Blog

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.

Check out and subscribe to the YPT Blog and travel magazine

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 …

Mount Hagen Festival – top 6 tips

8 May 2019 / by Pier Doyon

Visiting Papua New Guinea for the Mt Hagen festival? Here are a few tips and what to do and what to expect. Go early! Get the two-day pass and make sure you get there for about 9 am. The benefit of this is you’ll get access to the hundreds of tribes as …

The Sakhalin Island Koreans

8 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson

Sakhalin Island Who are the Sakhalin Island Koreans? People visit North Korea for many reasons: there are those that go just the once to check it off the list; there are some who go multiple times to really soak in the culture and the wide variety of c …

Korean reunification: what would it look like?

8 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson

If you’ve spent any time in either South or North Korea, you will understand that Korean reunification is still not only the official endgame of both governments, but still an issue that very much pervades the public consciousness. There are many diffe …

North Korea flag – History and meaning

7 May 2019 / by Gareth Johnson

What is the North Korea flag? What does the North Korean flag mean? And are there variations on the flag of North Korea? Find out all that and a lot more here! North Korea Flag History of the North Korea Flag The Flag of The Peoples Republic of Korea ( …