A peaceful morning at Gapyeong Morning Calm Arboretum, perfect for taking photos and filled with the scent of grass.
YURUCAM
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2 years ago
Hello, I am the laid-back photographer 📷YURUCAM.
I'm traveling around various places in Korea to take photos, and this time I visited the Morning Calm Arboretum located in Gapyeong. Surrounded by mountains and rivers, it has beautiful scenery and a charming atmosphere, making it very popular among Koreans (as well as all international travelers). It is also well-known as a place where photographers can capture great photos. After a quick search on the internet, I was overwhelmed by the natural landscapes during the day and the brightly lit structures and scenery with LED lights at night. A friend recommended it to me, and as soon as I received the introduction, I went to see it right away.ㅎㅎ
Located about 1 hour and 30 minutes by car from Seoul, this place is quite nestled in the mountains, so those who are not confident in driving may prefer to use public transportation (bus). Buses seem to depart every hour.
I got a car and drove, but the mountainous terrain made the overall slope of the road severe, the width of the road narrow, and there were many cars passing on the opposite lane, making driving quite difficult.
Gapyeong Morning Calm Garden's operating hours are from 08:30 to 19:00, and usually around 14:00 it starts to get crowded. It takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours to go around once.
First of all, the parking lot is very spacious. When the flowers bloom, a huge crowd gathers, so there are as many as 5 parking lots. I'm not sure if it's because of that, but when I visited, there weren't many cars, probably because the cherry blossoms hadn't bloomed yet. Oh, when I got out of the car after parking, I couldn't help but admire the surrounding scenery. It's so beautiful.
When watching, various signs such as parking lots were installed around. The signboard for watching includes restrictions on bringing in tents, food, personal mobility, etc., and a note to refrain from actions that may cause discomfort to people nearby. It seems like there is no problem taking pictures unless they are for commercial use. If it is for commercial use, it probably means a snapshot photo, right?
Promotional signboard. Since it is not yet the flowering season of flowers, it seemed like the gardens were promoting themselves in various colors at night. There is a gallery near the entrance, which has photos of the four seasons of the garden and various flowerbeds, so I highly recommend stopping by to take a look before you leave. It may vary from person to person, but in my case, it took about 15 minutes to see everything.
This is a botanical garden map. It is very spacious. There is a restaurant, so you don't have to worry about meals, and they also sell souvenirs like perfume or cosmetics, so you can fill both hands when you go back. The souvenir shop seems to have staff who speak English or Chinese, so even if you don't speak Korean, you don't have to worry!
Above is a list of all stores including a café, bakery, restaurant, convenience store, garden store, garden experience cafe, flower shop as described above.
Admission tickets can be purchased at the unmanned ticket booth that appears right after passing the sign. Adults are 11,000 won, students are 8,500 won, and children are 7,500 won. When you purchase a ticket, you can receive a 2,000 won discount coupon that can be used at stores inside the arboretum for free. Since there is no expiration date or period of use written on the coupon, it seems to be a coupon that can always be received regardless of when you visit the arboretum.
Oh, by the way, Apple Pay or credit card payment is available.
If, you feel confident in Korean, how about trying to buy tickets directly from the ticket counter right in front of the automated ticket counter? It would be a good experience. Hehe
I purchased a ticket at the unmanned ticket booth.
At the ticket office, hand the ticket to the staff and enter, where you will be greeted by traditional hanok and thatched houses, and the blue sky. The arboretum is so vast that three paths branch out from the entrance, and I let my body be led in any direction my feet took me.
Each junction is so vast that the end cannot be seen, I was already excited about the extensive content.
I came across a massive suspension bridge while wandering around. The bridge swayed so much when people passed by that it was quite scary. Seriously. As I crossed the suspension bridge, a beautiful garden unfolded right before my eyes.
Various trees and fields, various sculptures.
And the couples and families who kindly take photos on top of that.
The crowd was just right so we could walk around without feeling overwhelmed.
