The finest place to expertise South Korea’s k-hiking? Seoul’s city mountains

It’s Saturday morning in Seoul. Okay-pop blares out from the boutiques and coffeeshops of Hongdae. Shoppers browse the stalls of Namdaemun Market, selecting up substances for lunch: softshell crabs, lotus roots, plastic-wrapped baskets of Korean pears, cabbages for kimchi-making. Teenagers throng the neon-lit shops of Myeongdong, whereas their grandparents store for conventional cure-alls among the many outdated wooden-fronted retailers of Jegidong: deer antler for bone well being, wormwood for digestion, ginseng for reminiscence.

High above the town, nonetheless, there’s one other Seoul that feels far faraway from the smog and bustle. I’m standing on the slopes of Naksan, one of many wooded peaks that encompass the outdated metropolis, the place a gaggle of hikers are preparing for a day within the mountains. Bantering as they prep their gear, they examine daysacks, lace up path sneakers, zip up Gore-Tex jackets, replenish hydration packs and don polarised shades. One of them produces a hat that’s topped, jauntily, by a rainbow-striped parasol. They prolong their carbon fibre climbing poles and set off up the mountain at a brisk clip. They’re clearly all seasoned hikers, trail-fit and undaunted by the trek forward. But there’s one thing uncommon about this group. Not one among them is a day underneath 70. In truth, the oldest is a sprightly 83.

Hiking — or Okay-hiking (Korean-hiking, like Okay-pop), because it’s now develop into recognized — is South Korea’s hottest sport. Every weekend, 1000’s of individuals pull on their boots and head for the nation’s mountains and nationwide parks, and Seoul is not any exception. Miles of trails wind across the metropolis, both heading up into the rugged mountains of Bukhansan — the wild nationwide park just some miles from the town centre — or climbing the summits that ring the town just like the factors of a crown: Namsan, Naksan, Bugaksan and Inwangsan.

This morning, my fellow hikers and I are following one among Seoul’s hottest routes: the signposted path alongside the town’s medieval metropolis partitions. Zigzagging over the hilltops for 12 miles, this nice battlement is Seoul’s reply to China’s Great Wall, however most guests aren’t even conscious it exists. For a lot of the route, it’s hid by woodland. Construction of the town partitions started in 1395. Originally it consisted of earthen embankments punctuated by eight gates, one at every compass level. Later, the wall was fortified with granite blocks, spiked by crenellations and watchtowers. For the previous 600 years, it has protected the town from outsiders and invaders, and whereas not all of the wall has survived the centuries intact, a lot of it has been restored. South Korea’s army nonetheless guards some sections, notably across the presidential palace, the place barbed wire loops over the fences, radio towers level skywards and safety cameras gaze outwards like insectoid eyes.

Today, I’m trekking the northern part of the wall to the summit of Ingwansan, the dome-shaped granite peak that looms on the northwest aspect of the outdated metropolis. It’s heat work, however a tender breeze supplies some respite from the morning warmth. Copses of swaying willow, maple and cherry timber supply patches of shade, and the scent of juniper and mountain pine drifts on the wind. Thoughtfully, air blowers are stationed at lots of the trailheads to assist individuals cool off on their climb.

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As the path follows the wall’s winding course, I cross three of the unique metropolis gates: first the northeastern publish of Hyehwamun, then northern Sukjeongmun and at last the northwestern gate of Changuimun, which sits between the neighbouring peaks of Bugaksan and Inwangsan. Once, these nice fortified gates allowed individuals to enter and exit the outdated metropolis and have been closely guarded. Later, they fell into disrepair. They’ve since been regularly restored in a undertaking that started within the Nineteen Seventies.

At Changuimun, I meet up with Kim Seong-yeop and his buddies, a gaggle of hikers of their late twenties. Resting towards the wood gates, they hand round power gels and isotonic drinks, consulting their watches for readouts on coronary heart fee, distance travelled and energy burned. “We hike every weekend if we can,” Kim Seong-yeop says, in between munching on a rice ball. “There are so many trails around the city, you never get bored.

And when we want more of a challenge, we go into Bukhansan for rock-climbing or scrambling. It beats sitting in an office for the rest of the week.” He checks the subsequent part of the route on his cellphone — solely outdated people use paper maps today, he says, laughing — then units off up the mountain along with his companions.

