South Korea Circle

This Morning make your own way to and meet your guide at a parking lot in front of the Donghwa Duty Free Shop Building, at Gwanghwamun Intersection in Seoul. From here you will join your fellow small group tour members and embark on a small bus journey 130km to Gongju. On arrival visit the UNESCO-listed Tomb of King Muryeong, the tombs contain the graves of kings from the period when Baekje’s capital was Gongju, and it is believed to contain 17 such graves however, only seven graves have been discovered so far. Continue to the UNESCO-listed Gongsanseong Fortress. Gongsanseong Fortress is a mountain castle which was established during the Baekje Period (234-678). The fortress is more than 2.6 kilometer’s long at 110 meters above sea level. Built using earthen fortifications during the Baekje dynasty, the fortress was strengthened during the Joseon dynasty with stones. Continue in the early afternoon to Jeonju, and on arrival visit the Jeonju Hanok Village, home to around 700 traditional Korean houses. In the late afternoon check in to your hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel and depart on a 90-minute drive to Gwangju, the birthplace of the modern democratic movement in South Korea, and the leading city of the Honam region. Proceed to Suncheon and visit the lovely Suncheon National Gardens, then continue to your final destination of Yeosu, a stunning coastal town, and visit the Yi-Sun Shin Plaza. Check into your hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

The first visit of the day is to Jinjuseong Fortress, historically linked to the Japanese invasion of 1592. Continue south to South Korea’s 2nd largest city, Busan. Here we will potentially pick up passengers who will join us on a day tour of Busan, visiting locations such as the Jagalchi Fish Market, Haeundae Beach, Dongbeak Park, and Busan’s mini version of Hollywood, Biff Square. The Biff Square precinct is the main venue for the Busan International Film Festival, and visitors can find handprints of famous actors who have visited the film festival. Additionally, lovers of street food will find themselves with a huge choice of cuisine to consider and enjoy. Late in the afternoon enjoy the final stage of the day with a drive for 90 minutes to the town of Gyeongju, on arrival check-in to your hotel and enjoy the evening at leisure.

After enjoying breakfast at your hotel, depart the hotel for Seokguram Grotto, constructed by Kim Dae-Seong during the reign of King Gyeong-Deok (742-765) of the Silla Kingdom. Continue to the Bulguska Buddhist Temple. The beauty of the temple itself and the artistic touch of the stone relics are as awesome and fascinating and highly praised by visitors from all over the world. Proceed to Andong and visit the UNESCO-listed Andong Hahoe Village, which has preserved the housing architecture and the village structure of the Joseon Dynasty. Moreover, the Village was naturally formed with people who live there, and it has become world-famous for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. In the late afternoon enjoy the drive to Pyeongchang, home to the South Korea 2018 Winter Olympics, and enjoy the evening at leisure.

This morning visit several of the locations associated with the 2018 Winter Olympics before continuing onto Sokcho, and visit the Seoraksan National Park. The hiking in this park is light to moderate and the views from the peaks are spectacular. Due to the many rare species found here, UNESCO designated this national park a Biosphere Preservation District in 1982. After enjoying the trekking and a short visit to Gangneung Hangho Beach, enjoy the drive back to Seoul arriving in the early evening.