Inwangsan Mountain (인왕산), meaning “Benevolent King Mountain” and also known as “White Tiger Mountain” is 338m high, and according to internet sources, is the home of Korea’s most important shamanistic shrine.

The day I visited Inwangsan was the same day I visited Seodaemun Prison Historical Museum. They are literally across the street from each other and make a great combination for a days worth of sightseeing.

Seonbawi

I don’t have proper photos of two of the main rock outcroppings on Inwangsan; however, if you head over to David Mason’s website (http://san-shin.net/Inwangsan.html) you’ll see a number of photos and great explanations about their significance. I’ll just say here that one of the rocks is in the shape of a person (the benevolent king) and one is in the shape of a crouching tiger.

Hazy view of Seoul from Inwangsan

I did manage to get a photo of Seonbawi (선바위), another rock outcropping with an eerie look that is also a place of worship. This rock is home to a dozen or so pigeons of which an elderly man would scare off of the prayer platform every so often by banging a broom stick on the wood floor.

Hazy view of Seoul from Inwangsan

After checking out Seonbawi I started down the trail in hopes of finding a rock carving that was listed on a guide sign as I approached the entrance to the shrine. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find it and had actually gone a bit of the way towards the trail that leads to the peak of Inwangsan and so I gave up my search for the carving. I cannot offer any advice about how to get to the trail up Inwangsan since it is not marked well at all. I made a good guess and asked a few people along the way to help point me in the right direction. At any rate, you need to head towards the Seoul Fortress Wall.

Hazy view of Seoul from Inwangsan

Well if you can find the right trail, you will be in for a treat. Even though I climbed Inwangsan on the haziest day of the year in Seoul, I’m convinced the views of Seoul from it are some of the best you can get, even rivaling those from Seoul Tower on Namsan Mountain.

Since it was so hazy, the only photos that came out half decent were of some beautiful flowers I found growing along the trail.

I think this is a kind of lily

The trail can be followed up to a certain point, and then guards will prevent you from going further. The area has security forces stationed along the trail due to the close proximity to the president’s home (The Blue House).

Definitely lilies

The top of the mountain has a good number of places to rest on the giant rocks while taking in the scenery, and feeling the cool breeze. I particularly like enjoying a bottle of makgeolli, and snacks in such places.

Sitting at my desk and looking back, I will definitely be heading back to Inwangsan on a clear day in order to get a really good look at Seoul. I can easily recommend to you to do the same. If you have a full day to spend, try visiting the Seodaemun Prison Historical Museum across the street before heading up Inwangsan.

Resources
Inwangsan (Korea Tourism Organization)
Inwangsan (Wikipedia)
Inwangsan (David Mason, San-Shin.net)

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