Full Day Korea DMZ and JSA (Joint Security Area) Tour from Seoul reviews, Seoul tours & activities, fun things to do in Seoul | VELTRA

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Full Day Korea DMZ and JSA (Joint Security Area) Tour from Seoul

Overall Rating

4.28 4.28 / 5

Reviews

67 reviews
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Cool and informative tour

Reviewed by: csiggy, 2019/09/22

We were fortunate enough to go on a day when the JSA was open. We were even luckier to see a tour going on across the border at the same time as ours. Overall, the guides (both our primary tour guide and the soldiers who guided us at the JSA) were full of stories and interesting facts, and we learned a lot from this. While at the JSA we were able to enter T2 and within that building, we were able to cross into the North Korean side, which was kind of surreal. The other sites aside from the JSA were all pretty interesting and provided a fuller view of the DMZ as well as a more complete understanding of the conflict and the current status of the day-to-day reality of these two countries. The Third Infiltration Tunnel was REALLY cool and shows the rather chilling reality of the war that's still going on, even if it's just on pause. Be prepared that while you can take pictures in every other place, you can't take photos in the tunnel or the military base right before you go to the JSA (you CAN take photos at the JSA though), and the tunnel is not an easy climb back up. You have to walk up a ramp to exit the tunnel and it's pretty long and at a rather steep incline, so be prepared for that.

Reply from activity provider

Dear Guest

Warm Greeting from Cosmojin Travel Agency

Thank you so much for your comment as it is important for us.

We are delighted that you went to the JSA. The DMZ+JSA tour is the top favourite among our customers.
Your guide Mr. Han is an excellent guide, very knowledgeable and dedicated to his guests.

At the JSA area, on the other side near the Panmun Gak (the North Korean building), you may be lucky to see North Korean people sometimes having a tour.
It is kind of mysterious yet unreal moment.

During the tour, the 3rd Tunnel is indeed demanding and it requires good shoes.

We hope that you took great pictures of this unique moment.

We hope to see you again Korea, feel free to contact us again ~

Best regards,

Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2019/08/29
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Fun tour and knowledgeable guide

Reviewed by: Josh, 2019/09/09

The tour was very fun and the guide was very knowledgeable about past and present North Korean - South Korean relations. The tour took us to all the premier locations along the DMZ and JSA and allowed us to stop for souvenirs along the way. The highlight of the tour was definitely the JSA where we were able to see North Korean soldiers and a North Korean DMZ tour group! The included lunch was also very delicious. Would definitely recommend this tour to family and friends and possibly attend again!

Reply from activity provider

Dear Josh,

Greeting from Cosmojin Travel Agency !

Thank you for your comment !

We are delighted that you enjoyed the tour !
Yes recently a lot of Chinese tourists come from North Korea to visit the JSA, and there are pretty loud :-)

Your picture is really nice and we hope that you keep a great memory from this day and Korea !

Thank you so much

Best regards,

Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2019/08/27
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Easy and informative

Reviewed by: Rebecca, 2019/08/20

Han was a great guide, very knowledgeable and interesting. The trip started on time and ran smoothly. The Q&A session on the bus with a North Korean defector was very eye-opening.

Only down-side was that the JSA section of the tour was cancelled, but this could not be avoided as North Korea had been testing missiles the day before.

Reply from activity provider

Dear Rebecca,

Warm Greeting from Cosmojin Travel Agency

Thank you for taking the time to write your feedback.

We are glad that you enjoyed your tour though the JSA part was cancelled.

Mr. Han is truly a great guide, very knowledgeable and he loves what he is doing !

We hope that you will keep a great memory of this tour, but we hope that you will come back next year to join the JSA !

In the meanwhile, we wish you a good continuation.

Feel free to contact us again

Best regards,

Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2019/08/17
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Great and memorable tour!

Reviewed by: Jeff, 2019/08/15

Tour was very well organized, even having to rearrange the schedule due to the end if the day JSA portion. Tour guide, SP, gave good facts and history along the way. Our bus driver was professional and drove very well first in the rain, then the heavy traffic returning.I was especially impressed that there was no asking for tips at the end of the tour.
The one thing I didn't like was having to stop for the ginseng and amethyst sales pitch. I'm paying for a tour, not a sales pitch. While our group showed no interest and we moved on quickly, I still didn't like it.

