This is a place almost no one reading these words will be able to reach on two wheels, and it is better to say so plainly. Tokhwa-ri Tomb No. 1 lies in the countryside north of Pyongyang, in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, among a group of burial mounds from the kingdom of Goguryeo. Independent travel in North Korea is not possible. Foreign visitors, when the country admits them at all, travel only on organised tours with official guides, follow fixed itineraries and are not allowed to drive or ride. Citizens of some countries, including the United States, are barred from travelling there by their own governments, and many others are strongly advised against it.
The tombs themselves are remarkable. Goguryeo was one of the Three Kingdoms of ancient Korea, a powerful state that at its height ruled much of the Korean peninsula and Manchuria. In the fifth century it moved its capital to Pyongyang, and its kings and nobles were buried in earth mounds covering stone chambers. Many of these chambers were painted with vivid murals: scenes of hunting, processions, daily life, dancers and musicians, along with guardian animals of the four directions and star maps on the ceilings. The Complex of Koguryo Tombs was listed by UNESCO in 2004, and a related group lies across the border in China, around the old capitals near the Yalu river.
The landscape around Pyongyang is a mix of low hills, rice paddies and villages, with the Taedong river running through the capital. Seasons are sharply marked: winters are long and bitterly cold, summers hot and humid with heavy monsoon rains, and spring and autumn are short but beautiful.
If you are interested in Goguryeo, there are alternatives. In South Korea, museums in Seoul display replicas of the murals and artefacts from the period, and in China, the Goguryeo sites around Ji'an in Jilin province can be visited more freely, with tombs, mountain fortresses and a famous stele. Those trips are possible with a vehicle, at least in principle, though riding a motorbike in China has its own hurdles.
There is no question of fuel stops or roadside cafés here. Think of this point as a window into a remarkable ancient culture, seen from a distance.