ANDONG-JUWANGSAN NATIONAL PARK-GYEONGJU. 2-day tour
During this intensive two-day tour we will visit the village of Hahoe, famous for its mask dance, the ancient capital of Korea - the city of Gyeongju, and the extremely scenic Juwangsan National Park.
During this intensive two-day tour we will visit the village of Hahoe, famous for its mask dance, the ancient capital of Korea - the city of Gyeongju, and the extremely scenic Chuyansan National Park.
We will stay overnight in a traditional Korean hanok house (equipped with ondol - floor heating; sleeping on the floor; blankets provided). By request, we can replace the stay in the hanok for a European-style room that can sleep 3-4 people.
Hahoe
The first day includes traveling to Hahoe, visiting a traditional paper factory on the way, and enjoying the area around the village including a winding riverfront that loops around the village.
Hahoe is famous for its well preserved of old houses - both of peasants and aristocratis; the famous dance with masks "Thalchhum", as well as the oldest surviving set the wooden masks themselves.
Regular presentation of the mask dance will be a pleasant addition to the live tour (depending on season and the day of the week).
On the second day, we will set out into the national park, stopping to see the shooting of “Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring again”, as well as the Chusanji artificial lake.
Ancient capital of Korea Gyeongju City Tour
The city of Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the Korean Silla, is famous for its monuments included in the UNESCO world heritage list: magniifcient tombs (mounds) of kings and nobility , the ancient Buddhist monastery, and the artificial grotto of Seokguram.
We will visit Bulguksa Temple ("Temple of the Kingdom of the Buddha"), which once served as the main temple of the ancient kingdom of Shilla; the Seokguram (artificial grotto, in which a great statue of Buddha Shakyamuni resides; the statue is considered to be the masterpiece of the Gyengju's heyday).
Then we are going to visit Cheomseongdae, one of the world's oldest observatories - built in the 7th century. A walk in the park of the royal tombs follows and thrilling experience of actually visiting one of the graves, the "Tomb of the White Horse" combined with an explanation of the Shilla's burial habits and structure of the society will leave unforgettable impressions.
Finally, we are going to take a short walk along the picturesque pond Anapji – the place of recreation of the Silla kings.
Overnight in a traditional Korean hanok house (equiped with ondol - floor heating; sleeping on the floor; blankets provided). In the case of an individual order, we can replace the hanok for a European 3-4 * hotel.
Price per person
(the "base value" fold shows the value for a group of 2-3 people, the mentioned traditional hotel can be replaced without the prior approval)
includes:
- The tour starts in Seoul and finishes at the Gyungju station (return tickets to Seoul are included)
- Transportation for the entire tour (from the hotel in Seoul up to the train station in Gyeongju; transport from Seoul station to a destination in Seoul or to an airport is not included)
- guide for the entire tour
- All entrance fees
- Breakfast at Hanok
- accommodation in a traditional Korean hanok house
| persons per room | |||
| persons per group | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | $1,176 | ||
| 2 | $696 | $632 | |
| 3 | $536 | $472 | $469 |
| 4 | $456 | $392 | $389 |
| 5 | $408 | $344 | $341 |
| 6 | $376 | $312 | $309 |
| 7 | $353 | $290 | $286 |
| 8 | $336 | $272 | $269 |
| 9 | $323 | $259 | $255 |
| 10 | $312 | $248 | $245 |
| 11 | $304 | $240 | $236 |
| 12 | $296 | $232 | $229 |
| 13 | $290 | $226 | $223 |
| 14 | $285 | $221 | $217 |
| 15 | $280 | $216 | $213 |
| 16 | $276 | $212 | $209 |
| 17 | $273 | $209 | $205 |
| 18 | $270 | $206 | $202 |
| 19 | $267 | $203 | $199 |
| 20 | $264 | $200 | $197 |
What's included
Experience on This Tour
Licensed Guide Only
Experiences
A typical private educational institution (now a museum), in which representatives of the ruling elite of Joseon - the yangban - received a decent Confucian education in order to pass state exams in the future and enter the service.
The name, which includes the word "sowon", was given to this place in memory of the famous Prime Minister of Joseon, Ryu Seongnyeon, who moved to Andong in the 16th century. The official name "Pyeongsang Sowon" was established in 1614, the 6th year of the reign of King Gwanghaegun.
Ah, what a view of the romantic mountains and river from Byeonsan Seowon!
Hahoe - a village surrounded on three sides by the Naktong River, as if located in a loop of this river; from this geographical feature comes the name of the village - literally "fifth of the river".
Hahoe is famous for its old houses that have been preserved and are still used by the owners - both peasant and aristocratic houses; the famous dance with masks "Thalchhum", as well as the oldest surviving set of these same wooden masks for dancing. In 1999, Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain celebrated her birthday in the village.
A regular masked dance performance will be a nice live addition to the tour (the performance may not take place on a given day, depending on the season and day of the week).
