Young Pioneer Tours
Young Pioneer Tours
5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Full view
About
Young Pioneer Tours is an adventure travel company formed in 2008 and based in mainland China. Specialising in travel to North Korea, we are an adventure tour operator that provides "budget tours to destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from".
We are renowned and rated as one of the best tour operators to the DPRK (North Korea) with our unparalleled experience, fun way of doing things, and most importantly, excellent relations in country; this makes us the best choice for your Korea tour.
Aside from the DPRK, we travel to a number of other destinations such as Iran, Cuba, China, Antarctica, Iraq, and other former Soviet countries. All our tours are founded on the YPT ethos of fun, thrill seeking and adventure at a great price. All ages welcomed!
Beijing, China
Awards
Travellers' Choice
2024
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5.0
1,250 reviews
Excellent
1,213
Very good
23
Average
4
Poor
2
Terrible
8
Ray M
Hong Kong, China
Aug 2019
Enjoyed a great week long trip with YPT during the beginning of August. We were a small eclectic group of 6 including Bagdan, our very charismartic & engaging local guide. While Minsk is a bit of a pain to get to (two flights from Dublin) you can get cheap deals if you book enough in advance. Belarus has recently lifted clunky visa restrictions for those arriving their via Minsk airport. There was a good mix of walking tour (Minsk & Brest) as well overnight train journey to Brest, visits to cultural sites both early history (Castles) as well as sites relating to the tragic history that befell the country during the brutal Nazi occupation over the period of WW2. The visits to the Giant Truck factory, Le Harvey Oswald's old flat (still occupied) and the Stalin line fortifications outside Minsk and the Brest Fortress (with ride on a PT-76 APC) as well as the overnight stay in the country, were one of many personal highlights. We got to try out great local cuisine both local (A great restaurant in the Park in Brest) and regional (Georgian - in Minsk) with some fine Georgian and Armenian wines to boot. Bagdan also took us an interesting tour of some of Minsk's avant garde sights which were really interesting. The 'Oskar' coffee at Zentrale was a real treat. A thoroughy enjoyable trip, my second with Ben & Eilidh from YPT, who regrettably weren't able to join on this occasion, but had prepared for us a fun-packed and interesting tour schedule, with some free time for local exploration for those who wanted to. I'm looking forward to my next trip in 2020 with them already.
Written 8 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Megs
Oregon
Jul 2021
This has been my third experience with YPT, and first using them to explore Cyprus. There is nothing bad I can say about my experience with them, it's been positive all the way...they maintained fairly decent contact with me as I planned this trip out, answered my many, MANY e-mails promptly and with the level of research and detail I expected. I am a traveler from America, fully vaccinated and all...and the driver and guide were both nothing less than respectful of my wishes to mask up when we were in the car or in close quarters out. After getting to know them over a couple of days, I think we all sensed that we had the same level of adventure, and went exploring at some places that were not on the itinerary due to leftover time, or covid/fire closures to other places. They knew exactly what I was looking for even when I didn't know what that might be at the time. Alistair and Leo deserve raises, as does John in the office for countless e-mails he responded to about not only Cyprus, but other places I'd like to go! Go with YPT, you will not be disappointed with them!! Thanks for another wonderful travel experience and hope to see you guys in December!
Written 26 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Garrick Wright
Perth, Australia
Apr 2019
Young Pioneer Tours were exceptional to deal with throughout the process of organising our private tour through North Korea over 8 days. As you can imagine, there are some unique processes in making this happen with plenty of emails throughout leading up to it. Matt and the team were very responsive and helpful - answering my many questions and ensured the whole thing went as smoothly as possible. We had a skype briefing beforehand and all steps were outlined to avoid confusion. We adjusted our itinerary quite a few times and this was no problem at all. I found YPT very good to deal with and I have no problem in using them again in the future as they have some amazing unique tours to choose from across the globe.
Written 1 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeff B
Northumberland, UK
Jan 2020 • Solo
I had a fantastic New Year with the guys from Young Pioneers, seeing in 2020 in style, watching the awesome firework display in Pyongyang North Korea.
The trip was everything I could have imagined plus so much more, it really did exceed my expectations.
From the administration and organisation to the first class service and attention to detail the guys at Young Pioneers make booking a trip like this hassle free.
