Young Pioneer Tours
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Welcome to the Young Pioneer Tours Blog, the place where we we keep you informed about everything YPT, from current tours, to future tours and a whole lot of eclectic stuff in between.
YPT first started blogging in 2008 and are considered the best North Korean Travel blog that there is.
But, as Young Pioneer Tours have expanded our locations, so have we expanded our blog. Now we have one of the best travel blogs in the world!
And while most of our content is about the numerous destinations we go, including travel guides and what to pack, we also delve into more serious subjects such as the safety of certain destinations, as well as how LGTBQ+ friendly the places we visit are.
While the vast majority of our content is produced in-house, we are always on the look-out for guest bloggers and writers. Want to write for us? Then simply get in touch.
You can also check out our sister publication YPT Life.
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First tour group to use WiFi in Pyongyang
14 May 2019 / by Nicolas Platt
Yes, you read that right! WiFi in North Korea. One of Pyongyang’s fanciest hotels: the Pottonggang Hotel has recently installed WiFi in its lobby café. Naturally, we had to check it out on our recent 10-day May Day tour in Pyongyang. So how does it wor …
Harbin Ice Festival & Snow Sculpture Guide
14 May 2019 / by Rowan Beard
Whether you’re new to China or not, here is our quick guide to visiting Harbin during winter and exploring the Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival. What is the Harbin Ice Festival & Harbin Snow Sculpture Festival? Quite simply: the world’s largest an …
Manpo City Day Tour
13 May 2019 / by Nicolas Platt
Young Pioneer Tours is incredibly pleased to announce that we have returned from our YPT-exclusive inaugural trip to the newest North Korean border open to Western tourists: Manpo, North Korea! Located in Chagang Province and sitting directly opposite …
7 Great things named after President Kim Il-sung
13 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Following the recent April 15th ‘Day of the Sun’ celebrations in North Korea, we’re going to take a look at some of the many other things named after DPRK founder Kim Il-sung. It’s estimated that there are over 480 things named after Kim Il-sung in ove …
Kim Il Sung Park – Damascus, Syria
13 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
For anyone who’s travelled to North Korea – or has more than a passing interest in all things DPRK – it’s no secret that a great many things are named after the founder of the DPRK, Kim Il-sung. Kim Il-sung Square and Kim Il-sung Stadium are just two e …
The Hyesan City Guide
13 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Understand Hyesan is a city in North Korea’s Ryanggang Province that borders China’s Changbai Autonomous County. It has a population of almost 200,000 people. Getting into Hyesan From the Chinese side, the city is accessible via the Changbai-Hyesan Int …
Why it would be a shame to only visit Juba in South Sudan
11 May 2019 / by Pier Doyon
With more and more people chasing the wonderful dream of visiting all the countries in the world (we’re trying to be there to help!), we see a number of trends developing. On many of our tours, discussions about countries are sure to come up amongst th …
Can LGBT people travel to North Korea?
10 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Can LGBT people travel to North Korea? Contrary to popular belief, homosexuality is not against the law in North Korea, and people from the LGBT community are more than welcome to travel here – in fact, openly gay tour guides have frequently led tours …
How to cross from Iraq (Kurdistan) to Turkey overland
10 May 2019 / by Pier Doyon
So you had a great trip with us in Iraqi Kurdistan and you are now looking for the next adventure? While Erbil International Airport has all the international connections around the world you might need, and it is not recommended to cross into Southern …
