Korea Ultra 5 days, 4 nights

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.

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.

If you wish, you can even make yourself a souvenir - a sheet of paper - for a nominal fee (approx. US$5).

A picturesque 2-storey bridge over the sea in Busan is one of its most exquiste landmarks.

Most popular beach in Busan and a vivid resort district.

The largest seafood market in Korea, where you can see all kinds of marine creatures, both from the plant and animal worlds (and from the border worlds too!).

You can also eat deliciously at the market: fried or raw fish, as well as seafood, is served at the table in numerous restaurants in the market.

If you prefer something less exotic, we recommend the food court at the Lotte department store next door. The observation deck at the department store offers a magnificent view of Busan from a bird's eye view.

The name of the temple literally translates to "Dragon Palace Temple of the Country East of the Sea", 해동용궁사 海東龍宮寺.

The construction of the temple was completed in the 2nd year of Wu-wang's reign in 1376.

The temple was built by the sea thanks to the prophetic dream of the founder of the temple, the teacher [king - van] Hegyn. In a dream, a Dragon appeared to him (whose responsibility includes the seas and oceans) and "advised" to build a temple on the seashore, devote himself entirely to prayers - and then the great drought that Korea suffered from would pass ... Initially, the temple was called Pomunsa.

The current name of the temple was given in the 1970s. The abbot responsible for the restoration of the temple named it so after the Bodhisattva of Mercy appeared to him in a dream.

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.

The Island of Geojedo connected to Busan by an amazing under-sea tunnel is the original capital of the Korean shipbuilding industry. However, we are interested in a small island Wedo, which can be reached by a local ferry boat. The island is situated at a distance of four kilometers from the "big" Kochzhe-up.
Wedo Island is part of the first Marine National Park of Korea Hallyo Haesang. Mr. Lee Hanh and his wife turned Wedo into a beautiful private botanical garden in which you will find both Korean, and quite a lot of exotic species.

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.

Located in the Hadong province of South Gyeongsang, on the slopes of the Jirisan Mountains - the most majestic mountains of the mainland of South Korea, the largest national park.

The monastery was founded in 722 by two students of master Yisan - Sambop and Tebi. They say that the place of construction of the temple was suggested to them by a mountain spirit in the form of a tiger. Unfortunately, during the Japanese invasion in the late 16th century, the monastery was completely destroyed; most of the modern buildings and structures of the monastery belong to the 17th century.

Not far from the temple is the famous historical Hwagye Changtho market, where we can get acquainted and enjoy, if desired, the products of two provinces - Gyeongsang and Jeolla.

In 1592, the Japanese army attacked Korea and for 6 years the Korean people bravely fought for their independence. Jinjuseong Fortress, towering over the Namgang River, was a key stronghold in southern Korea. Since 1963, the fortress has been a Historical National Treasure No. 118.

The National Museum of Jinju, located on the territory of the fortress, boasts authentic treasures of Korean culture, such as painting, sculpture, graphics; The exposition of the museum will also present us the history of the defense of the fortress during the Imjin War.

By the way, let's talk about kisaeng.

If the word “sonsen”, known to the world in the Japanese transcription “sensei”, means literally “born to”, then “kisen” - see, the second syllable is the same? - should mean “born “ki”. What is "ki"?

The hieroglyph 妓 (ki) has 2 parts - “woman” and “support”. Kinyo (lit. “woman 妓”) or kisaeng (“born 妓”) are a special class of personally unfree women who belonged to the state, whose task was to entertain guests. Guests of the state, it turns out.

But this is a formal definition. To understand who kisaeng are, we will have to delve into the social relations and culture of Korea during the heyday of the kisaeng institution.

Why is this a fortress? One of the legendary heroines of the defense of the Jinju fortress was just kisaeng!

Ecopark is famous for its thickets of reeds, reaching heights higher than human height. This is the densest reed thickets in all of Korea. In addition, this place is known for the fact that cranes, storks, spoonbills and other rare birds fly here. There are about 140 different species of birds throughout the park.

The garden, which hosted the 2013 World Gardens Exhibition, impresses with its variety of landscapes, abundance of plant species and modern garden design.

The zones of the countries participating in Expo 2014 have been preserved, as well as separate zones created by excellent Korean gardeners.

From April to October 2023, the World Garden Expo 2023 will be held again at the Suncheon National Garden!