1. Tour Code: PT-MS-2D
2. Tour Name: Highlights of Mt. Seoraksan (2 days / 1 night)
3. Level: Luxury
4. Type: Private tour
5. Price
| # of person | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices in USD | $1,110 | $1,190 | $1,400 | $1,660 | $1,870 | $2,130 | $2,340 |
※More than 7 persons: please contact us
6. Tour Overview
The peaks of the Seoraksan Mountains break through the clouds while jade-like water flows through the valleys, creating breathtaking views and making this Korea’s most famous national park. Due to the many rare species found here, UNESCO designated this national park a Biosphere Preservation District in 1982. The mountain range located here stretches over an area of 373 ㎞² with the highest peak reaching 1,708 meters. The most famous tourist area near Mt. Seoraksan National Park is the city of Sokcho. The eastern part of Sokcho has sparkling water along the coast, while the western part of the city connects to the most famous mountain of the national park. This area is said to be blessed with beautiful natural surroundings: beaches, ski resorts, hot springs, and historic treasures.
The next morning, you will be escorted to Mt. Odaesan on your way to Seoul. The Odaesan region is home to a variety of Korean cultural treasures. Buddhist temples in the area include Woljeongsa and Sangwonsa. In addition, a royal archive of the Joseon Dynasty is located there
Most of all, the characteristic of this tour is to give you the option to go to Yanggu DMZ area instead of Mt. Odaesan. If you want to feel the scars of war, why not go to Yanggu.
7. Location: Seoul ~ Mt. Seoraksan ~ Mt. Odaesan ~ Seoul
8. Tour Highlights:
- Our quote is all inclusive. It means there is nothing you will have to pay us except the price in our quote. If you with us, there will be no extra charges, no hurry, no strangers in your group, and no forced shopping for a hidden commission.
- Discover the most refined Korean cuisines through our wide selection of restaurants. A unique selection of fine dining is our pride.
- The itinerary can be customized to fit your preferences.
9. Inclusions
- Transportation by a private car
- Accommodation: Kensington Star Hotel
- Meals: 1 breakfast, 2 lunchs, 1 dinner
- English speaking guide
- Expressway tolls
- All entrance fees
10. Terms and Conditions
Please refer to following detail page: Details
11. Itinerary
- Day 1
09:00 Meet in the hotel lobby
09:00 ~ 12:00 Move to Seoraksan National Park
12:00 ~ 13:00 Lunch
14:00 ~ 15:30 Take a cable car to Gwongeumseong Peak
Gwongeumseong is the site of a castle ruins called Mt. Seoraksan, and it is also known as Mt. Onggeumsan Castle, or Toto Castle. It is located on the steep Dol Mountain of Mt. Seoraksan Sogongwon area. It is believed to have been built by the 23rd King of the Goryeo Period (918~1392), Gojong (1213~1259 reign). It is also called Gwon-Kim Castle, as there is a legend that two generals named Gwon and Kim, built the castle to avoid war.
At the left side of Sogongwon, past the Biryonggyo Bridge over the ravine, there is a path which leads to Gwongeumseong Castle, but it takes over an hour of travel through a steep, rocky path (2.5km), so cable cars are used. The cable car was installed by Dr. Gi-Sup Lee in 1971 and is still used by many tourists. It is operated from 7 a.m. to 6 or 6:30 p.m., departs every 7 minutes, and you can only purchase round-trip tickets at the ticket counter for that day. At the plateau of Gwongeumseong Castle there are 80 sections of rocks and you can see the East Sea and city of Sokcho. Also, to the west, you can see all kinds of fantastic rocks and stones which make up the Seoraksan Mountains.
15:30 ~ 17:30 Hike along Cheonbuldong Valley (incl. Shinheungsa Temple)
Cheonbuldong Valley is the main Valley of Seorak Mountain and is also called Seorak Valley. It was named Cheonbuldong because the many peaks on either side look like a lineup of a thousand Buddhist statues. It is also called Cheonbuldong because the peaks also look like Buddhist saints offering food sacrifices to Buddha. If you follow the waterway of Waseondae for about 300m, you’ll arrive at Biseondae.
Merely twenty minutes after you enter the park through the Sogongwon Ticket Office, you will come to this beautiful temple. The main hiking routes go past here before they divide, so most hikers visit the temple. There are a number of significant cultural properties here, including a stone pagoda and an awe inspiring 14.6m tall statue of the Buddha (the Tongil Daebulsang).
18:00 ~ 19:00 Experience Korean style spa (underground hot water)
19:00 ~ 20:30 Daepo harbor incl. dinner
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Kensington Star Hotel, or similar
- Day 2
09:00 Meet in the lobby
09:00 ~ 10:30 Move to Odaesan National Park
10:30 ~ 13:00 Odaesan National Park
Odaesan National Park was designated as a national park in 1975. Its name was derived from the the following 5 plateaus: Manwoldae, Jangryeondae, Girindae, Sangsamdae and Jigongdae.
