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Seoul / Korean Folk Village / Mt. Seoraksan-Ulsanbawi Rock Course / Unification Observatory / Daejin Harbor / Andong-Home Stay Program / Hahoe Village / Haeinsa Temple-Temple Stay Program / Gyeongju / Busan / Jejudo Island
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14 Days / 13 Nights |
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Day 1 ¡ª Arrive in Seoul
Arrive in Seoul at Incheon International Airport, where you will be met and transferred to your downtown hotel. After check-in the balance of the day is at leisure. Overnight in Seoul.
Day 2 ¡ª Seoul / Korean Folk Village / Seoul
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A morning tour of Metropolitan city of Seoul, where old meets new in modern Korea. Established by the founder of Joseon Dynasty in 1392, the capital of the Republic of Korea has a population of more than 12,000,000 people.Seoul is a city of incredible contrasts which, despite its immense size, make it one of the most fascinating cities in the world. It is the heart of Korea¡¯s culture and education as well as politics and economics. The tour includes Gyeongbok
gung Palace (Palace of Shining Happiness) - the main palace during the Joseon Dynasty - passing by Blue House (Presidential Residence) £»National |
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Folk Museum of Korea - the collections display complete items from every region of Korea which illustrate all aspects of traditional life£»and N Seoul Tower on Mt. Namsan for a bird's-eye view of Metropolitan city of Seoul.An afternoon tour visits Korean Folk Village outside of Seoul to see a superb and truly authentic display of Korean history including folk traditions, legends, and the lifestyles of the nobility, the 14th-20th centuries, Korea. Return to Seoul. Overnight in Seoul. |
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Day 3 ¡ª Seoul / Mt. Seoraksan National Park
Today we journey to Mt. Seoraksan National Park, this northern stretch of Korea's eastern coast, which is rugged and mountainous with breathtaking scenery making it the "Alps of Asia", and give this area an unparalleled popularity with the dense forests bordering crystal clear streams, tumbling over cataracts and dropping from precipices to form fleecy waterfalls, as well as awesome sawtooth cliffs spiraling into the blue skies. In the afternoon you explore Gwongeumseong Fortress course, which is accessible by cable car. The ride on the cable car takes about 6 minutes. Then, you walk for about 20 minutes and reach the summit of Gwongeumseong Fortress.
This is a rocky peak from which you can enjoy a great birds¡¯ eye view of Mt. Seoraksan. Overnight at a hotel at the foot of Mt. Seoraksan.
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Day 4 ¡ª Mt. Seoraksan-Ulsanbawi Rock Course (height 876m) Trekking - 4 hours-8 km |
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For hikers who want to feel the true beauty of the Seoraksan Mountains Ulsanbawi Rock Course is a must. The course is relatively easy from the Heundeul Bawi Rock (meaning unsteady rock ) to Gyejoam Hermitage. However, from Gyejoam Hermitage to Ulsan Bawi Rock the 30-minute hike is rather rigorous. The steep steel stairs leading down from Ulsan Bawi Rock are not for the weak-hearted. For those lacking confidence in hiking, it's better to avoid this course altogether. However, adventurous hikers won't have any regrets after reaching the summit with fantastic views of the East Sea. Those persons who do not want Ulsanbawi Rock Course, they are able to take Biryong Falls Course where is easier than Ulsanbawi Rock Course. The falling water of the loud and magnificent Biryong Falls looks very much like dragons flying up towards the sky, which is why it was named Biryong (flying dragon) Falls. There is a relatively wide path leading to Biryong Waterfall, through a bamboo forest, making it a very nice place to hike. Overnight at a hotel at the foot of Mt. Seoraksan. |
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Day 5 ¡ª Mt. Seoraksan / Unification Observatory / Daejin Harbor / Mt. Seoraksan |
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This morning explore Mt. Seoraksan National Park with visits to Sinheungsa Temple - established in 653 A.D., claims to be the country's oldest Zen Buddhist temple, and it would be the oldest existing Zen temple in the world£»Cheonbuldong Valley - the most visually stimulating valley in the park£»and Biseondae (Flying Fairy Rock)-a wide, flat rock surface where the river rapids drain into a crystal clear pool and a peak rises majestically above the valley, one hears many Legends of the heavenly nymphs who come to laugh and play while they bathes in the placid pools of the many glens hidden from human eyes. Drive this afternoon to the Korean Peninsular Unification Prayer- Observatory set at the |
