Hi,
I have two long lay-overs in Seoul on the way to and from Mongolia. I was hoping to take a tour to the DMZ during one of them. Does anyone know if there are DMZ tours that start from/return to Incheon Airport? I found one web page that mentioned tours like this, but it looked like that particular company was no longer in business. Also, I've noticed that a lot of companies seem to alter their DMZ tours on Mondays. Are certain tourist stops in or around the DMZ closed on Mondays?Thanks!
Please make sure what you're expecting out of a DMZ tour. DMZ is simply an alternative term for the entire fortified border between N. Korea and S. Korea, and a 'DMZ tour' can be anything - a visit to one of N. Korea's infiltration tunnels or to one of forward observation posts, or a visit to Joint Security Area (JSA) a.k.a. Panmunjom where the two sides are literally facing each other. If the latter is the image you have had in mind, then you must not assume any 'DMZ tour' will take you to Panmunjom, since many tours fall short of it.
Try to go with USO. Dont know if they run tours on Mondays though. Dont think you'll find any tours from Incheon.
You should really try to go. The DMZ was one one of my highlights. It really shows you another dimension of South Korea. Its a world away from bustling, free Seoul, but only 60 km or so.
Also make sure that you visit the JSA area to witness the standoff between North and South.
The USO tour is really the only one worth going on. It includes Panmunjom as well as tunnels.
You can check these sites.
They have several DMZ tour programs.
and also check this site.
http://www.tourdmz.com/english/main.php
Hope that helps.