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
20 December 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Anju County – not to be confused with Anju from Zelda – is a city (rather than a county) in South Pyongan Province of the DPRK. It has a population of 240,000 people, and the Chongchon River passes through it. Why visit Anju County? Anju is one of the …
19 December 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Being one of the leading travel agencies – if not the leading travel agency – to North Korea is more than just a passion for us; it’s literally our business. Being involved in the North Korean tourism industry also makes us realise just how misundersto …
19 December 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
At Young Pioneer Tours we do like a controversial former country – particularly when they’re both weird and obscure. Neutral Moresnet, luckily, ticks both of these boxes for us. Where was Neutral Moresnet located? Neutral Moresnet existed between the k …
19 December 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
At YPT we run tours to both Inner and Outer Mongolia, two places that have their similarities and a whole bunch of differences. If you’re fuzzy on the distinction then check out our primer, but in this article we’re going to focus on Inner Mongolia. Wh …
19 December 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
‘’Russia is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma’’ – Winston Churchill At its height the Soviet Union stretched for over 6,800 miles (10,900 kilometres) from east to west, covering 11 of the world’s 24 time zones. It was home to over 100 di …
18 December 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Smiling Grapes – Wine in North Korea. North Korea might not exactly be up there with France when it comes to famous wine-growing regions, but following the release of North Korean whiskey and even North Korean champagne, it was inevitable that the DPRK …
18 December 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Introduction to Sonbong County Sonbong County — formerly known as Unggi — is a county in the North-East of North Korea that, combined with the town of Rajin, makes up the special economic zone of Rason. It borders both China and Russia, and allegedly …
18 December 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
Rajin – or as it is officially known, Rajin-Guyok – is a town in the north-east of North Korea that, combined with Sonbong, comprises half of the North Korean ‘super city’, and first ever Special Economic Zone of the country: Rason. Table of ContentsRa …
18 December 2019 / by Gareth Johnson
For us at Young Pioneer Tours, there’s nothing quite as natural as a visit to North Korea. For most of the world, however, travel to the DPRK is still seen as a bit ‘out there’. This is particularly true of celebrities, and not too many famous folk hav …