On the way to the village of Hahoe, there is a small factory that produces traditional Korean hanji paper. The plant is open to the general public: you can walk through the workshops and get acquainted with the process of making paper, raw materials.
Chusanchzhi - a small reservoir located in theChuvansan National Park. Chusanchzhi was built in 1720-1721 gg. For nearly 300 years, this artificial lake has provided water for drinking and irrigation for the residents of the village down in the valley. Chusanchzhi length reaches 100m, width - 50m, and depth - about 7-8m, but it has never, no matter what the drought in the country were, shown its bed not, it does not show its bed.
The dense forest surrounding the reservoir, and around thirty 150-year-old willows growing in the middle of the lake, combine perfectly, creating a unique picture. The reservoir becomes all the more mysterious and picturesque when it is covered with a blanket of the morning mist.
The best time to travel to the reservoir - spring and autumn.
It was there, on this lake, where the cult film director Kim Ki-Duk filmed his "Spring, summer, autumn, winter and spring again."
One of the most picturesque waterfalls in the Chuwangsan national park.
Cheomseongdae is one of the oldest observatories in the world (7th century). The tower of the observatory is full of symbolism: the total number of hewn stones from which it is built; the number of rows of these stones before and above the small window, the shape of the stones... Reasonable Silakians paid attention to everything.
Cheomseongdae was built under the reigning Queen Seondok - one of three in the history of Silla. The queen ended up in a drama that, of course, was filmed in Gyeongju.
The Buddha statue in this small temple in an artificial grotto is considered the most elegant in All of Korea! The grotto is located on the slope of Mount Tkhohamsan, where the winding serpentine of the mountain road leads.
The walk to the temple through the mountain forest from the parking lot takes about 15-20 minutes; depending on the weather, either a mysterious foggy landscape awaits us (fogs are not uncommon on this mountain), or breathtaking bird's-eye views of the thousand-year-old Gyeongju.
In the grotto, which is formally the hermitage of the Bulguksa temple, located below the slope, the dominant position is occupied by the above-mentioned statue of Buddha, sitting in a lotus position on a pedestal in the shape of a lotus. Around it at different heights are bas-reliefs and statues of bodhisattvas, arhats, Indra and Brahma, the Four Heavenly Kings.
If the group agrees, we can go down the mountainside to the temple of Bulguksa.
The main Buddhist temple of United Silla, it is now a place of pilgrimage for many guests of Korea.
The temple was built in 774 under the leadership of the premier of the state of Silla, Kim Taesong. Legend has it that Bulguksa was dedicated to the parents of the current, so to speak, Kim Taesong. While Seokguram, the temple-hermitage under Bulguksa, was intended for Kim Taesung's parents from his previous incarnations.
In 1995, Bulguksa and Seokguram were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The main state Gyeongju temple from the Silla period, the "Temple of the Yellow Dragon", Hwanyeongsa, has not survived; however, we still have a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the pagoda of a hermitage temple of Hwanyeongsa. The hermitage temple is called Punghwansa.
The peculiarity of the pagoda of Punghwansa is that it is built of stones, hewn in such a way that they resemble bricks in shape. What can you not do if you are not familiar with the technology (brick production, in this case)!
The only mound which inner parts are open to the public (though filled with replicas, it shows the inner construction of a Shilla mound)
Though made anew, it is a nice and quite picturesque place, especially at night.
Brief price table.
- Please be advised that particular hotels included in package tours might be replaced without a prior warning.
| persons in grouparrow_upward | Persons per roomarrow_upward | Price per personarrow_upward | final pricearrow_upward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2+ | |||
| $696.00 | $696.00 | ||
| $632.00 | $632.00 |
Frequently asked questions
For convenience, we recommend exchanging your currency in Seoul or immediately upon arrival at the airport. Even in Busan, where there are also currency exchange offices, searching for an exchanger can take up extra time that you could spend on more useful activities.
In Korean cuisine, there are both spicy and non-spicy dishes. If you prefer non-spicy food, try, for example, kalguksu — homemade noodle soup, or samgyetang — chicken soup with rice and ginseng, or galbitang — a rich beef rib soup.
For meals, budget around $20 per meal for lunch or dinner in a mid-range restaurant. For other daily expenses like transportation, shopping, and entrance fees to attractions, the amount will vary depending on your plans. It’s advisable to have some extra cash for unexpected expenses.
At the airport upon departure, you can exchange Korean won KRW for most world currencies.
In Korea, you can exchange major world currencies (US dollars, yuan, yen, euro) at exchange offices and banks. In addition, the vast majority of sellers (including market traders) accept Visa and Master Card credit cards. Union Pay does not work everywhere! Of course, Korean won is accepted everywhere too! Of course, Korean won is accepted almost everywhere too! "Almost": recently cafes and other establishments have appeared, for example, the Busan Aquarium, where payment can only be made by credit card.