This was a tour I have been imagining for a couple of years. I had no clue where to go for quality time since I was searching for some excellent historical places far from Seoul in South Korea. I had no idea where to go to have an experience of traditional Korean homes, or hanok, and spend quality time. I was looking for some historical places to explore local landmarks on the mainland of South Korea.

So, when I visited visitkorea.or.kr for the first time, I found some traditional Korean houses with a number of cultural heritage sites. After a decent amount of planning and discussion, I chose to take a trip to Bonghwa Hanok Village, a local landmark in South Korea. It is located in the northernmost part of North Gyeongsang Province, just below Gangwon Province on the Korean mainland, which is twice as large as Seoul. Due to its location, Bonghwa has a cooler temperature compared to the rest of North Gyeongsang Province. It is the perfect destination for those who wish to get away from their busy daily routine. It offers fresh air, peaceful ambience, and natural beauty. There are a lot of beautiful places to see while relaxing in nature. It has a great deal of famous mountains, like Cheongnyangsan Mountain, Munsusan Mountain, and Taebaeksan Mountain. Baekcheon Valley, Seokcheon Valley and Goseon Valley of Taekbaeksan Mountain are the natural habitat of Manchurian Trout. The area provides clean nature and wonderful scenery. You can see hanok all over the place. In addition, it has the most astounding number of pavilions in Korea and a region with a number of cultural heritage sites.

Moreover, it is a region with festivals and celebrations all year around, like Bonghwa Sweet Fish celebration and the Snow Flower Train Festival, which are held each year.

Bonghwa is very far from Seoul, but it has frequent buses connecting Gyeongsangbuk-do to Seoul. It is also the filming site of the movie, “Wonangsori.” Bonghwa is famous for chunyang pine trees and songi mushrooms. One of the main attractions is Cheongnyangsan Mountain, which is part of the Jungangsan Mountain Range, a branch of the Taebaeksan Mountains. It has fine scenery and consists of a number of oddly formed rocks and stones. However, it is not a huge mountain. Janginbong Peak, the highest peak, is about 870 meters high and its area is only 48.76 square kilometers.

Cheongnyangsa Temple, which is full of amazing clouds, is one of the most famous tourist attractions of Cheongnyangsan Mountain. This temple has been known to hold temple concerts recently. It is located in the middle of the mountain.

Cheongnyangsa Temple is particularly beautiful when it is among the fog, which settles around the valley in the early morning.

The temple is crowded, especially in September when the temple concert is held. You can also see Sky Bridge, a new tourist attraction of Cheongnyangsan Mountain, after walking the trail for about an hour.
There is no city tour bus in Bonghwa, but you can rent a car or hire a taxi for the day or a few hours to go to major tourist attractions in the city.

A week before our tour, I booked a hanok hotel and bought a bus ticket from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Chunyang Bus Terminal. I eagerly waited for the day of the trip. At last, the day came, and I woke up early and packed what I needed for the outing. I went to the bus terminal and found my friend, who was waiting for me on the platform. I live near Kwangwoon University in Seoul. First, I went to Kwangwoon University Station (Subway Line 1) and took the subway to Gangbyeon Station right in front of Dong Seoul Bus Terminal. It took around 50 minutes to reach the bus terminal. I arrived at the station, took a deep breath, and walked about 2 minutes to get the bus terminal. I put down my bags in front of the ticket office, and picked them up after we had confirmed our ticket. Finally, we got on the bus at 11:50 AM with some snacks, and the bus was on its way to Bonghwa. After a three-hour journey, we arrived at Bonghwa Chunyang Bus Terminal and got off the bus. We then met the owner of our hotel, who was waiting to give us a ride to Seong-Amjae Hanok Hotel. A taxi trip from the bus terminal to the hotel costs between 4,000 and 5,000 won, and it takes only 10-12 minutes to reach the hotel. On the way back, we bought an express bus ticket. Buses from Bonghwa to Seoul leave in 30-minute intervals.

Clean nature and beautiful landscapes in Bonghwa
that made our travel memorable

Korea Travel Qrator MD HABIBUR RAHMAN

Cheongamjeong Pavilion

1. Cheongamjeong Pavilion
and Daksil Village

In the afternoon, we began our trip with a visit to the beautiful local areas of Bonghwa. In front of the village are two major scenic spots representing Daksil Village, the Cheongamjeong Pavilion and the Soekcheonjeong Pavilion. Cheongamjeong Pavilion was built on a turtle-shaped rock, and Seokcheonjeong Pavilion is located in Seokcheon Valley. The latter is known for its picturesque scenery, especially in fall when the leaves of maple trees next to the pavilion turn red. The area boasts a stunning harmony of nature made up of lush pine forests, valleys, and stones. It was designated as the nation’s Scenic Spot No. 60 on December 9, 2009.

