The Chinese authorities in Dandong will close the Sino Korean Friendship bridge to make repairs to the one lane road that runs between the Chinese city of Dandong and the North Korean city of Sinuiju on Saturday the 25th of November and re-opening the morning of the 27th. All train schedules will continue to run […]

***Exclusive $10 discount off any orders over $35*** Together with the launch of their brand new online shop, NK News are offering Pioneers an exclusive $10 discount off any orders over $35. Get hold of exclusive t-shirts, mugs, calendars, greeting cards, and much more! Offer ends Sunday, 20th December – The perfect gift this Christmas! 

As of the 8th of November 2017, the Chinese authorities have announced they will temporarily suspend Chinese tourists from travelling with Chinese authorised travel companies to Pyongyang. We would like to confirm this does not affect Young Pioneer Tours or western travellers from travelling to North Korea (DPRK). In recent years during political tensions China […]

*Breaking News – Sulaymaniyah Airport to Reopen* Following the referendum on independence in Iraqi Kurdistan on the 25th of September, the situation in Kurdistan has grown even more complicated, to say the least. At present the region is divided between two main parties, the PUK and the KDP, and this division is being reflected in […]

Iraqi Kurdistan Referendum Results   On Monday the 25th of September Iraqi Kurds voted in a historic but controversial referendum and the results have been announced with a huge majority in support of independence. While this may lead to uncertainty in the region, because of the staunch opposition to Kurdish independence from Turkey, Iran, Western […]

Tibet will be officially closed to foreigners between the 18th and 26th of October due to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of Beijing taking place in China during that time. YPT can still organise independent tours to Tibet for any time outside of these dates – or, join us next July for […]

Hurricane Irma is gone, and last week’s flooding has cleared away. Electricity is now back on almost everywhere, and the major airports have been back to normal schedule for a few days now. While there was a lot of damage done to resort areas along the northern coast, Cubans are very resilient and well-prepared for hurricanes […]

As a tour leader for YPT, I’ve been a frequent visitor to North Korea over the past three years. One of the main questions that tourists ask me is if I’ve seen any changes to the country in that time. The answer is yes, but North Koreans are very conservative, as is their society, and […]

 A 6.3 magnitude seismic event, a confirmed nuclear test, was detected approximately 10 km from North Korea’s nuclear test site today at exactly 12:00 Pyongyang time, the USGS warning indicated. The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) said that a 5.6 magnitude earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km at 1236 KST in Kilju County in […]

In September, Turkmenistan will be hosting the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in their show-piece capital, Ashgabat. Think of it like a mini Olympics for people who get sunburnt easily. Unless you happen to be from a participating country, and even then, unless you’re very much involved in one of the obscure sports […]