The 2012 Olympic Games in London (27 July-12 August) may have the world's attention this month, but when it comes to spectacular gymnastic displays and stupendously choreographed opening and closing ceremonies, nothing comes close to the Arirang Mass Games held each August in Pyongyang. The event involves up to 100,000 participants - gymnasts, acrobats,
children holding up pieces of coloured card to create images and propaganda slogans - who perform 90-minute synchronised routines with 'an ideological theme [that] promotes social development and trains not only the people's physiques but also their spiritual power'.
Travel to North Korea is very tightly controlled. Journalists are banned, and tourists are forbidden to wander around without a guide. Video cameras, mobile phones and 150mm-plus camera lenses are prohibited (they are confiscated at the border and returned when you leave), and photography is severely restricted. A holiday here is emphatically
not for those who crave luxury hotels or delicious food. But it is fascinating. And the well-connected, British-run, Beijing-based specialist tour operator Koryo Tours (www.koryogroup.com) organises bespoke trips that offer an intriguing insight into one of the last practically closed cultures on earth. Alternatively, Bristol-based Regent Holidays (www.regent-holidays.co.uk) has group tours from the UK.
Pictured: The Arirang Games in PyongYang