At 338m, Inwangsan isn’t all that prime — however at instances, it’s punishingly steep. To assist hikers negotiate the gradient, metal staircases and stone steps are etched into the mountainside. As I climb, the woodland regularly thins out into scrub, then vanishes altogether, changed by clean flanks of rock and slabs of slippery granite. At the highest, a sweeping panorama unfolds over downtown Seoul. Across the town, the metal needle of N Seoul Tower, topped by its blinking mild and candy-striped pinnacle, juts from the highest of Namsan mountain. Beneath it, amongst Seoul’s city sprawl, I can simply make out the hazy define of the Han River, bisecting the town neatly into north and south.

Later that afternoon, I head down into the town to discover one other waterway, which — although a lot smaller than the Han ­— is simply as necessary in its personal approach. Cheonggyecheon Stream is one among Seoul’s unique rivers, a lifeline for the town since its settlement. But in 1969, an inexplicable choice was made to cowl it with a 10-lane freeway. It grew to become a hated eyesore, smog-smothered and traffic-choked, notorious for tailbacks, accidents and air pollution. In 2003, Seoul’s metropolis mayor, Lee Myung-bak, took the daring choice to take away it. The freeway was dismantled, the river was cleaned up and nature quickly returned.

It’s now a inexperienced oasis within the centre of the metropolis. Around 60,000 individuals use it each day: joggers, dog-walkers, workplace employees, pram-pushing mother and father. Avenues of willows line its banks. Cranes and egrets strut within the shallows. Sometimes, fish flash downstream. But Cheonggyecheon is greater than a magnificence spot: research have proven it has helped cut back Seoul’s city warmth island, reducing summer time temperatures by as a lot as 4C. And in spring, when snowmelt from the mountains floods into the town, Cheonggyecheon acts as an emergency culvert. Some years, the water degree rises by two metres or extra.

“Many people are surprised how close Seoul is to the mountains,” says Lim Do-yeon, one other eager hiker who I meet alongside the ‘stream’, because it’s typically recognized within the metropolis. Dressed in path sneakers and stylish working gear, her brief hair hid underneath a cap, she likes to stroll as a lot as she will: she moved to Seoul for faculty, and takes each alternative she will to get out into nature.

“I grew up in a little mountain village a long way from Seoul, so I’m grateful for the scenery and for the peace and quiet. It’s an escape from the noise and stress of everyday life. And I love the sense of camaraderie. People always say hello as they pass here, and sometimes, if you’re lucky, they might even invite you to share a cup of makgeolli at the top,” she says, referring to the boozy, fermented rice wine beloved by many Koreans. “And that’s something you would definitely only get hiking here.”

5 extra methods to see Seoul

Shop for souvenirs at a flea market

Seoul is spoiled in the case of markets — there’s Gwangjang for avenue meals, Namdaemun for native environment or Myeongdong for night-time purchasing — however for souvenirs, the sprawling Seoul Folk Flea Market close to Sinseoldong station is difficult to high. Come for classic vinyl, handpainted indicators or vintage handicrafts.

Wander Bukchon Hanok Village

In a metropolis of skyscrapers, this low-rise neighbourhood appears like stepping again into one other age. It’s the most effective place in Seoul to see conventional hanok homes, lots of which have been was cafes, artwork galleries, B&Bs and boutiques.

Hang out in Hongdae

A pulsing, neon-lit neighbourhood of crisscrossing lanes and people-packed boulevards, positioned close to Hongik University within the west of the town — Hongdae is the guts of occurring Seoul. Visit for avenue artwork, cold-brewed espresso, cutting-edge style and Okay-pop karaoke.

Visit the National Folk Museum

Delve into shamanism, people songs, Korean legends and the terrors of Cheuksin the bathroom ghost at this museum. You’ll want a few hours to discover its assortment of costumes, furnishings, musical devices, artworks and structure.

Take within the view from N Seoul Tower

Spiking 236 metres from the highest of Namsan, Seoul’s guardian mountain, this Nineteen Seventies tower has an remark deck that gives the final word pan-Seoul panorama. Come at sundown for views over the twinkling lights of the metropolis.