Seoul searching and beyond
Witness the confluence of innovation and the past in this “tiger” of the Orient: wonder at the contrast between the ancient temples and massive skyscrapers, visit the surreal DMZ separating North and South Korea, and take in the beautiful sceneries and unique cuisines.
| Best travel time | ALL YEAR ROUND |
|---|---|
| Ideal Length | 11 DAYS |
| Flight time | 3HRS 20MINS FROM HONG KONG 1HRS 55MINS FROM BEIJING 1HRS 45MINS FROM SHANGHAI |
| Visa Information |
Visa Free
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Foreign nationals entering the Republic of Korea are generally required to have a valid passport and a Korean visa. Korea Visas & Passports |
Immerse into Seoul, the pulsating capital and the powerhouse behind its economic wonder. Seoulites are powering far ahead with their cutting-edge architecture, fashion and arts scene. The city was recently appointed by UNESCO as ‘World Design Capital’. Its innovative-thinking approach is exactly why Seoul has transformed itself into a modern cosmopolitan. With this in mind, Seoul is a bustling, enigmatic capital, where you will never find yourself bored. Hole up at an uber-luxurious hotel club & spa, where you’ll spend your stopover. Enjoy a traditional Korean sauna bath to rejuvenate after your flight. The expansive food markets are a culinary eye-opener and a feast for foodies. For a slower pace of life, leave the city and discover majestic mountain ranges with its many ancient Buddhist temples.
THE FREEDOM BRIDGE
Take in the unintentional beauty of the DMZ: for all the political and emotional strife it represents, the DMZ has ironically become an “involuntary park,” or a stretch of land that has returned to its natural state in the absence of human intervention. Several endangered animal and plant species now exist among the heavily fortified fences. These include the extremely rare red-crowned crane (a frequent subject in Asian art), and the white-naped crane as well as the extremely rare Korean tiger, amur leopard and Asiatic black bear. Stop at the Freedom Bridge, an unassuming wooden structure that thousands of Koreans dashed through, north to south, in 1953. An estimated 5 million South Koreans are separated from their families in the north. In a display of desperate optimism, the bridge is filled with pictures and letters from family members and friends in the south to their loved ones in the north. Along the same lines is your next stop – a thoroughly modern train station that will purportedly connect Seoul and Pyongyang in the future. Take your selfies with the soldiers stationed here. Continue on to one of the tunnels dug under the DMZ. As you walk through these areas that piece together the details of the Korean War, feel free to speak with your guide about his/her thoughts on the matter.
CULINARY DELIGHT
One of the best ways to get under the skin of a destination is to try local’s favourite restaurants. So here we go, a restaurant famed for its head chef who worked here for 27 years, and there are 27 ingredients in its most popular dish, yakbap, or duck rice. After a scrumptious meal, explore a traditional village fortified by a 600-year-old fortress. The village is still inhabited and there are over 100 authentic thatched-roof houses; a few are businesses but most are inhabited by the roughly 85 families who live here. With an architecture expert, learn more about traditional Korean architecture and how it is being preserved at the village.
The best souvenir to take home? We’d say learning to make kimchi with a well-known local chef. This ubiquitous dish involves a wide variety of ingredients. Fresh oysters and seaweed are often included in the fermentation process, along with chilies, herbs, radish and pear. If you are a tea lover, let us take you to hike through verdant tea plantations. Primarily green tea is grown here, but Koreans also brew tea using persimmon leaves, mulberry leaves, pine needles, roasted barley, ginseng root, and other natural ingredients. Have a private tasting with the owner of the plantation who will create a personal blend for you to take home as a keepsake of your journey. Share a cup of tea or a meal with a rice farmer and his family to learn more about issues unique to rural life in present-day South Korea.
ISLAND BLISS
By flight or boat reach the stunning Hawaiian like island of Jeju. Ascend part or all of the nearly 6,400 foot peak of Mount Halla and go hiking on various trails. Explore the lava tubes, cited as the finest such volcanic cave system in the world in UNESCO’s World Heritage designation. Finally, embark on a dawn ascent of “Sunrise Peak,” a dramatic inactive volcanic crater rising out of the ocean and a UNESCO site.
Inspired? Get in touch with our destination expert who can help you tailor this South Korea trip.
