Exploring the nature of a foreign country, for some people, can be just as entertaining as exploring its cultural aspects. I’m guessing that people who enjoy nature will probably like visiting any one of the ten caves I am aware of in South Korea (7 on mainland, 3 in Jeju). And since a successful visit to a cave doesn’t depend on the weather, it’s almost a safe bet for any itinerary.

My first visit to a Korean cave was to the Cheongok Natural Cave (천곡천연동굴) located in the downtown area of Donghae city in Gangwon-do. Korea Tourism Organization has this to say about the cave which was discovered in 1991:

Cheongok Cave is a limestone cave that extends horizontally for 1,400 meters. Estimated to have been created 400 to 500 million years ago, it is the only natural cave located in a downtown area. The cave features ceiling craters, one of which is the longest in Korea, along with stalactite curtains, travertine terraces, stalactite cascades, and many other fantastic-looking rock formations, providing a grand spectacle for tourists and speleological evidence for researchers. As the inside of the cave is lined with over 20 types of secondary formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, and limestone pillars, it is an invaluable resource for earth science education.

Cheongok Natural Cave

The cave has been fitted with walkways and arrows to guide you around as you take in the sights. There are different colored lights which are constantly changing to give the cave an out-of-this-world atmosphere. Walking through the entire cave, if only to briefly see everything, will only take 30 minutes. I did this in the morning when the cave opened so I would have time to hike through Mureung Valley (무릉계곡) in the afternoon.

Cheongok Natural Cave

Mureung Valley is only a short bus ride away from the center of town. Once you arrive to the valley, there is just a short and flat hike of about 30 minutes to the end. At the end of the valley, you can continue hiking to one of the peaks. Since I didn’t have time to hike to a peak that afternoon, I made the water falls at the end of the valley my destination.

Samhwasa Temple

Before starting up the trail, I spent a few minutes exploring Samhwasa Temple. This temple is beautifully nestled into the valley so that the view from it is inspiring. It’s quite a small temple, but has some things worth checking out such as an old stone pagoda, the most interesting bronze Buddha I’ve seen in Korea, and rather than statues of the Four Heavenly Kings at the entrance, it has paintings of them.

Samhwasa Temple

After taking in the sights and snapping a few photos, I headed toward my final destination. Water falls are not the most reliable of natural sights to enjoy because if there is little rain in the days or weeks preceding your visit, smaller falls tend to be dry or just a trickling stream.

There are two sets of falls at the end of Mureung Valley. The first is appropriately called Twin Falls (쌍폭포). I was lucky that day to see large streams of water coming down from both sides of Twin Falls.

Twin Falls (쌍폭포)

The second water fall is called Yongchu Falls (용추폭포) and is not pictured in this article. This water fall also takes an interesting shape as it comes out of one of the creases in the mountainside. There is some space around Yongchu Falls that is great for eating a snack or having a picnic, so I suggest packing some food for this purpose.

Close-up photo of left side of Twin Falls

There is a place called Sky’s Door on the way up to a peak that is accessible from the valley. Some Korean hikers told me it is a beautiful place to see, but will require a steep hike. Knowing that the end of the valley is easy to get to, I will happily make my way to Sky’s Door on my next trip.

Two Korean hikers taking a break near Yongchu Falls

When I returned to the parking lot at the entrance to the valley, I decided not to take the bus from there. Instead, I walked about 25 minutes to the small village along the bus route that I had seen earlier. I wanted to check out some Korean homes that are there.

A real Korean home

I’m very interested in Korean homes that real Koreans use in poor neighborhoods and in the countryside. I find them to be much more beautiful than the newly built, theme park-like homes advertised as traditional Korean homes for tourists to see in places like Seoul’s Bukchon (북촌) and Jeonju’s Hanok Maeul (한옥마을). After taking a few photos of the Korean homes, I hopped on the next bus and made my way back to my own home.

A real Korean home

Sitting at my desk and looking back, I think a day trip or overnight trip to Donghae for the purpose of visiting Cheongok Cave and hiking through Murueng Valley is a worthwhile activity. The cave is interesting as caves go, and the beautiful valley with its temple, water falls, and accessible peaks, is a place I’d go to again.

Resources
Donghae City (Official)
Cheongok Cave (Korea Tourism Organization)

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