Despite tense relations with the West and despite being a secretive, heavily guarded place, The Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea is open to tourists, including citizens of the United States. Annually, anestimated 6000 touristsvisit this reclusive country, according toAl Jazeera, and among them, some are Americans. Since January 2010, American tourists have been allowed to visit the country on an official guided tour, reports CNN.

“We take between 500 to 1000 tourists per year and have generally seen an increase in interest over the past several years,” Operations Chief JohnDantzler-Wolfeof the New Jersey-basedUriTourstold weather.com. Uri Tours is one of the agencies that specializes in North Korea travel.

North Korea has recently launched a PR campaignaimed at boosting tourism, reports The Diplomat, a campaign that includes opening up different parts of the country to tourists and offering different packages of activities like skiing, hiking and fishing. According to the Miami Herald, North Korea has a new luxury ski resort atMasikPass and it is currently working on several development projects inthe port city ofWonsanto attract more visitors.

But before anyone takes a trip to this particular Communist nation, there are a few things you should know:

1. It is Dangerous

While North Korea is open to American tourists to visit legally with a visa (except journalists or professional photographers), the State Department strongly recommends against it. They write in their travel advisory that it “is not routine and U.S. citizen tourists have been subject to arbitrary arrest and long-term detention.” Currently,two Americans are detainedin North Korea, reports the Wall Street Journal, charged with “antistate” crimes. At present, they are awaiting prosecution.

2. It Must Be a Guided Tour

The only way to legally visit North Korea, according to CNN, is by booking the trip through one of the companies that has beenendorsed by the state-run Korea International Travel Company, such as Uri Tours. Dantzler-Wolfe recommends that travelers apply for their visa and tour at least two months in advance.

Once in North Korea,tourists are not allowed to roamthe streets alone, according to Al Jazeera; they must be accompanied by their Korean guides at all times. It is customary totip the guidesat the end of each tour, reports Lonely Planet.

3. Photographs Must Be Taken with Permission

Photographs can only betaken with the permission of the Korean guides, according to News.com.au, and must not include photos of soldiers, checkpoints, poverty or close-ups of people without their express permission.

4. Religious Materials or Contraceptives Are Banned

North Korean law prohibits contraceptives and all religious materials, such as the bible and the Qur’an, reportsnews.com.au. One of the American tourists currently detained in the country,Jeffrey Fowle, was arrested because he left a bilingual English-Korean bible in the North Korean sailor’s club, according to Reuters.

5. Tourists Can’t Use the Local Currency

Visitors are not allowed to use the local currency, the North Korean ‘won,’ andmust instead use either Euros, US Dollars or the Chinese Yuan, reports Lonely Planet. There are opportunities to purchase souvenirs at the gift shops, like posters, stamps or books by Kim Jong Il, according to the website, but otherwise little opportunities to purchase anything else. Visitors are not allowed in department stores, according to CNN. Some items, like the “Kim pins,” are not available to buy, as they are only given to native North Koreans at special occasions, reports news.com.au. You are allowed to keep your cell phone, according to CNN, and you can buy a local SIM card for your phone at a booth at the airport.

6. They Have a Different Calendar

North Korea uses a different calendar from the west, called theJuche calendar. The calendar starts on 15 April 1912on the day Kim Il-sung was born, reports Aljazeera. This means that it iscurrently the year 103 in North Korea.

7. It Rains A Lot in the Summer

Summer is hot, humid and rainy. "North Korea has a much starker difference between winter and summer precipitation than any place in the United States," said Nick Wiltgen, meteorologist for Weather.com. "Summers are very wet with an average of 11 inches of rain in July and over eight inches in August in the capital [Pyongyang]." Meanwhile, winters are cold and dry, according toWiltgen, because of cold, dry Siberian air.

8. There Are Almost No s

There are only five advertising billboards in Pyongyang, reports CNN, and all of them are owned by the same car dealership.

9. Tourists Must Show Reverence to the Leaders

It is expected of all tourists who visit North Korea to show respect and reverence for the past and present leaders of North Korea. According to news.com.au, this means that tourists must never speak ill of Kim Jong-un or his predecessorsand very importantly, must bow in front of all statues of the leaders.

10. There is No American Embassy

Because the United States does not maintain diplomatic relations with North Korea, there is no U.S. embassy in the country. According to theState Department, the Swedish embassy is able to provide basic consular protection services to American travelers in North Korea who are ill, injured and/or arrested.

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