Dear Pioneers, We’re sure most of you are aware about the recent news and rumours that are coming through from the DPRK (North Korea). YPT would like to update you on not only what we know, but what our plans are for upcoming tours. Firstly, there are …

This year promises to be our biggest ever year on the international front, with a calendar jam packed with marquee tours from all the way to December!   There are going to be a lot of firsts this year.  We’ve added Turkmenistan to the calendar in …

 1. North Korean students and men are forced to have the same haircut This is one of the most popular questions I get asked about before we’ve entered North Korea. Although, there have been times where I’ve been asked this question nearing the end of a …

I would say it usually comes within the first hour of meeting the group going into North Korea, usually when we have beers after the orientation, or if its a quiet group on the train, and for those that fly into the country over beers in the Yanggakdo …

“Quite possibly there’s nothing as fine as a locomotive starting across country in early morning, Hardesty thought. That’s when you learn that the tragedy of plants is that they have roots.”  Winter’s Tail – On the morning of November 5, 2014, five ala …

Westerners have largely avoided this ancient and beautiful land since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. With warming relations with and an increase of foreign visits in the last two years, this country is finally getting the recognition it deserves after …

Other than an intermittent convoy of trucks it was just us, the sand dunes and a few patches of ankle high shrubbery as we drove through the Turkmen desert towards our most anticipated destination on this epic trip. Just after the scattered remains of …

YPT’s very own Chris Kelly weighs in on his favourite things to do and see in Pyongyang. Building in North Korea – Tower of the Juche Idea It surprises me to hear customers commonly ask, “Aren’t you bored of returning to the same places in Pyongyang?”  …

Since 2013, YPT has been offering an exclusive tour of the Borderlands of the DPRK and China. A tour packed with amazing photography opportunities, the sight of Mt. Paekdu (Changbaishan on this side), intriguing chinese-dprk relationship and much more. …

My fascination with North Korea began in 2008 while studying for my masters degree in International Relation. I have spent the last 8 years peering through the window wondering what it was really like on the other side. I travelled to Korea last week f …