Redefining the term rogue state through its isolationism, controversial nuclear weapons programmed and missile testing, North Korea is probably the most mysterious country in the world today and one almost entirely untouched by tourism. Off the beaten path seems too slight a term for a nation that admits fewer than 2000 Westerners a year, and whose overwhelming attraction is its isolation and backwardness.

Here the Kim dynasty, which began life as a Soviet-sponsored communist government in the 1950s, has evolved into a hereditary dictatorship owing far more to Confucianism than Marxism. The founder of the state, Kim Il Sung, may have died in 1994, but he is still the president of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (the name locals prefer for their country). His son, a man who has only ever uttered one sentence in public (it was ‘Long Live the Victorious Korean People’s Army’ at a rally in Pyongyang in the early 1990s), continues to rule like a medieval monarch, an unknown quantity with nuclear weapons and a huge army at his beck and call, giving sleepless nights to governments in Seoul, Tokyo and Washington.

A trip to North Korea is strictly on its government’s terms, and it’s essential to accept that you’ll have no independence during your trip – you’ll be accompanied by two government-approved local guides at all times and only hear a very one-sided view of history throughout the trip. Those who can accept these terms will have a fascinating trip into another rather unsettling world. Simply to see a country where the Cold War is still being fought, where mobile phones and the internet are unknown, and where total obedience to the state is universally unquestioned is, for many, reason enough to visit.

Getting Started
Trips to North Korea usually run like clockwork. Two guides will accompany you every¬where you go outside the hotel and control what you see and the spiel you hear while seeing it. Forward planning is a must: almost everything you want to see needs to be approved before your arrival as ad hoc arrangements makes the guides very nervous and thus less fun to be around. That said, itineraries are always provisional and some things are usually cancelled at the last moment for no discernable reason, although something else will always be substituted in its place.

The best option is to enjoy a positive relationship with your guides (who don’t make the decisions; they simply enforce them and monitor you during your stay), as once they trust you, they’ll help you make the most of your trip. Days are long in North Korean tourism –you’ll see a surprising amount in just a four- day tour, and possibly be burned out on a full-week tour.