Where Majestic Korean Pine Trees Gather – A Peaceful Walk Through Hwadam Botanic Garden

Hello, everyone!
Today, I’d like to share a post about my visit to Hwadam Botanic Garden from a year ago.
The forest is filled with majestic Korean pine trees, and as a bonus, the air is incredibly fresh. It made both my mind and body feel refreshed.
Now, let’s take a look and see what it’s like!

Location

Hwadam Botanic Garden is located here.
It can be a bit tricky to get there by public transportation,
so I decided to rent a car and drove from Seoul.
(The drive from Seoul took around 1.5 to 2 hours.)
(The admission fee for adults is 11,000won – 8USD)

Here is Hwadam botanic garden enterance. Upright the korean pine tree welcomeing us.
Right photo is Moss forest, You will see it after walking up a bit from the entrance.
The forest was filled with such a refreshing, calming scent — I couldn’t get enough of it

We took the monorail up to the top and walked back down.

Monorail tickets need to be reserved about a month in advance, since it’s quite popular.
But don’t worry! You can also hike to the top on foot.
A round-trip walk takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Next time, I’d love to hike the whole way, both up and down.
There’s just so much majestic scenery I’d like to take in more slowly.

This video was filmed during our monorail ride up through the forest!
What do you think?
I visited in early October, so the autumn leaves were just starting to turn at the edges.
I imagine it would be absolutely stunning at the peak of autumn!

Here’s the monorail that took us up – it’s so cute!
It stops at three stations / Stops 1, 2, and 3 – and the third one is the top of the mountain.
We got off at Stop 3, and the ride up there took about 15 minutes.

Majestic Korean pine trees

Here are the majestic Korean pine trees I mentioned earlier!
Some stand tall and proud, while others grow wide, stretching out to the sides.

They looked especially perfect against today’s high, clear sky.
There’s something strong and noble about them. I felt a sense of quiet strength and honesty just by looking at them!

Flowers

There aren’t just Korean pine trees! There are also beautiful flowers everywhere.
As I walked through Hwadam Forest, my eyes were delighted all day long, and thanks to the fragrant scent of flowers, even my nose was happy!

Nam-saeng-i

This turtle is called a Nam-saeng-i – a type of freshwater turtle native to Korea.
It’s known for its dark shell and the distinctive stripes on its head.
It’s actually designated as a Natural Monument in Korea, which means it’s a protected species.
Isn’t it adorable the way it swims?
It was my first time ever seeing a nam-saeng-i in person, and I was so excited!

There’s even a rainbow here!
There’s a little sign that says, “Look for the rainbow!” such a fun little touch. It made me smile!

As we continued walking down the path, we came across a lovely photo spot!
There was a beautifully decorated garden with a large mirror, Perfect for snapping a cute mirror selfie.
It felt like such a great place for a date, too!

As we descended Hwadam Forest, we were welcomed by a peaceful lake — and the beautiful scenery continued all the way to the end.

How did you enjoy today’s post about Hwadam Forest?
These photos were taken back in October 2024 – right around the start of autumn in Korea.

Korea has four beautiful seasons, and each one offers something unique:
🌸 Spring is full of blossoms,
🌿 Summer is rich with green forests,
🍁 Autumn brings amazing fall colors,
❄️ And winter turns everything calm and quiet under a blanket of snow.

No matter when you visit, each season has its own charm waiting for you.
I really hope you get a chance to experience it for yourself someday!
Next time I visit, I’ll make sure to take even more photos to share with you all.

Thanks so much for reading my post! See you again soon!