A Guide To Visiting Seoraksan National Park South Korea

Seoraksan is one of Korea’s most beautiful mountains. Seoraksan National Park is the surrounding area, famous for its views, clear mountain streams and vibrant flora and fauna. Hiking is a much-loved pastime all across Korea, and Seoraksan boasts some of the loveliest trails in the country. Here’s our guide to visiting the park.

Did you know you can now travel with Culture Trip? Book now and join one of our premium small-group tours to discover the world like never before.

Seoraksan Mountain

Located in the northeast of Korea, Seoraksan Mountain reaches a height of 1,708 metres (5,604 ft) at its highest point, Daecheongbong Peak. It’s Korea’s third largest mountain and has a variety of hiking trails, most of which take only a few hours to complete. Scenery includes cliffs, waterfalls and lots of natural beauty. Seoraksan translates to ‘Snowy Peaks Mountain’.

Seoraksan National Park

The park itself spans four cities and counties, and has an area of 163.6 square kilometres (63 sq mi). It’s one of Korea’s most iconic parks, and was the first area to be designated as a national park by the Korean government, in 1970. It has been a UNESCO Biosphere Protection site since 1982. As well as Seoraksan, the park has a number of smaller mountains and hills, totalling 30 peaks overall. Ulsanbawi Rock is a famous rock formation made of six granite peaks, which is popular with visitors.

Seoraksan’s cultural sights

Within the park are two Buddhist temples, Baekdamsa and Sinheungsa. Both are of historical interest, and set in areas of great natural beauty. Sinheungsa is believed to be the oldest Seon temple in the world, and is now a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Baekdamsa‘s name translates to ‘Hundred Pool Temple’, referring to the hundred pools set around the temple complex, which are fed by clear water from the slopes of Daecheongbong Peak.

Seoraksan’s flora and fauna

Seoraksan National Park is a UNESCO Biosphere Protection site, and has been designated as a nature reserve since 1965, in part because it’s home to many plants and animals, including a number of rare ones — more than one thousand species of plants and 1,562 animal species have been identified within the park. Lucky visitors can catch a glimpse of the increasingly rare Korean musk deer and Korean goral here, as well as animals including otters, Siberian flying squirrels, and perhaps even an Asian black bear.

Seoraksan Cable Car

If trudging up hills on foot isn’t quite your cup of tea, you can head up the mountain and take in some breathtaking views on the Seoraksan cable car. The car goes all the way up to Gwongeumseong Fortress, a ruined stone edifice perched at the top of Seoraksan Mountain.

Geumganggul Cave

Head up the steep slopes of Seoraksan Mountain — about 600 metres (2,000 ft) up — and you’ll come to Geumganggul Cave. This small cave was once used as a site of worship and is still well maintained today. The cave opening looks out over spectacular views and is well worth the hike up to reach it.

What to do on a first visit to Seoraksan

For spectacular scenery, stay in the Outer Seorak (Oeseorak) area, which is home to Ulsanbawi Rock and Geumganggul Cave, as well as enormous waterfalls including Biryong Falls, Oryeon Falls, and Towangseong Falls. This region is also close to facilities, hotels and shops in Seorak-dong. The two most popular hiking trails go from Biseondae to Madeungryeong, and from Biseondae to Daecheonbong Peak via Cheonbuldong.

How to get to Seoraksan National Park

Seoraksan National Park is three hours by car from Seoul, making it a very doable day trip. Public transport is a little trickier but still possible — you can take a bus from the Seoul Express Bus terminal or Dong Seoul terminal to to Sokcho city, which should take you approximately four hours (including a 20-minute rest stop in the middle). From Sokcho, you can take local bus number 7 or 7-1 to Outer Seorak (Oeseorak), which will take approximately 30 minutes.

landscape with balloons floating in the air

KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?

Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.