Welcome to Seoul! Upon arrival at Seoul airport you will be met and transferred to our city centre hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to explore the capital. Overnight - Seoul

Today we enjoy a fascinating full day guided tour of South Korea's unique capital. Highlights include the Gyeongbokgung Palace, built in 1395 by King Taejo which became the main residence of the Joseon Dynasty. The palace grounds are also home to the National Museum of Korea which proudly exhibits artefacts from over 5000 years of Korean history.

Continuing on we head to where old meets the new, Insadong Street. Here it is possible to browse modern art galleries and purchase antique gifts. Jogyesa Buddhist Temple, home to Zen Buddhism in Korea is also visited. Head over to the highest viewpoint at the N Seoul Tower and marvel at one of Asia's most beautiful towers. (B)

Seoul - Boryeong. After breakfast this morning we travel to Boryeong in South Chungcheong Province. After we have checked into our nearby pension, we head off to Daecheon Beach to attend its famous mud festival!

The Boryeong Mud festival has been going since 1998 and was originally established as a way of promoting the health benefits of using the mud as a cosmetic. This local mud is sourced from the nearby Boryeong mud flats and taken to the Daecheon beach area where revellers from far and wide travel every year to play in. It's a great spectacle to watch and it's not very often that something so much fun is actually so good for you as well!

The festival is like nothing else. The whole of the beachfront is awash with large muddy attractions for visitors to come and get mucky at. These include an huge mud slide, mud skiing for the adventurous, a mud pool to dunk your friends in and even a mud prison for the naughty! Overnight - Boryeong (B)

Boryeong - Haeinsa Temple - Daegu. This morning after breakfast we have the opportunity to head back for some last minute fun in the mud before travelling to the Haeinsa Temple. Haeinsa Temple is the home to impressive Buddhist teachings which are carved onto 80'000 wooden blocks and using over 50 million Chinese characters without a single error. These inscriptions were carved mainly during the 13th century when Korea was at war with the Mongols. It was seen as a way for people to seek divine intervention in a time of great conflict. Once we are have finished at the temple we continue east to the city of Daegu, our stop for the next night. Daegu is very much an enterprising city and has a number of popular nicknames like Textile City and Fashion City. Overnight - Daegu (B)

Daegu - Gyeongju. This morning we continue travelling east to the coastal city of Gyeongju. After hotel check in we head off for an informative guided tour of the city. Gyeongju is the ancient capital of the Shila people and it is a very easy city to walk around.

Our tour takes us to Tumili Park and Cheomseongdae Observatory. Tumili Park is home to 20 tombs rumoured to be those of past kings and court officials. The Cheomseongdae Observatory is the oldest surviving observatory in East Asia. The tower itself is made up of 362 pieces of granite rock which are said to represent the 362 days of the lunar year.

Next we visit the famous Bulguksa Temple and Seokguram Grotto. The beautiful temple of Bulguksa which was built in 528 during the Silla Dynasty, is an important symbol of Korean Buddhism. While Seokguram Grotto is one of Asia’s finest Buddhist shrines, which is dramatically located on the slopes of Toham Mountain. Seokguram was carved by hand from white granite and contains a seated Buddha reaching nearly 4 metres in height and is seen as one of Korea's great masterpieces. Both sites achieved UNESCO World Heritage status in 1995. Overnight - Gyeongju (B)

Gyeongju - Yangdong Folk Village - Seoul. After breakfast we head to another UNESCO site - Yangdong Village. Yangdong Folk Village is a traditional Korean village typical from the Joseon Dynasy and it has been carefully preserved over the years. The village is made up of around 180 stone buildings with thatched roofs and lucious green gardens. This afternoon we head back to Seoul and your final evening is free for you to be able to sample Seoul's vibrant nightlife. Overnight - Seoul (B)

Our tour concludes after breakfast with a transfer to the airport. (B)