Hwanseongul – Korea’s Largest Limestone Cave
By Deirdre Madden I’ve been to several caves in Korea now, including the lava tubes on Jeju Island. I’ve also spelunked (or potholed if you prefer) in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, as well as back home in Canada. Nothing serious, just touristy tours of interesting and impressive cave formations. But nothing I’ve yet seen has compared to the vastness of the Hwanseongul (환선굴) in Gangwondo. Located near the town of Samcheok (삼척시), the Hwanseon Cave has been designated as...
Read MoreGanjeolgot Cape – Ulsan’s Sunrise Hotspot
Words and photos by Jason Teale Most people know of Ganjeolgot for the giant mailbox and being the place that pretty much everyone in the area goes to on New Year’s Day to catch the first rays of sunlight to hit this side of Korea. However, there is much more to the area than that. Ganjeolgot Cape has seen a bit of improvement over the years taking it from your basic 90’s era tourist trap to a place that...
Read MoreSuncheon Bay – Korea’s Ecological Playground
By Deirdre Madden Last Chuseok, while on a road trip, my partner and I stumbled upon the Suncheon Ecological Park. We were attempting to go to the Suncheon Bay Garden Expo, but due to misread road signs while trying to find a parking lot, we ended up at the Ecological Park instead. It turned out to be a happy mistake, as the Eco Park is a very interesting, preserved wetland area, filled with a large variety of birds, many...
Read MoreTraveling in Korea With Your Four Legged Friends
Traveling with a pooch that doesn’t fit into your purse is not always easy in Korea. We have a 75 pound Labrador and just finding a first floor apartment that would accept him was a big enough challenge. Finding hotels is yet again…a challenge. Of the places we’ve stayed, some are nicer than others but all were friendly and had nice owners or owners who completely ignored that fact that we had a dog with us. Clearly…Clark is a...
Read MoreCherry Blossom Festivals 2014
Hwa-gae Cherry Blossom Festival takes place March 29th, 30th. “One of the most popular attractions of the festival is ‘The 10ri Cherry Blossom Road’ (ri is the traditional Korean measurement unit, and 10ri equals approximately 4km). It is also known as ‘marriage road’, as it is said that if lovers walk down this road while holding hands, they will get married and stay happily together forever.” – More info at Korea Tourism Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Marathon is taking place this year on April...
Read MoreUlsan Cycling Guide
A guide to cycling in Ulsan By Luke Cape: On first impression, Ulsan may not seem to be the most bike-friendly city. But on closer inspection, the city and the surrounding areas have so much to offer. There are near 100kms of traffic-free bike paths criss-crossing the city. There are numerous single track downhill mountain biking trails hidden in the suburban mountains of Dong-gu, Jung-gu and Ulju-gun. And the quiet, backroad cycling in the countryside is not far away....
Read MoreA guide to climbing Jirisan
Jirisan 지리산 By Luke Cape: Jirisan is mainland South Korea’s highest mountain (1915m), located inside its largest national park (471km2). It’s one of the few national parks where you’re likely to encounter wildlife other than birds and squirrels. The park is home to deer, foxes, hares, elk, wildcats and even the endangered Asiatic black bear (also known as the ‘Moon Bear’ or 반달곰) . It’s also one of Korea’s most sacred mountains, and numerous major temples and smaller retreats...
Read MoreJeollabukdo – Chungcheongnamdo
By Deirdre Madden This is part two of my Chuseok road-trip adventure with my boyfriend. Part one was Jeollanamdo, or the South Jeolla Province. Here, I’ll take you through the North Jeolla Province, and into South Chungcheong Province. After driving along the southern coast, we turned northward at Mokpo, a small city with a rather similar vibe to Ulsan, as it’s home to Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, the world’s 4th largest shipbuilder. We tried to drive up hwy 77,...
Read MoreEden Valley, Skiing in Ulsan’s Backyard
By Deirdre Madden Skiing and snowboarding have become the most popular winter activities in Korea over the past few years. Resorts have sprung up all over Gangwando (the province just south of the DMZ on the East Coast) and Gyeonggido (the province surrounding Seoul). One of the most popular, High One, has buses that leave Ulsan in the wee hours of the morning, giving you the full day on the hill before returning home in the evening. Read the...
Read MoreFrom Ulsan to High One Ski Resort – Users guide
By Luke Cape A guide for those wanting to go to High One resort by the shuttle bus: There are shuttle buses running every night from Ulsan to the resort. They pick you up at different places around the city, for example Dongcheon Stadium (Jung-gu), The Arts and Cultural Center (Samsan-dong), Gonguptap (Nam-gu) and Shinbok Rotary (Mugeo-dong). Different buses have slightly different schedules, but most of them pick up at around 3am. The shuttle buses are free for season...
Read More