I couldn't have been more looked after, I felt safe and sequre, was very well fed, and the trip was jam packed and extremely interesting, the guides certainly know their stuff and having Nic along too as our every friendly and helpful Western Guide made me feel right at home.
Couldn't recommend them highly enough, these are the guys to book your North Korea trip with.
The trip was everything I could have imagined plus so much more, it really did exceed my expectations.
From the administration and organisation to the first class service and attention to detail the guys at Young Pioneers make booking a trip like this hassle free.
I couldn't have been more looked after, I felt safe and sequre, was very well fed, and the trip was jam packed and extremely interesting, the guides certainly know their stuff and having Nic along too as our every friendly and helpful Western Guide made me feel right at home.
Couldn't recommend them highly enough, these are the guys to book your North Korea trip with.
Written 9 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jan 2020
We had the pleasure of travelling to DPRK on the Ultra Budget tour in early January. I immediately felt at ease with our wonderful guide Michelle who went above and beyond for us the entire trip. She has such a vast knowledge on DPRK and her sense of humour made me feel right at home.The tour is so well designed and even though we were only there for a short amount of time the trip was jam packed so I felt like we really got the most out of the trip. I cannot recommend this trip enough.
Written 10 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeremy
Brussels, Belgium
Sept 2023 • Solo
I did the Transnistria National Day & Gagauzia Tour with YPT. This was my first travel with YPT after eyeing their tours for a little while.
Our guide Ravi was an excellent host, he always made sure everybody was enjoying his time. He often would stay up late in the night joining the group for drinks and staying up with the most tireless, but he was also the first in the lobby to welcome everybody (the guy never sleeps).
I would recommend doing their tours and I'm already checking which will be my next tour with them.
Unfortunately some things really bothered me and I think it's important to mention them.
First of all it was supposed to be a Transnistria National day tour. I would have expected to spend all day in the cities of Tiraspol and Bender. Tasting the local shashlik, drinking some local wine, mingling with the locals (who were really friendly btw). Instead we barely spent time there, we almost missed the (hugely reduced) parade because the local guide (an American expat) didn't mention when it would start.
Most of the planning wasn't followed or adapted to suit the local guide, and although I enjoyed the experience, I would have liked to see what I came for, that being the festivities for National day in an unrecognized country.
But once again our guide Ravi made sure we would enjoy our evening and arranged free time at night, so we could wander around Tiraspol and see some of the festivities. In the evening he told us to join him in a true USSR restaurant, we had some drinks and partied with the locals which was pretty awesome.
The most underwhelming part of the trip was Gagauzia. The only interesting thing we saw was a statue of Attaturk and another one of Lenin facing each other (quite strange).
I was expecting a nice ending, a feast with locals, drinks, good food like the itinerary mentioned. In fact all we had was some bad wine in plastic bottles and 1 cold sausage, not a local to be seen anywhere. In fact we haven't seen a single local, not a single Gagauzian Babushka in traditional clothes or a traditional house or restaurant.
On my google maps I could see we where 200 meters away from a Gagaouzian themed restaurant. In fact I can't tell you anything that would be typically Gagaouzian because we learned and saw nothing.
Once again I can't blame Ravi for it, this "feast with locals" was organized by the local partner. The feast being a sausage, some coleslaw and some gnarly tasting red wine.
It might seem like a very negative review but I enjoyed 90% of this trip, YPT is an amazing agency, the guide Ravis was great. I would really recommend YPT to look for another local partner that would respect the itinerary and would have some connections with locals.
Our guide Ravi was an excellent host, he always made sure everybody was enjoying his time. He often would stay up late in the night joining the group for drinks and staying up with the most tireless, but he was also the first in the lobby to welcome everybody (the guy never sleeps).
I would recommend doing their tours and I'm already checking which will be my next tour with them.
Unfortunately some things really bothered me and I think it's important to mention them.
First of all it was supposed to be a Transnistria National day tour. I would have expected to spend all day in the cities of Tiraspol and Bender. Tasting the local shashlik, drinking some local wine, mingling with the locals (who were really friendly btw). Instead we barely spent time there, we almost missed the (hugely reduced) parade because the local guide (an American expat) didn't mention when it would start.
