Seoraksan National Park Ulsanbawi Hiking from Seoul

Posted By : Frédéric P
Jimmy, our guide, picked us up from our hotel. We left heading east in his vehicle. There, we climbed to the summit accompanied by Jimmy, an excellent sportsman. At the top, we were able to enjoy the magnificent landscape.
The climb requires good shoes, it is a little demanding over the last 500 meters but does not present any technical difficulty. You should remember to take water and a few cereal bars. Jimmy never rushed us and was attentive during the climb.
Thank you Jimmy for this excellent outing.

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Posted On : 2024-05-06 21:49:27

Posted By : Laura_W
We really enjoyed our chance to see the beautiful nature side of Korea outside the city with this tour. Our guide, Chansoo (Chance), picked us up right on time from our hotel and we had a comfortable vehicle for our journey to Seoraksan. He spoke excellent English and was knowledgeable on a wide range of topics and we kept the conversation going for much of the journey and our hike. The hike begins with a beautiful temple and large Buddha statue. It was stunning against the backdrop of the snowy peaks. Most of the trail was steep, well manicured stairs up, up, and up to the top of Ulsanbawi Rock - a unique rock formation that stood out from the rest of the mountainous landscape. Though our trip was on March 19, we experienced a light snow storm at the summit! There was also some remaining winter snow on parts of the trail. We were glad we had prepared for cold, wind and rain despite the sunny start to the day. Throughout the hike, Chance pointed out interesting landmarks and views and kindly took photos of us along the way. He loves hiking and the mountains and it was wonderful to be around someone who loves what they do. He was also open to questions we had about the local culture, history, food…we even talked movies and cars and outdoor apparel! We capped off the hike with a visit to a nearby coastal town for some hot and comforting army stew and a spin through the local market. Meals were not included in the tour, but he still allowed time for us to eat, we just had to cover that cost which was fine. Overall highly recommend taking this trip with Chance if you enjoy hiking and the outdoors. Be warned that while it’s a relatively short hike, it is steep with a LOT of stairs if you have any mobility issues.
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Posted On : 2024-03-29 21:31:45

Posted By : Susan_S
This review is long overdue! I had an amazing experience hiking in Seoraksan Park with Chance. This was day two of two days in a row hiking with Chance. The first day we hiked Bukhansan and the next day we went to Seoraksan Park. The day started with a hotel pick-up and then we drove to the park. Chance was knowledgeable about the mountains, best route for my ability, where to park and all the other factors for a successful day of hiking. The drive from Seoul was close to three hours. He was a good driver and also easy to talk to. We drove through many tunnels including a seven mile tunnel! Close to half way through the ride we stopped at a rest stop along the highway and enjoyed some coffee to keep us energized for the hike. When we got to the park we first visited some of the cultural sights at the base of the park and then began to climb to Ulsanbawi. It began on the easier side and then after the last temple, Chance said this is where the hike starts, and he was definitely right. It got steeper and the climb truly began here. We then continued up some very steep stairs to the summit where we had sweeping views of the mountains to one side, and the sea to the other. As an added bonus, Chance brought boiling water to make Ramen noodles for lunch. We enjoyed the lunch tucked into a small protected area and for added comfort Chance brought up two small hiking stools. A fellow hiker was so intrigued with the mountain top lunch he asked to take our photo. After lunch we enjoyed a small cup of coffee from the remaining hot water, and then began the steep climb down to the car. On the way out of the town, we next stopped at a nearby market and had a traditional after-hike snack of Korean pancakes. This was a positively outstanding experience! I would rank this day as the highlight of my nine day trip to Korea.

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Posted On : 2024-02-13 18:03:41

Posted By : Urosteven
After great hike we had good lunch korean style and quick tour of sokcho. Chance was good tour guide. Would recommend highly
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Posted On : 2023-06-19 09:07:02

Posted By : Olivia_P
Had a great time with Chance for this mountain hike. It was actually my second time after 3years since the last trip with him and i was never bored during the entire trip as we chatted alot on politics, culture and many other topics. During the hike, he ensures to keep pace with me and along the way he explains the history of the monuments/temples we walked passed. I would highly recommend to engage him as your guide !
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Posted On : 2022-10-11 19:24:24

Posted By : Andrea_B
Highly recommended experience! Jimmy is a greatly knowledgeable and fun guide. Would definitely contact him again the future for other hikes!
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Posted On : 2022-08-13 14:16:58

Posted By : Ruth_L
I’d originally booked the other course (Daechangbong) but got a call from Chance Kim (the guide for this tour) to find out more about our hiking experience and fitness level. He recommended that we switch to the Ulsanbawi course, which I appreciated because I had no idea what to expect regarding the difficulty level of hiking in Seoraksan.

First of all regarding the hike itself - the climb up is about 2.4km in distance (excluding the walk from the entrance of the park). We climbed up rock steps followed by an actual staircase - imagine living on the top floor of an apartment block and having the lift break down, with the difficulty/duration ramped up! However, combined with amazing views on the way up and at the top, the challenge is very worth it. I did the climb in May when all the trees are green and imagine it would be breathtaking in autumn.

Chance himself is a very experienced professional hiker and you can be assured you are in good hands signing up for his outdoor tours. He is knowledgeable about Korean history, politics and even flora/fauna which makes the trip even more interesting and enriching. I also need to mention that he’s a great driver - I get car sick easily especially when going through multiple mountain bends, but not in his car. He was also punctual and picked us up directly from our hotel in Seoul.

He also offers customised tours, and we were happy to engage him the following day especially after our good experience at Seoraksan. We weren’t able to make it to one place on the itinerary due to unforeseen circumstances, but he was able to quickly and flexibly suggest an alternative for us.

All in all, highly recommended! Go for this hike, you won’t regret it. We are glad we signed up.
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Posted On : 2022-05-06 21:29:42

Posted By : Daniele_L
I had an amazing time with Chance. The drive to the mountain was so entertaining. We talked a lot about South Korea and travels in general. And the whole walk up to the mountain was lovely. The weather was perfect.

And after our hike we went to the beach side to have lunch and spend some time by the sea. An unforgettable day
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Posted On : 2021-11-22 03:29:14

Posted By : 88JamesG88
Highly recommend Outdoors Korea for hiking trips. Chance is a very experience guide and made the trip very enjoyable.
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Posted On : 2019-10-19 06:40:39