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edge of the demarkation line which is a symbol of the Korean people's long-cherished desire for the unification of the two Korea. Afterward, visit Daejin Harbor, where you will have your own independent tour to explore this small exotic harbor, located near the demarkation line and in the northeastern tip of Korea. Overnight in Sokcho. Overnight at a hotel at the foot of Mt. Seoraksan |
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Day 6 ¡ª Mt. Seoraksan / Andong-Home Stay Program |
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This morning travel to Andong, one of the last living vestiges of old Korea, where still is very conservative and traditional, a stronghold of Confucianism, which has deeply influenced all aspects of the lives of its people, along the crystal east coast. En route to d Buseoksa Temple - established in 676, it is one of Korea's most |
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venerated temples, and five national treasures and three treasures including the second oldest wooden structure and some of the oldest mural paintings in the country, are preserved at this temple, and the panoramic mountains' spreading views from the temple are spectacular. Continue to Jirye Artists' Colony (Jirye Art Village) for Home Stay Program in Andong for accommodations - Jirye Artists' Colony is located near Imhaho Lake and a great place to have a unique experience of traditional Korean culture. Every month there are events such as traditional |
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Korean ancestral rites, making rice cake or Kimchi and you can stay in traditional Korean houses.The village is 350 years old and there are houses with rooms of Ondol, Korea's unique system of floor heating with wood. The colony has lavatories, bathrooms with hot water. Because the village has preserved the old customs with small details, it is a great place to experience and understand Korean traditional cul ture. Jirye Artists' Colony is a cultural inquiry spot for foreigners and a creative space for the artists to work. It is also used as a traditional life study site and as Confucianism institute. Recently, many Koreans and foreign visitors have been gathering in Andong to spend a night in the traditional Korean way in old traditional Korean houses, known as ¡®Hanok¡¯. Dinner at the colony restaurant to taste typical regional food. Overnight at the houses of the Colony in Andong.
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Day 7 ¡ª Andong / Hahoe Village / Haeinsa Temple-Temple Stay Program |
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A morning tour of Andong visits Dosanseowon Confucian Academy-founded by Korea's foremost Confucian scholar, Yi Toe-gye during the Joseon Dynasty and was the hub of Korea Confucianism which ruled all Koreans in their ethical-moral way and still conduct the ethical behavior in Korean society£»the Korean Traditional Paper - making Factory£»and Hahoe Village-the best preserved traditional village of the Joseon Dynasty, where residents still live in traditional thatched and tile-roofed houses and one of the few remaining examples of a classical Joseon Dynasty Confucian village layout. Continue to Haeinsa Temple which is one of three greatest temples of Korea, established in 803 A.D., chiefly known today as the repository of the Tripitaka Koreana, set of over 80,000 wooden printing blocks engraved with one of the most comprehensive compilations of the Buddhist scriptures in all of Asia, and the Depositories and the Tripitaka Koreana Wooden Printing Blocks were added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1995. Arrive at the temple and tour of the temple. Afterwards, you will have Special Program for Temple Stay at Haeinsa Temple to experience Temple life and Buddhism as follows :Take temple stay uniform. You are vowing 108 times as ¡°YeBul¡± the Worship. It will be your own choice, not to be obligated. The evening worship pronounces the vow that we thank Buddha for giving us the peaceful day and repenting our sins of that day.You are having ¡°ChamSeon¡± the Meditation. Meditation is a work for enlightening yourself. You sit cross-legged on the floor. You embrace |
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spirits and take away earthly thoughts and worldly desires. Dinner at a restaurant in the Temple to experience Temple food.You are taking ¡°DaDo¡± Tea. The tea makes our mind, eyes and ears clearer. It helps our stomach accelerate digestion and can cure a hangover. It also reduces the need for sleep and gets rid of thirst and fatigue.You can increase the ability to resist hit and cold. These disturbances are a big issue for self-discipline. This is the reason why monks take teas in the Temple. Overnight at a hotel in the temple village.