Featuring the 1563m high Birobong Peak, Odaesan spreads southwest with Mt. Sodaesan, Horyeong Peak and Mt. Sogyebangsan. The east side is connected with Sangwang peak and Duro Peak, which are over 1,000m high. The representative temple of Odaesan, Woljeongsa Temple, was named after the bright, full moon that rises above Manwoldae (Mt. Dongdaesan). At this temple the famous Octagon shaped 9-story pagoda (National Treasure No.48) and the Stone Seated Buddha Figure (National Treasure No.139) is preserved. Also, Jeokmyeolbogung of Woljeongsa is where Monk Ja Jang preserved the Sakyamuni’s noble relics. Inside Woljeongsa Temple, follow the fir trees 5 km east, and you will reach Sagoji where Yeonggamsa Temple stands. Odaesan has the largest natural woods of Korea. Many wild animals and plants are known to exist here. The area of Birobong is famous for its Nuncheunkbaek and Yew tree forests. The royal azelea and Geumgang Chorong from Duro peak to Sangwang Peak are famous and there are animals such as boars, musk deer, turtledoves and colorful woodpeckers living here.
13:00 ~ 14:00 Lunch
14:00 ~ 16:00 Move to Seoul and drop you off at your desired place
※You can choose DMZ Tour instead of Odaesan National Park
09:00 ~ 10:30 Move to Yanggu
Yanggu region lies in a basin surrounded by mountains over 1,000m high, so it naturally became the most hard-fought battlefield of the war, and it is still a very important military zone. These days, two thirds of its population are soldiers. Civilians’ access to Yanggu region has been restricted over the last half century. As a result, animals and plants have flourished in this region.
11:00 ~ 12:00 The 4th Infiltration Tunnel
This is the 4th North Korean tunnel that has been discovered by South Korea. It was unearthed in 1990. The tunnel is open to tourists, and you can walk through the tunnel until you are 100m from the Military Demarcation Line. Rusty helmets and water bottles that used to belong to North Korean soldiers are exhibited in the Security Instruction Hall, which is located at the entrance to the tunnel.
12:00 ~ 13:00 Eulji Observatory
Eulji Observatory is located about 1km away from the Military Demarcation Line. From the observatory, you can see five peaks of the Geumgangsan mountain range in North Korea. It is also a good place to observe the picturesque Punch Bowl basin, which is generally shrouded by cloud and mist.
13:00 ~ 14:00 Lunch
14:00 ~ 16:30 Move to Seoul and drop you off at your desired place
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Accommodation: None
Last updated: Apr 5th 2010
Tour: Highlights of Seoul, Hwaseong Fortress and Korean Folk Village, Highlights of Mt. Seoraksan, and Highlights of Gyeongju
Your careful planning of the seven days spent in your company allowed us not only to visit the most important hallmarks of your country, but – more importantly for us as experienced individual travelers – to see places which only an insider like you could lead us to, based on your historical, geographical, lifestyle and culinary knowledge and expertise.
We greatly appreciated your company, discreet guidance, flexibility in changing the program – be it due to our preferences and interests, be it due to changing weather conditions – and careful driving and reliable communication by email and SMS. We returned home with many pictures and fond memories and will not hesitate to recommend you and your company whenever an opportunity arises.
With best wishes for success and well-being, and the hope that we’ll meet again.
From the time of the quote/tentative itinerary being sent, Happymize was very professional. Always very prompt and thorough responses to all my e-mails.
I have travelled the world a lot (by myself, on group and private tours) and this was the first time ever I got an itinerary itemized by the hour (not just a daily summary giving no clue how much time where, how much time driving, etc. as others do): something that I always wanted yet only Happymize delivered on (without me even having to ask for it). So, from the very start my expectations were high. Throughout the tour my already high expectations were not only met but even exceeded! The cars were new, very comfortable, and always clean. The hotels were well chosen: conveniently located quality hotels.
The itinerary was truly professionally put together just how I wanted it, and there was flexibility to always change it on the spot as desired.
Most of all, we always felt like VIPs: the words “that is not included” were not in the guide’s dictionary – the tour was truly all inclusive, including not only all meals and entrance tickets (for planned and unplanned places), but also all refreshments and snacks along the way. That is something that made a huge difference: truly feeling like a VIP and not being nickel and dimed.
But best of all, this was not just a sights tour. It was not just a cultural tour. It was not just a culinary (food) tour. Not a single minute was wasted and it was a combination of all three: a sight-seeing, cultural and culinary tour – all combined into one! When we were not out seeing places or enjoying cultural experiences (with the very helpful insight and information always shared with us by the guide), the included lunches and dinners were truly wonderful: each meal something different, from traditional Korean to fusion foods, trying various different types of food and local specialties. The meals were not picked on a set budget (some were pricey – including an exquisite lunch in Gyeongju, others not so), but rather based on the quality and letting us experience various different Korean foods: from the three types of kalbi, to chicken stew, to fresh sashimi, to royal foods, and a lot more. There was always more than enough food ordered, to let us experience all the best that each restaurant has to offer. That is something that we could never accomplish by ourselves, as many of the restaurants we went to (in fact, most of the best ones) only have menus in Korean and only cater to locals.
All in all, to accomplish what we did in just six days with Happymize would have taken us at least two weeks by ourselves, and still we’d have never known where to go and what to order for the full kaleidoscope experience of the various Korean foods.
Truly well done and very professionally operated. Highly recommended.