Tanpun - admiring maples....

Monastery Popchusa: "The place where the law lives / resides", the law refers to the Buddhist law - dharma.

The temple/monastery is believed to have been built in 6th to 8th, or even to the 13th century AD. Even if it was only the 13th century, it is an old monastery;there are some ancient relics there, but a modern statue of Maitreya Buddha (height 33 m) you will see on the premisis strikes the imagination too.

One of the oldest Buddhist temples in Korea, enlisted in UNESCO world heritage.

Literally "Horse Ears". The two main peaks of the complex really do look like horse ears. The peaks represent the feminine (higher - 673 m) and masculine (lower - 667 m) principles - yin and yang.

The park is famous for its many man-made pagodas, collected in one place by a zealous monk. The pagodas are also "paired", also carrying the feminine and masculine principles.

The road to the park goes under the shade of majestic cherry trees - some of the latest to bloom in Korea!

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.

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!

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.

Haeinsa (Temple of Reflection in a Calm Sea) was founded in 802. During the centures, it has been several times rebuilt or restored.

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.

Most popular beach in Busan and a vivid resort district.

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

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 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.

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 only mound which inner parts are open to the public (though filled with replicas, it shows the inner construction of a Shilla mound)

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)!

Though made anew, it is a nice and quite picturesque place, especially at night.

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.

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).

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!

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 cave, located in the heart of the "spine" of Korea - Taebaek, impresses with its size. Even is remenicent of the "Palace of the Mountain King." and, by the way, lighted accordingly!

The total length of the passages of the cave - 6.5 km. The cave is situated at an altitude of approx. 800 m. above the sea level.

The park and sanctuary of the goddess who patronizes fishermen - Hesindan - is amazing: according to legend, it was the images of the phalluses that propitiated the spirit of a virgin who for a long time did not give rest to the surrounding fishermen, and later became their patroness.

In the city of Chungcheong, we will have a master class for making traditional cold buckwheat noodles "makguksu". They did what they ate! The noodles prepared by us will be our dinner. Delicious sauce of your choice (spicy and slightly spicy, or salty, based on soy sauce, attached).

There is a gondola in the park, which we will use to get almost to the top of one of the peaks of Seoraksan, on which the ruins of the ancient Kwonggeum Fortress (lit., "Kwon Geum Fortress") are located. We get to the peak on foot - it's about 20-30 minutes. From this peak, a magnificent panorama of the East Sea, the resort town of Sokcho and the mountain range of the park opens.

Not far from the lower gondola station is Sineungsa Temple (originally built in the 6th century, but later rebuilt many times). The temple complex includes a statue of the Buddha of Unification (Thonil Buddha), the name of which reflects the desire of Koreans to unite the country.

A picturesque route leads us to Hyndyl Pawi ("swinging rock"). A huge rock will sway at the touch of one person.

Optional, if everybody is in: hiking to the top of Mount Ulsan Pawi; you will have to strain a little - the height of the rock is 873 m.