DESTINATIONS ASIA | SOUTH KOREA
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT:
Baegundae Peak; the Bukhansanseong wall; a feral cat; the mountain trail PICTURES: Visit Seoul; Sebastian Schutyser; Alice Barnes-Brown
expertexper ASK THE Roger
Shepherd founder, HikeKorea
“South Korea
offers many opportunities for the more adventurous. I like to recommend a tailor-made, multi-day hiking tour with a private guide and vehicle. We climb a new peak each day, staying in local hotels and eating local cuisines. A sleepover in a remote Buddhist temple can also be arranged. Such tours include lessons by your guide on Korean culture and history, and lots of encounters with Koreans.”
boulder-clambering, and find ourselves overtaken by Seoul’s spritely senior citizens. After about 30 minutes, we stop for our first rest – meeting many of the mountain’s feline inhabitants – and take a seat at a picnic area, which has plenty of locals sipping beer and eating lunch together.
HIGH HOPES Here, we get our first glimpse of our target: Baegundae Peak, a great granite sugarloaf (and Seoul’s tallest mountain) that seems indomitable against the brilliant blue sky. “Quite spectacular, eh?” Roger asks. I nod, but I wonder how we’ll make it to the top without any experience or equipment. A few icy-creek crossings later, we reach Insuam, a hermitage where a sole Buddhist monk maintains the shrine and performs regular prayers. His haunting Sanskrit mantras reverberate through the valley, and the prayer ribbons seem to sway in time. Willed on, we reach a second rest stop, equipped with toilets, a cafe and a small information centre. Thanks to these plentiful facilities, Korean mountains are often suitable for hiking at all times of the year – even when they’re covered in fresh snow. A sign says we’re only 300m from the top, but
it’s the toughest section yet. As the trees thin out to make way for the summit, we stumble upon a piece of Korean history. A 7.5-mile-long, early-18th-century wall called Bukhansanseong weaves its way across the ridges of Bukhansan National Park, designed to keep would-be invaders out. Helpful information boards explain that the gate we’re looking at was once
42 22 FEBRUARY 2024
used to bring weapons, food and reinforcements into the Bukhansanseong fortress without being seen. We follow the course of the wall until it takes a
dramatic vertical turn. At this point, the path gives way to raw rock, scalable only with the help of good hiking shoes, grippy gloves and via ferrata-like railings. I see people sliding down on their bottoms, while I struggle to haul my bodyweight up. But the views near the top made every bead of
sweat worthwhile. On one side, there are Seoul’s suburbs, with white apartment blocks resembling Lego bricks lining the Han River almost as far as the eye can see. However, they eventually recede into a sea of green trees, as the might of the mountains takes hold. I climb slightly higher to reach the summit. It’s
standing-room only, with just enough space for a South Korean flag and 10 worn-out climbers. On the other side of Baegundae, granite mounds emerge from verdant misty valleys punctuated by tiny temples, distinguished by their pagodas and colourful pillars. “It’s the epitome of an oriental landscape,” says Roger. We nod in silence. These seemingly diametric views of Seoul are two sides of the same coin – Taegeuk in action.
TW BOOK IT
InsideAsia offers a seven-night Essential South Korea itinerary, which can be tailored to include a day’s hiking in Bukhansan National Park. Prices start at £2,580 including flights, B&B accommodation, all transportation, airport transfers and some private guides.
insideasiatours.com
SELLING TIPS
Rebecca Barry senior South Korea
product executive, InsideAsia
E There’s so much beyond Seoul. Highlight the chance to get to the coast, or off-radar rural villages and historic cities with incredible architecture.
E There are some things that clients can experience only in South Korea. These include a stay in a traditional hanok (house) in Jeonju city, which is accessible from Seoul by high-speed train.
E South Korea has similar seasons to Japan, including cherry blossom in early spring. Although it’s busy, there are fewer tourists. The country also shares impressive autumn colours and beautiful snowy landscapes in winter.
travelweekly.co.uk
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