/01/23.  Tour fare is subject to change according to any airfare increase, additional fuel surcharges, tax increases and fluctuation of the rate of exchange between U.S. and foreign currency.  In the event of revaluation, the land portion of the tour price may be adjusted prior to your final statement.

Tour Registration Form