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Day 8 ¡ª Haeinsa Temple / Gyeongju |
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This morning visit Haeinsa Temple, then travel to Gyeongju, where was the capital of the Silla Dynasty from 57 B.C. to 935 A.D. and designated by UNESCO as one of the world's ten most historically significant sites with numerous relics of that era, and is called the "Museum Without Walls". An afternoon tour includes Bunhwangsa Pagoda-erected in 634, is the oldest datable pagoda in the country, and along with Cheomseongdae, one of the country's oldest stone structures, and originally 9 stories high, only 3 remain today£»Gyeongju National Museum, which has the best collection of Silla Dynasty artifacts with more than 100,000 pieces£»Anapji Pond-constructed in 674 A.D. as a pleasure garden to commemorate the unification of the peninsula by the Silla forces, used the recreational area for the Silla royal family and |
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banquet garden to entertain royal important guests£»Cheomseongdae Astronomical Observatory-built in 634 A.D., is considered the world's earliest known existing observatory and admired by archaeologists worldwide£»Royal Tumuli Park-a collection of royal Silla tombs located in the middle of Gyeongju with 20 tombs, of which Cheonmachong (Flying Horse Tomb) is the most famous with its excavation which yielded more than 10,000 treasure-artifacts£»and the 15th century built Family Choi's House. Overnight in Gyeongju.
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Day 9 ¡ª Gyeongju |
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A morning tour visits Bulguksa Temple-originally constructed in 535 A.D., the most frequented and best-known temple in Korea, was added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1995£»Seokguram Grotto-dating back to the same era as Bulguksa Temple, one of Asia's finest Buddhist shrines, an attempt to represent physically the highest spiritual aspirations, the crowning achievement of Silla religio-artistic work, was added to UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List in 1995.Overnight in Busan£»Golgulsa Temple located at the foot of Mt. Hamwol, is the only temple cave in Korea. The temple was built out of solid rock during the 6th century by Saint Gwang Yoo and some accompanying monks, and was designed according to the architectural |
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structure of India.The topmost part of the temple stands a sculpture of the Maya Tathagata Buddha and surrounding the sculpture are twelve rock caves used as a prayer sanctuary£»Mt. Namsan - every mountain in Gyeongju area holds abundant historic relics and legends, but Mt. Namsan (South Mountain) is a treasure-house of them and an open-air museum unique in the world. Buddhist legends are still to be found in the valleys and on the slopes of Mt. Namsan£»and Seokbinggo - Seokbinggo means a freezer made of rocks. It is an ancient refrigerator only in Korea. The floor is slanted to allow melted ice to funnel out. Frozen ice was popular for the upper class. From historical annals, it is assumed that Seokbinggo was made at least 1,500 years ago. Seokbbingo has been designated as National Treasure No. 66. Overnight in Gyeongju.
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Day 10 ¡ª Gyeongju / Busan |
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Travel to Busan, the country's principal international port city, second largest city with a population of 4 million, and is the San Francisco of Korea built along the sea at the site of an excellent harbor. En route, visit Tongdosa Temple which was founded in 646 A.D. to house holy relics (a piece of bone from the Buddha's skull, his robe, and begging bowl) of the Historical Buddha brought back from China by the monk Jajang. An afternoon tour visits Yongdusan Park, where provides a pleasant touch of greenery on a hill in the heart of the city and a very popular public park with Busan Tower£»Busan Tower-Yongdusan Park crowned with the tower, 120-m-high tower observatory dominates the most of the area of the city, and the sea and harbor views spreading below the tower are spectacular£»Jagalchi Fish Market - Busan's most active fish-dealers' cooperative, the colorful spectacle is also a great attraction for tourists and camera buffs£»and Taejongdae Seaside Cliff Park - the scenery of rugged cliffs dropping straight down to the sea is breathtaking, along with a panoramic sea view from the Park, overlooking the Korean Strait-on a very clear day you can even see the Japanese island of Tsushima on the horizon to the southeast£» |
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and UN Memorial Cemetery where the Korean War (1950-53) dead from the sixteen UN allies rest in honored serenity and is the unique one in its kind in the world. Overnight in Busan. |
Day 11 ¡ª Busan / Jejudo Island |
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This morning fly to Jejudo Island, Korea's largest Island which is often described as "Emerald Isle", "Island of Gods" or "Korea's Hawaii" and most "exotic" region, and is one of Korea's premier tourist regions as undiscovered and unspoiled tourist destinations, and has been a Korean honeymooners' retreat, a paradise where love can bloom in planned seclusion amidst the serenity of its easygoing ambiance. An afternoon tour of Jeju city, capital and hub of Jejudo Province, includes Mokseokwon-a public park which contains naturally sculpted rocks and |
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dried tree roots imaginatively representing various animal and human forms and figures£»the Jeju Folklore & Natural History Museum-has a huge exhibition room decorated with black volcanic rocks and a large collection of folkcrafts, as well as exhibits of geology, flora and fauna of the island£»Samseonghyeol Holes (Ancestral Spirit Holes)-the shrine to the island's 3 legendary clan progenitors, emerged from the three small holes in this meadow, and annually grand worship ceremony is given by the islanders£»and Yongduam (Dragon Head Rock)-an unusual lava formation set at the edge of the ocean, gets its name from the fact that it looks like a dragon head which is opening its mouth to roar. Over night in Jeju city.