  • Famous site of luncheon by two leaders.

  • Greeted by a mass of North Korean generals.

  • Tree planted by the two leaders.

Reply from activity provider

Dear Jeff,

Greeting from Cosmojin Travel Agency

Thank you so much for your comment and pictures as well !!
We are delighted that you enjoyed the tour with SP !

I think being welcomed by North Korean Generals must have been thrilling !

Thank you for choosing us and wish you a good continuation ~

Best regards,

Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2019/08/13
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Amazing tour!

Reviewed by: Adam , 2019/08/15

I am very grateful to have had the pleasure of taking this day trip to the DMZ and JSA. Our guide was a very kind, intelligent man who made everyone feel comfortable and also gave us some incredible insight into the history of the DMZ and also the current political situation in Korea. I highly recommend this tour for anyone interested in Korean history as well as the current political climate in this region of the world.

Reply from activity provider

Dear Adam

Warm Greeting from Cosmojin Travel Agency

Thank you for taking the time to write your feedback !

We are delighted that you enjoyed the tour as well as our guide Mr. SP Hong !
SP is very knowledgeable and full of great stories to tell about the DMZ !

Thank you for choosing us and we hope to see you again next year?

Have a great day

Best regards,
Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2019/08/13
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Super interesting excursion.

Reviewed by: Thomas, 2019/07/27

I truly recommend to do the DMZ with JSA excursion.
Very interesting with a lot of historic drama.
Also standing at the same place as where recent historic event took place ads to the positiv side of this day.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2019/07/23
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Awesome tour!

Reviewed by: Weronika, 2019/07/25

First of all, I have to say that our guide - Han, is really awesome and I'm glad we could go on this tour with him. The JSA part was not cancelled which made this whole day even better! Be prepared for the 3rd Tunnel! I know what I'm saying... This tour helped us to understand both South and North Korea better. I'm really happy that I could cross the border and step into the North part of Korea! I'm not a big fan of history and military topics, but I liked this tour so much! My dad enjoyed it too, because that was his dream to visit DMZ and JSA. If you're in South Korea you should definitely buy tickets for this tour!

Reply from activity provider

Dear Guest

Warm Greeting from Cosmojin Travel Agency.

We really appreciate your feedback and We also happy to hear guest enjoy the tour!

Thank you !

Best Regards,
Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2019/06/28
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Informative tour. Great guide

Reviewed by: Reedyru, 2019/06/29

It is a Good Tour. SP is very informative as his English is very well. The North Korean defector who was with us answered most of our questions translated by SP. although we didn’t go to the JSA... it’s still OK the tour is Good. Maybe next time.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2019/06/19
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Must see tour

Reviewed by: S Lee, 2019/06/28

The DMZ visit was the highlight of my trip to South Korea. I would highly recommend this trip. Our tour guide, SP, was entertaining and very informative.

Rating:
Attended as:Families with Young Children
Activity Date:2019/06/18
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Definitely worth doing

Reviewed by: Laura, 2019/06/28

Park was the best guide!! He was so amazing, Knowledgeable and fun!
Be prepared to walk a lot, it’s a decent workout on top of being very interesting and informative.

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2019/06/26
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Outstanding Tour!!

Reviewed by: Christian Miranda, 2019/06/21

Even though the JSP portion was cancelled (Tour company does not have control) the tour was great. We were a family of 5 and my daughters and wife loved it. We got a great history of Korea. The Tour guide was very knowledgeable and you could tell he cared about sharing Accurate history of both Koreas. Highly recommend this tour group. We even had a question and answer session with a North Korean Defector.

Reply from activity provider

Dear Guest

Greeting from Cosmojin Travel Agency.

Thank you for the reply :)

I am really glad to hear guest satisfied about the DMZ Tour!

Thank you!

Regards,
Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2019/06/19
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Fantastic DMZ & JSA

Reviewed by: Kavita , 2019/06/15

Fantastic. Guide was great and spoke continuously. Well done.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2019/06/12
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DMZ tour with a defector

Reviewed by: Alex, 2019/05/05

Although the JSA portion was cancelled, we were not disappointed. We were still able to see the highlights and have lunch at the military cafeteria. The Q&A portion with a North Korean defector was very cool!

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2019/05/03
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Excellent guide!

