A travel blog!
If you are like me, you would’ve probably done some research before heading to Mt Seorak. And came across some guides or travel advice dated back to 2014 and beyond. Well, I just came back from the beautiful mountain and here are my thoughts that I think will benefit solo travelers.
1. Getting to Mt Seorak directly from Incheon Airport!
That’s right. If you just got your passport entry stamped and the only thing on your mind is Seoraksan (san= mountain), there is no need to detour yourself to Dong Seoul like most websites suggest (Dong = East. So, sometimes you see Dong Seoul Station being referred as East Seoul Station). Unless of course, you are coming in from Seoul.
Head out to the bus area of Terminal 1. I believe it’s ground floor, I didn’t check. It’s intuitive you won’t miss it. Go to any bus ticket counters, they are integrated so don’t worry about approaching the ‘right’ counter, and get a ticket to Sokcho (30,000 W). Boarding from platform 13A-1.
Based on my research, I found out that there were only 3 trips to Sokcho daily and I was worried that I won’t be able to get on any of it. That isn’t true. They had increased the frequency and availability. The ride from ICN to Sokcho is definitely available at normal hours, more or less 1 hour interval. The journey takes 3 hours plus, with only one toilet break. So do get down and stretch and answer nature’s call, even if you feel like you prefer to sleep.
Once you reach Sokcho City, getting to Seoraksan is pretty much the same.
Before I forget, download the app ‘Naver Map’. Must. Thank me later.
Exit the Sokcho Intercity Bus Terminal (btw there are 2 different bus terminals in Sokcho city). You should be able to see a Tourist Info Booth on your left. The local bus stop is on your right. In case you are wondering, do not cross the road – wrong direction.
Wait for bus 7 / 7-1. They come very often. Tmoney and Cashbee cards are accepted. I highly recommend the use of Tmoney/Cashbee for commuting in Korea, it’s cheaper than paying cash, and it saves you the embarrassment of digging out money from your pocket to pay for the ride while holding up the queue behind you. Oh yes… the bus driver will drive off immediately even when people are not settled yet. I’ve seen many ahjummas and ahjussis jolted and trying to balance themselves. And oh yes… unless you are in the ahjumma/ahjussi category, do offer them your seats.
Seoraksan National Park entrance is the last stop. 45mins up to 1 hour bus ride.
The road heading to the national park could be very congested. 10 or 11 am onwards, depending on the season you visit (I did mine autumn), the cars and buses crawl towards the entrance. You would also notice throngs of people prefer to walk the final 1km or so.
Entrance fee 3500W. Cash only. Daily basis only.
2. Where to stay?
Sokcho city has much to offer. If you are not hardcore on hiking Seoraksan and prefer a more happening night time and city sightseeing in the morning, stay in the city.
If your mission is solely Seoraksan, for goodness’ sake, stay near the national park.
I caught a red eye flight and reached Seoul about 6am. Got on a 7.30am bus heading to Sokcho, reached Seoraksan about noon. My plan was to do some leisure hiking in the afternoon, go to bed early and the next day start another hike at wee hours. So I picked to stay at a guesthouse only 3 stops away from the park entrance.
If you are riding the local bus, how do you know when to get off? The announcements are done in Korean and English, but how to anticipate how many more stops/minutes so you don’t have to panic, grab your bag and jump off the bus? or worse, missed your intended stop? The ‘Naver Map’ app. The bus driver doesn’t stop at every stops by default. You need to press the buzzer to inform him. That’s right, foreigner, that’s what you need to do yourself if no one else is alighting at your stop.
3. The Seoraksan Cable Car. Yay or Nay?
What the other websites warned about how tough it is to buy a cable car ticket is true. They are not exaggerating.
The cable car ride is about 5 minutes one way, and hike an easy 10 minutes you will unlock Gwongeumseong Fortress ! This trail is one of the quickest and easiest trail, a favourite family spot for the Koreans.
The cable car isn’t compulsory, you can still get to Ulsanbawi and Biseondae and everywhere else without it. So, for a solo traveler, yay or nay? Considering it’s 10,000W for return ride.
I decided to try my luck. At 1.28pm , duly noted from the screen that the next available ticket is 5.20pm. There isn’t a queue anymore!
Surprise, surprise. The lady asked me “One person? 1.35pm ok?” I looked at my watch and stared at her. “Deh… deh…. now. Ok?” The perks of travelling alone, you are a filler. Haha! I took it and went upstairs for immediate boarding. I was very hungry, to be honest, but lunch gotta wait.
If cost isn’t an issue for you, it’s a YAY. The bird eye view is stunning. And the Gwongeumseong Fortress? Suffice to say, I keep hearing koreans muttering… “Daebak! Daebak !!”
After to and fro the Cable Car, I grabbed lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon hiking to Biseondae.
4. Food at Seoraksan
At 3pm, most restaurants sold out. Bring snacks and water.
There are many restaurants and fast food places at the park. You just need to beat the crowd or be willing to wait 40 minutes at peak hours for them to prepare the food.
Price? Expensive, of course. We are talking about 20,000W for a warm cooked dish. 6000W for a cuppacino.
5. Be the early bird
The next morning, I reached the entrance of the national park at 630am. I walked from my hotel to the park and witnessed the dawn of a new day, and saw the street lamps flickered off.
