Award-winning tour operator and Asia travel specialist, InsideAsia Tours launches three new original trips. 

The Korean Wave or Hallyu phenomenon has seen interest in contemporary Korean culture grow all over the world through the spread of K-pop boybands, K-drama, films, tech, and food. The continuing rise in popularity and growing demand for travel and desire to experience the country and culture, has prompted InsideAsia to release its latest collection of cultural adventures.

InsideAsia Co-Director, Alastair Donnelly said, “As interest in South Korea grows, we wanted these three new cultural adventures to offer something a bit different, showcasing modern K-culture together with more traditional and uniquely Korean experiences and some incredible places in Seoul and beyond. There's so much to this country.”

The three new cultural adventures have been designed to inspire different types of travellers with different interests. From the K-pop, K-drama and traditional culture inspired 'Korean Wave' to a more budget focused 'Essential South Korea' and the family friendly 'South Korea Family Adventure', each trip offers some of the different elements that make Korea so exciting right now.

Korean Wave
This 12-night trip has strong K-culture credentials starting and finishing in Seoul – the home of K-pop culture.  The trip even explores the abandoned Yongma Land theme park, which has been a location for many a K-pop video and there's a chance to learn a few K-pop moves at a dance class too.
A stay in a traditional hanok guest house in the UESCO City of Gastronomy, Jeonju is another highlight of the trip. The city's Hanok Village has been the location for various K-drama, but this is the chance to stay in one of the traditional buildings that people come to see.
The trip also heads off the usual tourist path to the small coastal city of Gangneung, which offers temples, traditional café culture, and a region bordered by mountains and sea. With the addition of the country's largest immersive digital experience and the bus stop that featured on the K-pop mega boyband, BTS' latest album cover, Gangneung is a K-culture gem.

The 12-night Korean Wave costs from £3,348pp and includes all accommodation, breakfast daily, transport across South Korea, Insider private guiding in Seoul, Busan and Gangneung and a range of cultural experiences.

South Korea Family Adventure
This family-focused trip starts in the South Korean capital of Seoul, explores the back streets by bike and also takes a day trip to nearby Namiseom – a small, picturesque island that sits in the middle of the Han River. The island is full of treelined walkways with cherry trees in spring, the yellow of Ginkgo in autumn, green pines in summer and dustings of white snow in winter – and the best way to get there is via zipline.
The cultural adventure heads to the country's second city of Busan. The laidback city is home to gleaming skyscrapers, colourful hillside houses of Gamcheon, beaches and the largest seafood market in Korea.
The trip also includes a three-night stay on Jeju Island with beaches, the imposing 1950m high Hallassan volcano and a submarine ride over to the neighbouring island of Udo.

The South Korea Family Adventure cost from £2,907pp (based on a family of four) includes 13 night's accommodation, breakfast every day, all transport across South Korea, rental car on Jeju Island, some private guiding and many more cultural experiences.

Essential South Korea
Although 'Essential South Korea' aims to save on budget, it doesn't skimp on cultural experiences, heading from Seoul for a stay in the ancient cultural capital of Gyeongju. The old capital of the Silla Kingdom is full of impressive ancient tombs and temples, including the UNESCO World Heritage Bulguksa. An evening stroll through the lit old streets is priceless.
The cultural adventure explores Busan, its beaches, markets and more before boarding the super sleek KTX back to the capital to discover more alternative districts and what makes Seoul so exciting.  

The Essential South Korea starts from £1,143pp for a 7-night cultural adventure and makes the most out of a short time in the country. The package includes all accommodation with breakfast daily, all transport between each destination including KTX and AREX train and a range of experiences including an evening food tour of Seoul and a cruise on the river Han.

Each cultural adventure delves deep into Seoul and travels out across the peninsula on KTX train through the mountains and along the coast to historical cities and temple towns, with insight from Insider guides, lots of food and some uniquely Korean experiences. Each one of these new trips promises to take Hallyu surfers to the next level and help them get beneath the surface of this fascinating country and culture.

InsideAsia's Korea travel specialists – all of whom have lived or travelled in the country -  can tailor each cultural adventure to suit interests, timeframes and budgets.

www.InsideAsiaTours.com 

ENDS

Notes to Editors: Bristol Based, Inside Travel Group is the parent company of Asia travel specialist tour operators, InsideAsia and InsideJapan Tours. InsideJapan Tours was established in 2000 and has become the biggest independent Japan travel specialist in the UK offering insider-escorted Small Group Tours, Self-Guided cultural adventures and just about anything else in Japan. Southeast and Fareast Asia specialist brand, InsideAsia was launched in 2013 specialising in travel to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The travel brand has since launched cultural adventures across Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Borneo and South Korea. The travel company tailors travel to suit time frames and interests with budgets from standard through to super high-end, with all trips aiming to get travellers 'beneath the surface'.  Both Inside Travel Group travel brands have won major industry awards for their work, are committed to sustainable and responsible travel putting the environment, its destinations, and their people first.