Outside Seoul: Seoraksan National Park & Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm

I'm trying to figure out how I will start my latest Korea trip travel blog series again, so I decided to go head on with the day where everything's NEW to me.

You see, it's already my fourth time in Korea, I was ready to go to places I've already been to coz it's a trip for my family after all. Except for my Ate, they are all Korea first timers. It's exciting for me to be their tour guide, and at the same time, nerve wracking as I have to constantly check the schedule and my subway app throughout the day!

So one of my most chill day during this trip was when we had our Seoraksan National Park & Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm tour, an activity we pre-booked via Korean travel site Trazy.com. No trains for the whole day, we were conveniently picked up from our guesthouse (on-the-dot!) and traveled around 3 hours towards the east of Korea.



Call time was early (6:50am), but we were able to catch up with sleep during the long ride. We had a 30-minute stop-over in between, and another quick one where we checked out the view of the Mount Seoraksan from the highway.



South Korea's third highest mountain, located in the city of Sokcho. It's my first time there!


Quick snaps and stretching, then we were back on the road:




Back at the guesthouse, our tour guide Harry from Trazy.com already warned us of the chilly weather in Mt. Seoraksan. I was wearing my Eun-Tak cosplay (haha), and thought that it's already enough layering--but no! Although sun is up, it is chilly especially on top of the mountain! Haha! Make sure to wear something warm and also hike-appropriate for this tour!



First Stop: Seoraksan National Park

There are different options in trekking Mt. Seoraksan, and Harry told us that whatever we choose, he will go with us! I asked how many times his tour group picked the long and hard trek, and he said it was countless times already! WOW!

But of course, we weren't ready for the long hike (HAHA) plus I was with my folks, so we picked the short and senior citizen-friendly cable car ride! Hehehe.

A guide inside the cable car explained stuff in Korean:

Cable car is HUGE and fits around 20 or so guests. Ours was filled with ajussi and ajumma, hehe! The lush green surroundings are also nice, most had their phones up to take pictures of the view! 💚



We followed the people heading for the Gwongeumseong Fortress. What I like about Seoraksan National Park is that everything's well maintained and there are different options for everyone. You can trek whatever age or fitness level you are! Ours was the easiest route, I even passed by small kids and women in heels (wow). Nahiya naman ako! Kaya ko din to! Hehe!




The Gwongeumseong Fortress was the only challenging part of the climb because of my inappropriate outfit and strong winds! Haha! But as mentioned earlier, I even saw women in heels!

My mom who isn't athletic just stayed in the lower parts, no pressures naman! Dad went to the highest part first! The TriGo (Three Gonzales, haha) also followed after... My motivation was curiosity and to take more photos! Mwahaha!



Cute brave kids!




Harry: "Today I will be your tour guide AND photographer!" 😀

Thank you for all our wonderful family pictures, Harry!




With our new Dutch friends! Sobrang brave nila!


After the adventure part, we went to see the Sinheungsa Buddhist Temple since it's also inside Seoraksan National Park. We passed by photogenic sceneries once again, and even had free tea in a place just near the giant buddha. Thanks for the tip, Harry!





Dad and Harry drinking fresh water:





Chit-chat with mom:

The place that serves free tea (you can also buy a box but not required).


Second Stop: Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm

On our way to the private sheep farm was another 1.5-hour ride. Again, I slept for the most part which felt so so good after days of running around Seoul. This is the convenient part that comes with booking tours instead of DIY. Also, going to these two different locations in just a day is not possible if we just went on our own!

Anyway, in no time we were already in PyeongChang.



Ang dami nila! Hahaha! You can see all 200 sheep once you enter the ranch, nakakagigil! 😂😍 Was told that the whole place is white during winter,⛄❄ wow, and also learned that Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm is the only farm that raises sheep in Korea!





Family photos before mom and dad went on their own!



...Because we decided to climb and walk around the whole place! Haha!



May pa-jump shot!!! 😂


Super beautiful place!








Met a lonely sheep dog:

Saw mom and dad at the feeding area, and joined the fun! Sobrang laki nila but you can touch and pet them. Mabait naman sila!









It was a quiet ride back to Seoul, but also the perfect time to share each others' photos and stories. Was so sleepy (still!) but fought it as I might not get some sleep that night. We had one final stopover where there's an Angel In-Us, so I had a cup of latte. Ate had the Kim Bok Joo sausage, which she said was not so good, haha!

We requested to get off Myeongdong instead of our guesthouse so we can maximize the night and have dinner there. Went on street food hopping with Cea, and bought some oppa postcards in a random store next to where the parentals ate meat. I remembered it was also drizzling that night, but I can't contain my happiness. It's nice to get to finally share Korea with my family. ❤