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Day 12 ¡ª Jejudo Island |
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A full-day tour includes Mt. Hallasan - which is the highest peak in the Republic rising to 1,950 m above sea level and this mountain is the island of Jejudo-crossing over 1,100 m pass£»Cheonjiyeon Waterfall-Cascades down a cliff 22 meters high and 12 meters wide into a natural tropical pond inhabited by eels and surrounded by lush vegetation, and many fossils can be found around the falls£»Cheonjeyeon Waterfall- got its name from a legend that seven fairies descended every night to bathe in the falls by the moonlight and is a gorge that contains a series of 3 falls and pools£»Yeomiji Botanical Gardens-located at the heart of Jungmun Resorts and it is the largest botanical garden in Asia with an area of 13,373§³, and the indoor garden contains over 2,000 different sub-tropical and tropical plants and there is a 38-meter-high observation tower overlooking the whole Jungmun Tourist Complex and its surrounding seashore, and an outdoor garden where are areas devoted to the styles of other countries such as traditional Japanese, Italian, and French gardens as well as traditional Korean garden£»Jeongbang Waterfall-this 23-meter-high waterfall is the only one in Asia to plunge straight into the sea, and on the beautiful beaches around the falls, visitors can watch the women divers collecting shellfish and abalone£»Jusangjeolli - stone pillars piled up along the coast and is a designated cultural monument of Jejudo Island.The Jusangjeolli was formed when the lava from Mt.Hallasan flew to the sea of Jungmun. They are rock pillars shaped like cubes or hexagons of various sizes. The administration of the district named them 'Jisatgae Rocks' from their old name 'Jisatgae'. It is also famous for its 20m cliff with the high tides and sea angling£»Seongeup Folk Village-the only non-coastal town of significance, is the island's best preserved old community and has been designated as a "folklore preservation zone", where the villagers still live behind the stone courtyard walls in thatched-roof, and mud and rock homes£»Sangumburi Crater-it is 438 meters above sea level and is located in an elegant
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wilderness, the circumference measures 2 km and the center area is about 298,000§³ in which grows at least 420 species of sub-tropical, temperate and alpine zone plants providing ample opportunity for botanical study£»Seongsan Ilchulbong (Seongsan's Sunrise Peak)-rising from the double-headed peninsula at the eastern end of the island, this volcanic crater rises 182 m straight up from the water, and the whole crater is surrounded by 99 sharp, basalt pinnacles which looks like an ancient western-style castle or crown from a distance and reflects marvelous scenery£»Manjanggul Cave-at 13.4 km in length, this cave is reputed to be the world's longest lava tube, and has many interesting and grotesque-shaped lava stones and lava pillars along its length. Drive back to Jeju city. Overnight in Jeju city.
Day 13 ¡ª Jejudo Island
Day at leisure. Overnight in Jeju city.
Day 14 ¡ª Jejudo Island / Depart Korea
Transfer to Jeju Domestic Airport and fly to Seoul, then connect with international flight at Incheon International Airport for departure. |
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