One of the things that sets dark tourism spots apart is the surreal feeling when you reach them. No tourists, few signs and a feeling that you can only get knowing something or someone ghastly has appeared on this spot sometime back in history. When it came to being surreal, the grave of Pol Pot ticked […]

Dark tourism in Cambodia is a complex topic that often invites both intrigue and discomfort. It involves visiting sites associated with death, suffering, and the darker aspects of human history. While dark tourism can serve as a form of education, it also raises ethical questions regarding the exploitation of tragic events for commercial gain. This […]

Anlong Veng was the last capital of the last Khmer Rouge state and as such has a lot of Khmer Rouge based tourist attractions, such as the house of Ta Mok, the mass grave of Son Sen, and the death site of Pol Pot. It is here that you will also find the Bunker of […]

Today (April 15th) marks the anniversary of the death of Pol Pot one of the most feared and ruthless leaders of the 20th century. Table of Contents Biography of Pol Pot Democratic Kampuchea Why did the Khmer Rouge lose power? Khmer Rouge Insurgency Pol Pot and the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot in […]

As part of our Cambodian Dark Tourism Tour tour this year we stayed at the Tamok Guesthouse. Now for the uninitiated Ta Mok was one of the leading figures of the Khmer Rouge, even being its last leader. Now this obviously leads to the question, why name a hotel after him? One might also ask […]

YPT tours to Cambodia After years of strife and civil war, Cambodia is fast becoming one of the top destinations for backpackers and package tourists alike. At Young Pioneer Tours, we love Cambodia and have been arranging Cambodia Independent Tours, groups and weekend events here for many years. Cambodia of course can be traveled independently, […]

Wadi Rum, which literally means Valley Moon, or rather Moon Valley is one of the top tourist sites in Jordan. Is it though worthy of a trip for the adventure traveler? YPT certainly think so! Why is it called Wadi Rum/Moon Valley? Because it is a valley and well it looks like the moon duh! […]

We have often been portrayed as purveyors of dark tourism, this is not something that bothers us and in fact we embrace the term, but are we as I was recently asked providing war tourism? Lets take a delve. What is Dark Tourism? We won’t go into too much detail here as it is better […]

Our final article in this series will deal with the last days of the Khmer Rouge. What’s more, this article is going live on the 17th of April, the anniversary of the Khmer Rouge’s seizing of power! Feel free to take a moment of silence for the victims or celebrate in a barren field of […]

Most visitors to Cambodia follow the well-trodden triangle of Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. Few realise that there’s a hidden route connecting Siem Reap to Koh Kong that bypasses the capital entirely. This journey cuts through some of the country’s wildest landscapes, from colonial-era towns to rainforest-covered mountains, ending at the sleepy coast near […]