Seoraksan, Part 1 - Not So Easy Getting Away From It All

If you don’t have much time and you just want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it may be best to take the express bus straightaway from the Incheon International Airport out to places like CHUNCHEON where you can then change buses to go to Seoraksan National Park. Click here for the schedule of bus services from the airport to Chuncheon.

However, you may need to be psychologically prepared for the masses of Seoulites who choose to descend on this famous autumnal attraction in Gangwon-do which makes getting away from it all a little harder to achieve.

It’s a matter of good luck and good timing. You want to be there to see the maples at the height of their scarlet glory but so do thousands of other local and foreign visitors. After all, we all have access to the same information provided by KNTO travel advisory which posts the dates when the autumn foliage reaches its peak in different parts of the Korean peninsula.

pic: KNTO

* You may try to avoid the city only to find the city folk turning the pristine outdoors into bewildering near-chaos with the impatient honks from the long queues of tourist buses on Highway 44 struggling to squeeze into the car parks.

* You may curse yourself for failing to making reservations for a decent place to sleep and end up trying your level best to catch forty winks in a foetal-like position in your seat in the coach.

Above: Very serious photographers vie for best spots to catch the 'dampong'

The usually quiet mountain trails are not unlike the human traffic of the local shopping mall during autumn as you have to share narrow footpaths with endless groups of children out on school trips, ajummas from walking clubs chattering away excitedly or passionate photographers jostling for the most ideal spots for capturing the prettiness of the dampong ( maple ) leaves.

Below: School groups can be scary!

For more on Seoraksan, click here.

sources:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264219
http://www.airport.kr/airport/traffic/bus/busView.iia?seq=604&flag=E