Reviewed by: Phillip, 2019/04/08

JSA was cancelled but that can happen. The guide was very nice and knowledgeable! Would highly recommend! Refunds for the JSA portion were handled by Veltra prior to arrival. Good communication from the agency about change of plans far in advance.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2019/03/29
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Great

Reviewed by: John, 2019/01/18

We enjoyed it very much and there was a defector on the bus from North Korea which made it interesting.

Reply from activity provider

Dear John

Thank you for your review.

I hope you had a great time Korea !

Best Regards,
Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2019/01/12
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Great experience!

Reviewed by: Belinda, 2018/11/08

I had a great experience with the DMZ tour although a bit disappointed coz the JSA tour was cancelled. But overall, the tour was very good + Mr. SP our tour guide was very knowledgeable. He's funny and tried to keep his guests awake :D Thank you Mr. SP

Reply from activity provider

Dear Guest.

Thank you for your help and We really appreciate your feedback.
We Hope you had a great time during the tours.

Best Regards,
Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2018/11/02
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Great Tour!

Reviewed by: Melissa , 2018/10/17

I was incredibly happy with our tour guide and the tour in general! Our tour guide had a lot of information and was opened to questions. We were able to visit the DMZ, JSA, the third tunnel and more. I would highly recommend

Reply from activity provider

Dear Guest,

Greeting from Cosmojin Travel Agency and Thank you for your feedback.

I am really happy to hear you enjoy the tour!

Thank you.

Regards,
Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Couples
Activity Date:2018/10/13
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Great experience!

Reviewed by: Julia, 2018/09/13

We had a fantastic guide, who told us everything we need to? know.
Everything at the Trip was so well organized.

Reply from activity provider

Dear Julia

Greeting from Cosmojin Travel Agency.

Thank you for your feedback.

I really happy to heard you enjoyed the tour :)

Have a Great Day.

Regards,
Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2018/09/11
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Mr. SP

Reviewed by: Henriette Pedersen , 2018/08/24

Our guide was the most funny guy with a lot of jokes including him self and he was very informative about Korea since the war
The only thing that was a bit irritating was that the microphone and speaker was poorly
We really enjoyed the hole day

The US soldier at JSA was just as funny and informative and very good looking

Reply from activity provider

Dear Guest,

Warm Greeting from Cosmojin Travel Agency.

Thank you for your feedback.

We will send this information to the tour guide SP :)

I hope you had a great time in Korea.

Best Regards,
Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2018/08/22
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Excellent tour - highly recommended

Reviewed by: LondonerInSeoul, 2018/08/12

Excellent tour! Our guide “SP” was funny and informative, giving us all a thorough explanation of the Korean War and the background behind the DMZ and JSA. The tour ran very smoothly - highly recommended!

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2018/08/10
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Educational tour

Reviewed by: Tourrist , 2018/08/06

The explanation of the guide was very educational.

Reply from activity provider

Dear Guest,

Thank you for your feedback.

Regards,
Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2018/08/04
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Great experience

Reviewed by: Tibor Horvath, 2018/07/31

I had an amazing experience staring from booking, communication to on time pick up, comfortable and professional service through the day. Interesting and very active program, great information by our tour leader. Highly recommend it.

Reply from activity provider

Dear Tibor Horvath

Thank you for your feedback & review.

I really happy to heard you enjoyed the tour.

Thank you.
Regards,
Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2018/07/28
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Once in a lifetime experience

Reviewed by: III, 2018/07/19

Our guide for the whole tour and at the JSA area (US Army) were great. Luckily, we were able to experience the whole plan and we could feel the tension near the borders.
TAKE A LOT OF PHOTOS!!!

Reply from activity provider

Dear Guest,

Warm Greeting from Cosmojin Travel Agency.

Thank you for your inquiry.

I am really happy to hear you took a lots of photos and all plans :)

Have a Great Day.

Thank you.

Regards,
Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2018/07/17
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Well worth the visit

Reviewed by: GV/JV, 2018/07/15

The trip was excellent, well organized and they even dropped us off at our hotel.
We learned a lot about the history, the tensions, the hopes for the future. The only slight downside was that the weather was overcast and hazy so couldn't see far into North Korea. To the tour company's credit they took us back to the observation post to try again before we went back to Seoul.

Reply from activity provider

Dear Guest,

Greeting from Cosmojin Travel Agency.

Thank you for your feedback!