When I saw the pine leaves reflecting the sunlight, my camera shutter stopped breathing. The liveliness is charming.
LED lights wrapped around the trees shine brightly in a multicolored starlight in the evening. (I asked an employee and they said it's a seasonal event only from December to March.)
A green tree that I don't know the name of. It is found everywhere in the garden, with everyone spreading their leaves beautifully, catching the sunlight.
Various shades of green, orange, and red leaves were vividly coloring the garden. Perhaps because it was spring with new sprouts, the green color stood out the most as I walked around the garden. In front of plants that strongly appeal to themselves, I simply couldn't resist pressing the camera's shutter button.
The garden was surrounded by a stream and many stone towers were erected, which are said to grant wishes if they do not collapse for a long time. I also carefully stacked small stones I found around to build a five-story stone tower.
Wow, the water is very clear. It's so clear that it looks like it's purified by a water purifier, and I think you can drink it to your heart's content without getting an upset stomach.
As you walk straight from the entrance, you will come across a traditional Korean garden (Seohwa Garden) designed in traditional landscaping style. The reflection of the pavilion on the water surface, along with the distant view of the mountains and the harmonious appearance of the hanok, is impressive. Most visitors, including myself, stood in place as soon as they saw the pavilion, slowly looked around, and enjoyed the scenery.
Unfortunately, the bench and the stepping stone are blocked by barriers so you can't climb or cross over to capture a dramatic angle photo.
This place is recommended to visit early in the morning when the sunlight shines strongly. Even as I write this post, the scenery of this place is unforgettable in my mind.
After walking around the pond, if you go up the path next to the hanok, an unorganized walking trail appears. Pine trees are neatly lined up next to the walking trail, with branches cut finely. The brightly shining between the trees seems to give the illusion of seeing Utopia, so I took a picture of it.
Seoul usually looks hazy due to fine dust, so I don't take sky photos well, but here Gapyeong has less smog, so it was a perfect place to take photos of the sky. It seems like someone put cotton candy in a Pocari Sweat-colored sky.
There are many observatories built around the stream, making it great for taking photos of the sky.
In the center of the arboretum, there was a lucky tunnel that is said to bring luck. It is a tunnel surrounded by white flowers, and at night, it shines brightly in pink, orange, and purple colors, giving a dreamy feeling. Personally, I prefer the tunnel shining brightly in the sunlight like a butterfly reflecting the sunlight during the day rather than at night. No matter how you take a picture, it is truly auspicious.
Throughout the garden, retro-style lamps are installed and when viewing at night, it was not uncomfortable at all. But I was so engrossed in the viewing at night that I forgot to take photos, so I have no photos to share. 🥲
Geumgangsan Landscape, After walking for about 3 hours, I became hungry so I stopped at a restaurant and ordered food. Overall, it was inexpensive. Bibimbap was 9,000 won and mandu was 8,000 won. Various other dishes ranged from 7,000 won to 9,000 won. The bibimbap was a bit damp and not spicy, so I highly recommend it for those who cannot eat spicy food. However, there was no meat included.
So I ordered dumplings together, but it was so fresh that the kimchi was very crispy and delicious. And it was very delicious. Usually, restaurants in tourist areas have low food quality and are expensive, but this place was not like that at all, so I was pleasantly surprised. If they're so generous with serving, what will be left for the store..
Later, when the flowers bloom, I must come back to take pictures again.
Cherry blossoms bloom from late March to early April, so if you come to take pictures, we recommend coming at the right time.
Finishing the writing,
A very charming place where even a rough shot takes a good picture. I took a lot of pictures that I really like.
For those who want to take photos that will leave lasting memories on their trip to Korea, we highly recommend it.
When browsing Create Trip spot, there is a day tour that stops by Gapyeong Morning Calm Arboretum.
https://creatrip.com/en/spot/7433
If you are interested, you should give it a try at least once.
Then I will finish writing here.
Thank you for reading, and next time we will find an even more amazing place. Always be happy!
