Why this ride
A 482 km round trip from Anak - roughly 8 h 11 in the saddle. It goes by way of Complex of Koguryo Tombs, Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1, Tokhung-ri Tomb and Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Anak Tomb No. 3 and Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 482 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 8 h 11
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Anak Tomb No. 3
Some tombs hold their dead, and others hold a whole world. Anak Tomb No. 3 in South Hwanghae Province is one of the great painted tombs of the Goguryeo kingdom, which ruled much of Korea and Manchuria from the first century BC to 668 AD. The chamber, built of stone slabs and covered with plaster, is decorated with murals showing a kitchen, a stable, a smokehouse, musicians and a long procession of soldiers, officials and attendants, some two hundred and fifty figures by the usual count. An inscription dated to 357 AD names a man called Dong Shou, a refugee from the Chinese states, and for years that was taken to be the tomb's owner, though some scholars argue it may have belonged to a Goguryeo king.
Read the complete Anak Tomb No. 3 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Anak Tomb No. 3 is where the day begins. Next is Complex of Koguryo Tombs.
2. Complex of Koguryo Tombs
Near the town of Kangso, southwest of Pyongyang, three earthen mounds rise from the farmland of the Taedong river plain, and inside them lie some of the most beautiful paintings of ancient East Asia. These are the Kangso tombs of the Koguryo kingdom, which ruled much of northern Korea and Manchuria from the first centuries AD until 668. The inner chamber walls are painted with the four guardian animals: the Blue Dragon of the east, the White Tiger of the west, the Red Phoenix of the south and the Black Tortoise of the north, intertwined with a snake. The colours, though faded, are still vivid, and the line work has an energy that photographs barely capture. The Complex of Koguryo Tombs was inscribed by UNESCO in 2004.
Read the complete Complex of Koguryo Tombs write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Complex of Koguryo Tombs comes up about 95 km into the recorded legs. Next is Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1, 50 km on.
3. Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1
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.
Read the complete Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 142 km into the recorded legs you reach Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1. Next is Tokhung-ri Tomb.
4. Tokhung-ri Tomb
Beneath a low grassy mound in the countryside south-west of Pyongyang lies one of the finest painted tombs of the ancient kingdom of Koguryo. Tokhung-ri was built in 408 for a high-ranking official, and its walls are covered in murals showing his life: processions, hunting scenes, officials paying respects, mythical creatures and a starry sky with the sun and moon. Unusually, it carries a long ink inscription giving the man's titles and the date, which makes it an important anchor for the history of the whole kingdom. It is part of the Complex of Koguryo Tombs inscribed by UNESCO in 2004.
Read the complete Tokhung-ri Tomb write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tokhung-ri Tomb, about halfway. Next is Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group.
5. Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group
This is one of the few places in a ride collection that you almost certainly cannot ride to on your own, and it is worth saying so plainly. The Tomb of King Tongmyong lies in North Korea, southeast of Pyongyang, and the country admits foreign visitors only on guided tours, with fixed itineraries, official guides and no independent driving, let alone motorcycling. Still, it is a remarkable place, and knowing about it adds a layer to understanding the Korean peninsula.
Read the complete Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group sits at 197 km, about halfway. Next is back through Tokhung-ri Tomb.
6. back through Tokhung-ri Tomb
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Tokhung-ri Tomb write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Tokhung-ri Tomb comes up about 302 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1, 50 km on.
7. back through Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 340 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1. Next is back through Complex of Koguryo Tombs.
8. back through Complex of Koguryo Tombs
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Complex of Koguryo Tombs write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Complex of Koguryo Tombs, late in the day. Next is Anak Tomb No. 3, 49 km on.
9. Anak Tomb No. 3
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Anak Tomb No. 3 write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 482 km.
Leg by leg
Anak Tomb No. 3 to Complex of Koguryo Tombs
Anak Tomb No. 3 → Complex of Koguryo Tombs is 95 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Complex of Koguryo Tombs to Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1
Complex of Koguryo Tombs → Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1 is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1 to Tokhung-ri Tomb
Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1 → Tokhung-ri Tomb is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tokhung-ri Tomb to Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group
Tokhung-ri Tomb → Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group is 60 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group to back through Tokhung-ri Tomb
Tomb of King Tongmyong and Jinpha-ri group → back through Tokhung-ri Tomb is 62 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Tokhung-ri Tomb to back through Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1
back through Tokhung-ri Tomb → back through Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1 is 38 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1 to back through Complex of Koguryo Tombs
back through Tokhwa-ri Tombs No. 1 → back through Complex of Koguryo Tombs is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Complex of Koguryo Tombs to Anak Tomb No. 3
back through Complex of Koguryo Tombs → Anak Tomb No. 3 is 96 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.