Most of the planning wasn't followed or adapted to suit the local guide, and although I enjoyed the experience, I would have liked to see what I came for, that being the festivities for National day in an unrecognized country.
But once again our guide Ravi made sure we would enjoy our evening and arranged free time at night, so we could wander around Tiraspol and see some of the festivities. In the evening he told us to join him in a true USSR restaurant, we had some drinks and partied with the locals which was pretty awesome.
The most underwhelming part of the trip was Gagauzia. The only interesting thing we saw was a statue of Attaturk and another one of Lenin facing each other (quite strange).
I was expecting a nice ending, a feast with locals, drinks, good food like the itinerary mentioned. In fact all we had was some bad wine in plastic bottles and 1 cold sausage, not a local to be seen anywhere. In fact we haven't seen a single local, not a single Gagauzian Babushka in traditional clothes or a traditional house or restaurant.
On my google maps I could see we where 200 meters away from a Gagaouzian themed restaurant. In fact I can't tell you anything that would be typically Gagaouzian because we learned and saw nothing.
Once again I can't blame Ravi for it, this "feast with locals" was organized by the local partner. The feast being a sausage, some coleslaw and some gnarly tasting red wine.
It might seem like a very negative review but I enjoyed 90% of this trip, YPT is an amazing agency, the guide Ravis was great. I would really recommend YPT to look for another local partner that would respect the itinerary and would have some connections with locals.
Written 10 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
arslancanmurathan
Istanbul, Türkiye
Jan 2020 • Solo
I joined YPT’s Least Visited Countries tour and it was perfect. We visited 11 countries, saw all the highlights, met locals, visited villages, crossed the international dateline and came back (which was a unique experience for me), spent the New Years Eve in the least visited country in the world (Nauru). In one month we did everything. YPT brought like minded travellers together and offered us the cheapest and most fun way to travel in the Pacific. My best time was the helicopter ride over the volcano in Vanuatu. Our guides (Gareth, Alon, Melissa and Justin) are amazing, I am very happy to meet them.
Written 21 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luke Newport
London, UK
Dec 2021
Incredible experience, tour leader and value for money. Our tour leader Rowan was extremely knowledgeable, funny and easy going. Any issue we faced due to the timing of the trip being around the holiday period or generic issues Rowan did his best and delivered every time in fixing any issue. The local guides in Chernobyl and Transnistria were extremely knowledgeable and were happy to answer any questions you may have. The hotels which were chosen fit the theme perfectly and while still being a nice place to spend a night or two in each area which is the best combination. Would definitely recommend this trip in particular (obviously not right now but when safe again) for any traveller looking for a fun, unique time in countries not often visited and will definitely be travelling with YPT again in the near future. Also make sure to pay for the tank driving and shooting range extension!
Written 2 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike
Seattle, WA
Feb 2020
Another three countries that I’ve visited with YPT complete. Each of them unique in their own way. My trip highlights were: Iron ore train ride, ancient cities and desert driving in Mauritania; camping near the arch and Niger river and visiting the Djenne Mosque in Malí; and the animalistic ceremony, horseback riding (even thought my butt was sore for days, baobab tree and sacred crocodile village visit in Burkina Faso.
Pier Doyon, as always, did an excellent job leading the tours and coordinating with the local guides such as Abdoulaye. Logistically, considering the countries we visited, and the recent decrease in tourist and tourism infrastructure, the tours went very smoothly. Pier is always engaged, diligent, and keeping the tour on track. He also steps in from time to time to provide the entertainment (mostly dancing and "punning"). I’ll definitely be on more of YPT’s and Pier’s trips in the future. I highly recommend both YPT and Pier as a tour leader.
Pier Doyon, as always, did an excellent job leading the tours and coordinating with the local guides such as Abdoulaye. Logistically, considering the countries we visited, and the recent decrease in tourist and tourism infrastructure, the tours went very smoothly. Pier is always engaged, diligent, and keeping the tour on track. He also steps in from time to time to provide the entertainment (mostly dancing and "punning"). I’ll definitely be on more of YPT’s and Pier’s trips in the future. I highly recommend both YPT and Pier as a tour leader.