I didn’t intend to walk and waste my stamina on that 2km+ route, plus the road was really dark. It was 5.30am when I reached the bus stop. My mistake here, I should’ve consulted the Naver Map first. The first local bus 7/7-1 will pass me at 615am. My options? Walk or wait. If I walk,I figured I would reach the park entrance about the same time that the bus would. I kinda decided to turn back to the hotel and come back out later to catch the bus. But a solo figure with a backpack (like me) appeared, walked purposefully in the dark towards the park. Okay, what the heck, walk la. And I followed behind him. Must be a Caucasian, long legs and big strides. I swear I walked fast, but I lost him soon. His destiny in my life is to trigger me to walk out 2km at 5.30am in the morning, and then disappeared. Haha.
Okay anyway. I reached the park 6.30am. Duly noted the first local bus arrived too, dropping a few other early hikers. The ticket counter is open. The actual opening hours is elusive. Some website suggested that the entrance ticket booth opens 2 hours before sunrise, some says if you arrive at the weirdest hours and see no one, just walk into the park. It isn’t gated.
Cold autumn morning. Compared to yesterday, this park is deserted? There’s no one at the Bear Statue! No one queuing at the toilet. It feels like I own the park, I own the trail and I own the day! Fantastic.
Ulsanbawi – my goal for the morning.
I started my hike and it was wonderful. Go at your own pace. No congestion at bridges. I can stop anywhere to take a sip, adjust my earphones, take a picture or do up my neckwarmer without holding back a line. I don’t have to worry about overtaking people too. Totally your own pace.
The hike up, I crossed path with maybe about 30 people. On my way down, (8.30am, mind you) I think I easily saw 300+ people on the same trail. People are queuing at the swaying rock by 9am. And thousands at the park ground and restaurants area. The queue for the Seoraksan Cable Car at 9.30am? Beyond the building itself and snaked out (refer photo above). So, go early. Really.
6. Alone doesn’t mean Lonely
Reaching Heundeulbawi Rock at 730am, the world had just started to wake up. A lady was sweeping fallen leaves near the temple hermitage. She greeted softly from the top “Anyeong haseyo.”
That famous Heundeulbawi Rock is said to sway when people give it a push but it never fall or roll off the cliff. It is a must-do photo to pose a push, and there is always a long line for it. Not me, not at this hour.
Onwards to Ulsanbawi. The trail from Heundeulbawi to Ulsanbawi is marked red and labelled as ‘advanced’ because of the steep and seemingly unlimited bitchy stairs. My gym instructor gonna be smirking if i tell him that all the squats he made me do, paid off. Hike with mental power too. I told myself that my hot coffee is waiting up there and after all, it’s just going down later.
The altitude changes drastically here, and the topography changes from trees to mostly rocks.
A Caucasian was making his way down. By this time, I realized Korean hikers are pretty reserved. They avoid eye contacts and rarely initiate a hello. I smiled at him. He said “Anyeong haseyo.” “Hello,” I replied. “Oh, you’re not Korean??” This is the guy (French) that walked in the dark in front of me earlier that morning! A lil chat and we parted ways.
Ulsanbawi… takes my breath away. Figuratively and literally. Every step was bloody worth it. When I approached the top, there were tears in my eyes in admiration of the beautiful creation of God.
I sat there, soaked it all in for almost 30 minutes. I sipped hot coffee and thought about life. Reaching at 8am, which means it took me 1 and half hour one way. Pretty good!
An 67 years old ahjussi chats with me, and speaks good English, 5th time at Seoraksan. I sincerely complimented his country.
“15-20 years ago, people may not have heard of Samsung but now it’s in every house. And K-pop sweep over the world like a wave. South Korea is so well developed!”
“Not developed enough…” says the ol man.
“You’re 67. Are you still working or retired?” I asked.
“I need to work, I have no money. What about you, do you have a lot of money?”
“Haha no… I work, then I play. And I work, and I play.”
He paused for a while, and surprised me by saying “YOLO!”
7. Leaving Seoraksan and Sokcho
With my luggage, I boarded the local bus 7/7-1 to get to Sokcho Bus Terminal. Seats were all taken, so I stood with my luggage near one ahjumma. I tried to be friendly and communicated with smiles and hand signals. She responded in Korean, of course we didn’t get very far.
The funniest thing is, I kinda got kicked out from the bus. Remember there are 2 bus terminals in Sokcho city? They aren’t too near each other but both can get me to Seoul. Sokcho Intercity Bus Terminal is the last stop of the bus 7/7-1 which was where I came from the day before, and where I intended to alight later.
The bus was about to reach Sokcho Express Bus Terminal, when ahjumma suddenly exclaimed “Seoul?? Seoul??” I said, “Deh…. Dong Seoul.” She frantically indicated that I need to get down ASAP. I tried to indicate that I want to go to the other terminal, to no avail. She asked fellow passengers in the bus, and the chorus of ahjummas and ahjussi anxiously gave me the look that I should get down, like poor lost foreigner, doesn’t even know where to get off! (And remember the bus drivers aren’t exactly the patient kind.)
They were so warm and helpful that I felt helpless and that I must get off to make them feel better! I laughed it away, and pulled my luggage off the bus with me at one stop past Sokcho Express Bus Terminal. I saw 2 other Asian foreigners in the bus, mixed amusement at my predicament but probably secretly wondered if they should get down too. Ah~ a little change to the plan, no problemo . Til now, I do not know which route is better or cheaper or more frequent. Sokcho Intercity -> Dong Seoul; or Sokcho Express -> Dong Seoul. Go figure!
After stepping off the bus, breathed in a different air. A young Korean family indicated that I should follow them and how nice of them to lead me to the entrance of the Express terminal. Kamsahamnida~
The rest was easy. 16,700W from Sokcho Express Terminal to Dong Seoul. Look out for the platform that says ‘East Seoul’. 3-4 hours’ ride, one break. We met traffic congestion, so it took longer.
aL is here 