Best Regards,
Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2018/06/30
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A necessary and valuable expedition.

Reviewed by: DJAbrams, 2018/07/14

This fascinating trip packs loads into it, and participants do as much as general civilians can safely do. If you're unfamiliar with the events that caused and sustain the "Korean Conflict," this is an outstanding introduction. If you are familiar, you'll learn loads more while having a visceral and profound experience. It is worth far more than the price.
Tips:
1. If you go in the summer, bring multiple bottles of cold water, preferably half frozen to which you add cold water or full frozen that will melt as the day progresses, but either way, you'll welcome--and need-- ice cold water frequently.
2. Come with questions for your guide and ask them. Our guide, SP, knows a lot and is eager to share it. Listen to him, pay attention, don't fall asleep, participate.
3. You'll be asked what you want for lunch, bibimbap or bulgogi. Bibimbap comes with the price of the ticket; bulgogi is 5000 won (5 USD) more. There's plenty of food in both offerings, but if you're curious about the bulgogi, think about sharing. My friend got the bulgogi, I got the bibimbap, and we shared; both choices were good.
And a couple of final words: Thanks to Veltra for how professionally the company handled our reservation. I would suggest that, for those of us who live in South Korea (and aren't staying at a hotel), you provide a place on the reservation form for us to provide our address. Now, the form assumes everyone is a tourist who is staying at a hotel. And big thanks to SP, our guide, and our driver (whose name I didn't get) for taking excellent care of the tour. I would definitely do this tour again and look forward to other Veltra tours, especially with SP.

Rating:
Attended as:Friends
Activity Date:2018/07/14
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Outstanding Tour: Make Sure to Opt for the JSA Tour with the DMZ: you won't regret it!

Reviewed by: John, 2018/07/05

My daughter and I toured the DMZ and JSA. Fortunately, the JSA was open to tours on our day. The JSA tours are cancelled when the South (or UN Forces) and North are engaging in talks at the JSA, which has been occurring more frequently as of late.

The DMZ tour is great but you don't actually enter the DMZ. You must take the JSA tour to tour Freedom House and the Panmunjon site. The JSA tour is amazing, and I highly recommend it. It costs more, but its worth it, and you have the opportunity to cross over into North Korean territory.

  • Panmunjon

  • Imgingak Station

  • Korean Wishes on barbwire fence in the DMZ area

  • Dora Observatory

Reply from activity provider

Dear Guest,

We appreciate of your review!

And We also happy to heard you enjoy the tour.

Best Regards,
Cosmojin Travel Agency

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2018/07/03
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Tour guide Han provided a lot of interesting history and perspective

Reviewed by: Tracy, 2018/06/06

I enjoyed the DMZ sites like the Freedom Bridge, Third Infiltration Tunnel, viewpoint of North Korea and Dorasan Train Station. Han kept us interested and informed on the bus ride between the sites. We were back by 2pm. We didn't see PanMunJeon, because it was closed to visitors until after the June 12th summit. But I got a good feel for what it's like from the models and Han's descriptions.

The tour of the amethyst factory was not so interesting for me.

Overall, I enjoyed the tour.

  • Sign at Dorasan Train Station

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2018/06/02
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great tour of DMZ. Well explained by tour guide.

Reviewed by: Ken, 2018/06/04

The tour was very interesting and well explained by our tour guide. Would highly recommend.

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2018/06/02
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Very interesting.

Reviewed by: CDC , 2018/03/17

Very interesting. Very interesting. Very interesting. Very interesting. Very interesting. Very interesting. Very interesting. Very interesting.

Reply from activity provider

Dear Guest,

Thank you for your feedback.

Hope you had a great time :)

Rating:
Attended as:Solo Travelers
Activity Date:2018/02/21
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Great Experience!

Reviewed by: Heather NOTL Canada, 2017/12/17

The tour was well organized and the tour guide was terrific. He kept it interesting and entertaining. Seeing the JSA is definitely the highlight and something you will not soon forget. I would recommend this tour 100%

  • Highlight of the tour!

Reply from activity provider

Dear. Ms. Heather Campagnola

Thank you for your review!!
We are so happy you enjoyed your tour with us.

Wish this trip would stay with you as a happy memory.

Thank you.

Sophia Kim

Rating:
Attended as:Families
Activity Date:2017/11/25
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