Written 16 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
glennaldo_sf
Al Khor, Qatar
May 2022
I've never really been a big fan of "group" or pre-planned" tours as I usually travel as a spontaneous traveler. However, there are some destinations that simply don't allow you to travel like this (North Korea, Turkmenistan, etc.) or whose tourism infrastructure is still too far into the development stage to make solo traveling a viable option. Therefore, I chose to book a couple of trips with Young Pioneers. Their prices were a lot more reasonable for some of these off the beaten-path places and they have a whole array of tours in many different parts of the world to chose from. Once you sign up for one tour, you become a "pioneer" and get a discount on subsequent tours, which makes a great incentive for sticking with this company.
So far I've done 2 tours, Saudi Arabia (March 2022) and Iraqi Kurdistan (May 2022) and both were excellent memorable experiences. On both tours, they met everything they promised on the itinerary and our guides Pierre, Hanna + Tawana were fantastic, fun, and made the long bus rides never seem boring. Furthermore, you'll make potential lifelong friends with the other travelers on the tour as they share a common interest in traveling a sharing stories of these remote corners of the world. Highly recommended!
So far I've done 2 tours, Saudi Arabia (March 2022) and Iraqi Kurdistan (May 2022) and both were excellent memorable experiences. On both tours, they met everything they promised on the itinerary and our guides Pierre, Hanna + Tawana were fantastic, fun, and made the long bus rides never seem boring. Furthermore, you'll make potential lifelong friends with the other travelers on the tour as they share a common interest in traveling a sharing stories of these remote corners of the world. Highly recommended!
Written 11 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DMilagrosDM
Santiago, Chile
Hi, how are the accommodations offered in the longer tours? Can be arranged triple rooms?
Written 16 July 2021
1Dallasite
Dallas, Texas
I am flying into Beijing on the 4th of June and looking for tour for the 5th and 6th of June. How do I find out your charges and make reservations ? How many people in your groups ? If I make reservations with you will you be picking at Hotel ? I am staying at : Beijing Hotel NUO Wangfujing.
Do you offer airport pickup ? what do you recommend.
Written 28 May 2018
Tonio
Washington DC, District of Columbia
Can you go if you are an American but also have dual citizenship with an European country?
Written 6 February 2018
lonehats
Merrylands, Australia
Yes. But our guides had mentioned that it’s best to use the other non-American passport for traveling into and out of DPRK. Best to email YPT and check with them directly
Written 18 February 2018
Anna M
Tel Aviv, Israel
Hi, guys! We also plan to make North Korea trip with YPT and no standing at the point of no return - when we need to make big international money bank transfer, actually getting nothing - no contract, no paper from YPT in exchange. Is it common practice here? We just need to trust them, that in case of some difficulties (closed border, visa rejection etc) they will return us our money? Thanks for answer.
Written 27 November 2017
TroyKunming
Kunming, China
Hi Anna,
Our terms and conditions are clear that you will receive a full refund if the visa is refused through no fault of your own. (If you've given incorrect information or not disclosed any published articles etc about North Korea you've produced, you will not receive a refund- as noted in our Terms of Travel agreement we sent to you).
We will return your money if the border is closed or the tour cancelled for any reason, this is also noted in our terms and conditions.
If a contract would make you more comfortable before making the transfer, please send us one to your liking and we'll sign it providing it doesn't contradict our provided T & C or travel agreement.
Generally our invoices/receipts perform that role, but we are happy to do that for your peace of mind.
Regards,
Troy
Written 27 November 2017
tcollinszdf
New York City, New York
Hello,
Quick question regarding US-travelers.
Is it still possible to book a YPT tour even though one has a US-citizenship? The website says yes, however a recent Facebook post says differently.
I would appreciate responses from either a staff member or past travelers.
Thanks in advance
Tim
Written 23 August 2017
TroyKunming
Kunming, China
Hi Tim,
Thanks for your question. To help clarify we don't take Americans on tours to North Korea wether they are dual citizens or not, especially now that there is a congressional ban on travel for US citizens in place. If you have any further questions please feel free to drop us an email.
Thanks,
Troy
Written 6 September 2017
The capital tour builds your base (remember you take a few day trips up to 2 hours away). The north east is further off the beaten path.
In the US - it would be like going to Washington DC or New York City vs going to Dallas or Denver. While unique in their own way, Dallas and Denver are still secondary stops on a US tour whereas DC and NYC give the intro to the America people see on television. Just my opinion :)
Written 27 May 2015
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