Autumnal foliage flares up at Hwadam arboretum

The following is part of a series of articles introducing tourist attractions in Gyeonggi Province of South Korea -- Ed.

GWANGJU, Gyeonggi Province, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- Low-lying trails at Hwadam Botanic Garden are aflame with breathtaking autumnal colors. A monorail slides into the picturesque scenery as the crisp early winter air adds to the freshness. A stroll through the forest refreshes visitors tired of city life.

Located in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, Hwadam Botanic Garden is one of the best places to enjoy autumnal foliage near Seoul.

It boasts of a remarkable collection of 4,300 plant species and consists of 17 gardens with different themes.

LG Evergreen Foundation opened the arboretum in 2013 on 1,355,372 square meters of land in a valley near Nogo Peak. It is inside Konjiam (Gonjiam) Resort. The highest point of the park is 355 meters above sea level, and the lowest point is 210 meters.

Visitors are first greeted by the majestic "Maple of a Thousand Years."

▲ Convenient monorail

The botanic garden operates a monorail, a feature hardly ever seen in other arboretums, enabling visitors to enjoy the scenery conveniently.

The first place passengers encounter to their left is the "Moss Garden," where a swathe of mosses covers the ground like green blankets under the shades of lush crimson foliage.

The train then enters the marvelous "Tunnel of Autumn Leaves," a section lined with thick, luxuriant maple trees.

Passengers are amazed once again by a pure-white birch forest that stretches out to the top of the mountain. Visitors get off the train and often walk on the pathway around the peak.

▲ A visitor-friendly park

Hwadam Botanic Garden has features for physically weak and worn-out visitors.

Built on a mountain area, the garden has many sloping pathways. But they have been carefully designed to allow the elderly, children, women and frail visitors to walk about easily.

Its trails are covered with wooden walkways, on which wheelchairs and baby carriages move easily. The walkways are gently sloped and wide enough for two wheelchairs to pass at the same time.

▲ Trekking through the sylvan aroma

The park offers visitors excellent strolls through a variety of species, forms and colors of plants from the starting point of the monorail, through the Moss Valley and birch forest, and to the mountain peak which commends a panoramic vista.

They can enjoy rare kinds of maple leaves in every corner of the garden, including "Naejang" and "Gongjak" species, which have smaller and prettier leaves.

Then visitors are welcomed to the Pine Tree Garden, where the well-kept lush green gives off plenty of the aroma of the forest.

▲ Other tourist facilities

Hwadam Botanic Garden has four exhibition halls each themed with the country's beautiful mountains and rivers.

The Freshwater Fish Eco Center shows some 40 rare native species of 8,000 freshwater fish, including golden mandarin fish (a natural monument), shiri (which inhabits pure water) and fat minnows.

Visitors can observe rhinoceros and stag beetles at the Insect Eco Center consisting of a glass greenhouse and an outdoor garden.

▲ Gyeonggi Ceramics Museum

One tourist attraction near the park is Gyeonggi Ceramics Museum. It is located in the Konjiam area of Gwangju, the place where porcelain products for the royal family and public offices were produced during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

Gwangju was famous particularly for white porcelain, and a great number of their remains are still being excavated in the region.

The museum displays major ancient and contemporary works.

▲ Food

Hwadam Botanic Garden houses a traditional Korean pub where people can taste "pajeon," a Korean crispy fried scallion pancake, and tea houses.

There is the Italian restaurant Lagrotta at Gonjiam Resort near the arboretum.

▲ How to get there

The easiest way to reach Hwadam Botanic Garden is taking the 500-1 bus after getting off subway line 2 at Jamsil Station or the 500-2 bus at Samseong Station.

It takes one and a half hours from Jamsil to Gonjiam, where tourists can take shuttle buses to the garden.

Gyeonggi Ceramics Museum is also located on the route.

Another way to come to the garden is taking the Seoul-Gangneung Railway. It takes only 10 minutes by taxi from Gonjiam Station to the garden.

For more information, call Hwadam Botanic Garden at 031-8026-6666.
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