- South Korea is much more than flashy Seoul. The nature is beyond beautiful.
- Renting a car in South Korea is a must. The cost is around $65/day.
- Booking hotels online is cheaper than in person.
Seoraksan National Park
Seoraksan National Park is a UNESCO designated site and overwhelms with beautiful views and nature. I truly enjoyed visiting, even though it was very cold in the winter.
Getting There:
I rented a car at the Incheon airport for ca. $65/day. The drive from Seoul to Seoraksan National Park is ca. 3 hours through mountains. The entire trip is on the highway and there are tolls every few kilometers.
Tip: When flying into Incheon later in the evening, I particularly like staying at Good Day Airtel near the airport.
Accommodation
I arrived late in the afternoon, so I first spent the night in the nearby town Sokcho-si and headed to the park in the morning. Decent accommodation was around $20-$30/night. I stayed at James Blue Hostel in a private room for $29. South Korea is very cold in the winter and many houses are not heated based on my experience. While my room was heated the rest of the building was freezing cold. I enjoyed the stay regardless.
Sokcho-si felt like a small touristy town being sleepy in the off-season. I did not have proper clothing so I bought a pair of wool mittens at the gas station. They became extremely useful.
The Park
The national park is very close to Sokcho-si. There is no fee to enter the park. There is a very large parking lot suggesting very busy summers – it was essentially empty in the winter. Parking at the entrance costs ca. $5/day.
At the park entrance, there is a visitor information centre where you can see the park maps and ask about hiking trails.
There is an enormous Buddhist temple, called Sinheungsa Temple, just a few minutes walking from
the entrance. It is the oldest Zen temple in South Korea and features a 3-level pagoda and two Buddha statues, one of which dates back more than 1,400 years. You can see and talk to Buddhist monks, even stay the night at the temple.
Hiking
I love hiking and was very excited to spend some time in the nature. There are several trails in the park. Because of the winter, many were closed. I took on the challenge of hiking to the Ulsanbawi rock. It is ca. 2 hours of hiking, which was challenging because of the cold and me having no winter clothes.
The views from the Ulsanbawi rock were incredible, even though it was exceptionally windy.
On this trail, there is a very interesting monastery and Buddhist temple carved out inside a rock. You can go inside and experience a cave-like room with serene buddhist decoration
I highly recommend visiting Seoraksan National Park. It is a beautiful place to enjoy the nature and culture.
Odaesan National Park
Odaesan National Park is ca. an hour away by car from Seoraksan and is a gem in South Korea. It has pristine, beautiful nature and temples. It was established in 1975 with 126 square miles. It has 5 peaks, the highest of which is Birobong.
There are temples with over 1,000 years of history called Sangwonsa and Woljeongsa.
The entrance fee is 3,000 Won ($2.20) per person and 5,000 Won ($3.60) per car. I, unfortunately did not have enough time to go hiking in the park and only was able to drive through it in the car and visit the temples. It was still an unforgettable experience.