Just a few minutes’ hike from Seokcheonjeong Pavilion is Cheongamjeong Pavilion, where you can find Daksil Village. An ancestor of Gwon Beol, also known as Chungjae, a Joseon dynasty scholar and official, first established Daksil Village in 1380. The shape of the village resembled a chicken laying an egg, so it was named Daksil Maeul. Lee Jung-hwan, a mid-Joseon scholar, recorded this area as the country’s most picturesque spot. It was without a doubt a standout among other spots we visited on our excursion in Bonghwa.

After spending a nice time there for an hour and a half, we got back to the hotel at around 5:30 PM. The hotel owner was very polite, helpful and welcoming, and recommended a place for us to eat nearby. There was a local central market named Eokjichunyang Traditional Market nearby our lodging, so we went there to have dinner. There is a variety of food you can enjoy at the market. We ordered dolsot bibimbap, a hot stone pot filled with rice and topped with different kinds of vegetables. The food was delicious and the price was cheaper than some other cities. We definitely regained our energy for traveling the next day.

An attractive view of the Cheongamjeong Pavilion

2. A trip to the Buncheon Santa Village and
KORAIL’s V-Train line

The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and went to Chunyang Bus Terminal. From there, we took a taxi to visit Santa Village and Korail’s V-Train line. The Santa Village, opened in late 2014, is located near Buncheon Station in Bonghwa county. It generally takes around 20 minutes by taxi from Chunyang Bus Terminal to Buncheon Station and Buncheon Santa Village. We had bought our tour train tickets a day in advance from Chunyang train station.

Buncheon Station Santa Village offers sledding slopes, restaurants, and a local market adorned with Christmas-themed decorations. You will see a lot of Christmas decorations and Christmas-inspired photo zones around the village. Visitors of Santa Village can enjoy many Santa-themed activities such as riding a train, a carriage, a snow toboggan, and rail bikes. Buncheon Station is a small station where you can ride Korail’s O-train and V-Train, two special mountain trains. The O-train encircles the central inland region of Korea while the V-train runs through the Baekdudaegan Mountain range. The O-train and the V-train were transformed into Christmas-themed trains for the winter. We took the V-Train from Buncheon to Cheoram Station and visited nearby places.

Buncheon Santa Village

A trip to the Buncheon Santa Village and KORAIL’s V-Train line

Cheoram Coal-Mine History Town

3. Cheoram Coal-Mine
History Town

Cheoram Coal Mine History Town is located in Taebaek near Cheoram Station. There you can find coal preparation plants that used to deliver coal. There are also some cultural places to see. To the north, around Cheoramcheon and Nakdonggang River, is the Cheoram Coal Mine History Town, which consists of 11 buildings. There is also a mural painting village and places to shop in the south of Cheoram. Not only that, the village where coal miners used to live from the 40s to the 60s still remains, a place where the past and the present co-exist

Cheoram Coal-Mine History Town

When I traveled to Bonghwa’s special tourist zone, my dreams of exploring unknown places, meeting new people, and learning about different cultures and lifestyles came true. To say that there's really no place like Bonghwa on the planet would be putting it mildly. Actually, at first, when I was trying to find a place to immerse myself in nature, I had trouble finding a destination on my own. However, once I visited the Korea Tourism Organization’s site, it was quite easy to find a place, and I decided to go to Bonghwa Hanok Village. It has unique spots perfect for tourism and a mountain to enjoy an amazing view of Bonghwa in its entirety. It is located in Gyeongsangbuk-do and is designated as a special tourist destination.

We stayed in a traditional Korean accommodation called Seongamjae Hotel for one night, and our experience was amazing and unforgettable. I would like to emphasize that the room was perfect and the hanok owner was extremely inviting and helpful.

Beautiful front view of the Seongamjae Hotel (Hanok)

In the event that you are searching for peace and quiet, away from your bustling life, I would recommend spending your vacation at Seong-Amjae Hotel to experience the local culture. We are looking forward to visiting this place again.