Photo: Dodamsambong Peaks (left) / Seongmun (right)
The three
Dodamsambong Peaks
stand like sentinels jutting out of the Namhangang River, adding
unique beauty to an otherwise ordinary river landscape. At dawn in
spring and fall, mist slowly rises like a mirage in the desert, an
awe-inspiring sight to take in during sunrise.
Cross the parking lot and walk up about 200 meters, where you will
find the rainbow-shaped Seongmun, a gate with towering pillars made of
the limestone. This structure had been used as the entrance to the
limestone caves that collapsed.
☞ Address:
644-13 Sambong-ro, Maepo-eup, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea
☞ Website:
www.dytmc.or.kr
(Korean only)
☞Directions:
From near Danyang Bus Terminal, get on a local bus heading to Hajin (하진).
- Get off at Dodamsambong Peaks.
☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
The Namhangang River that flows across Danyang is called a paradise
of freshwater fish for its numerous rapids and stones that create
favorable environmental conditions for freshwater fish to inhabit.
Danuri Aquarium is where you can meet the fish of the Namhangang River.
A variety of fish live upstream, downstream, and in the middle of the
river, coming in all different shapes and sizes.
The 102 water tanks in the aquarium showcase over 22,000 species of
fish, including 187 kinds of freshwater fish from Korea and overseas.
In particular, sturgeons, mandarin fish, and other freshwater sea
dwellers keep visitors captivated as they swim in a large aquarium
measuring 8 meters in height.
The aquarium also houses exotic species from all around the world, including China’s endangered
hongryong (red dragon fish), which are said to bring good luck, and the Amazon's giant arapaima.
☞ Address:
111 Subyeon-ro, Danyang-eup, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do
☞ Website:
www.danuri.go.kr/aqua (Korean only)
☞Directions:
The aquarium is located about two minutes south of Danyang Intercity Bus Terminal on the same city block.
☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
Ondal Tourist Park is an attractive tourist destination for those who are interested in Korean period TV dramas.
Taewangsasingi,
Yeongaesomun, and
Cheonchutaehu
were filmed at this park. The huge, majestic palace is surrounded by
50 houses and marketplaces all around. Costumes and props worn by the
actors and actresses are on display as well. Behind the TV show's set
lies the 450 million-year-old mysterious Ondal Cave. On the top of the
mountain behind the cave is where the Ondal Fortress is located, where
a war between the Silla and Goguryeo occurred to occupy the Namhangang
River.
☞ Address:
23 Ondal-ro Yeongchun-myeon, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do
☞ Website:
www.dytmc.or.kr (Korean only)
☞Directions:
From Danyang Bus Terminal, get on a local bus heading to Guinsa Temple (구인사).
- Get off at Ondal Mountain Fortress Bus Stop.
☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
Guinsa Temple is renowned as South Korea's largest temple, having a
sermon hall that can accommodate up to 10,000 people, and most of the
buildings are also the largest of their kind in Korea. From the shuttle
bus stop to Iljumun Gate, a total of 50 large buildings are lined up
along the narrow mountain valley. The temples are modern concrete
buildings, which gives visitors the impression of being in a village
deep in the mountains. The temple is the headquarters of Cheontaejong,
one of Korean Buddhism’s denominations.
☞ Address:
132-1 Baekja-ri, Yeongchun-myeon, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do
☞ Website:
www.guinsa.org (Korean only)
☞Directions
From Danyang Bus Terminal, get on a local bus heading to Guinsa Temple (구인사).
- Get off at Guinsa Temple.
☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
Geographically, the area of Danyang has large deposits of limestone
spread out across the region, and thus many caves have formed over
millions of years. Gosu is one of Danyang’s most popular caves, and was
formed about 450 million years ago. The cave features beautiful
stalactites, stalagmites, and stone pillars. Gosu Cave is the entrance
to a network of tunnels that stretches about 1.7 kilometers into the
earth, and is open to the public. The place called Plaza is laid out
with giant stalactites coming down as much as 10 meters from the
ceiling. There is also a sculpture of a lion, which combines with the
beautiful curtain-like stalactites into what resembles a mysterious
underground palace.
☞ Address:
8 Gosudonggul-gil, Danyang-eup, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do
☞ Website:
www.kosu.or.kr (Korean only)
☞Direction:
From Danyang Bus Terminal, get on bus 170 to Gosu Cave.
- Get off at Gosu Cave.
☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
The region of Suyanggae is the largest prehistoric site in Korea.
The stone toolkits were discovered by a team from Chungbuk National
University in 1983 during a project to excavate historical remains
around the site, which was soon going to be submerged due to the
construction of the Chungju Dam. Over 30,000 prehistoric remains were
unearthed, and were safely relocated to the museum to be put on
display. The museum contains a multitude of prehistoric stone tools,
such as bifaces and hand axes. The site is now well-known for
representing the late Stone Age in Korea.
Inside the museum, stone toolkits made in a variety of manners are on
display for visitors. In the outdoor exhibition space, statues of
humans from the prehistoric era were erected in order to show the
process of hunting and gathering.
The museum provides detailed explanations and maps that mark the
prehistoric sites of Danyang. Through the museum, visitors can come
closer to learning about the life and wisdom of our Paleolithic
ancestors.
☞ Address:
395 Suyanggaeyujeok-ro, Danyang-eup, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do
☞ Website:
suyanggae.go.kr (Korean only)
☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
Sainam Rock
is a towering rocky cliff with a height
of about 50 meters. The majestic rock stands alone pointing up to the
sky with a sparkling blue river flowing beneath the cliff. Sainam
Rock is surrounded by pine trees that blend in with the rocky cliffs and
valleys to form a gorgeous, picturesque scenery. The rock has been
weathered by rain and wind for millions of years, resulting in a
gritty, worn look that begs to be photographed.
☞ Address:
33 Sainam-gil, Daegang-myeon, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do
☞Directions:
From Dongseoul Bus Terminal, get on a bus to Danyang Bus Terminal.
- From Dangyang Danuri Center, get on a bus to Jikti (직티).
- Walk for about 10 minutes to reach Sainam Rock.
☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
Photo: Danyang Jeokseong Fortress (left) / Danyang Silla Jeokseongbi Stone Stele (right)
About a 15-minute walk from the back side of the Danyang rest stop
(Jungang Expressway, Chuncheon direction) lies an ancient mountain
fortress with long, hard-earned history of 1,500 years. Called Danyang
Jeokseong Fortress, it has a height of 4 meters on the outer walls and 3
meters on the inner part. The kingdom of Silla, based in the
Gyeongsang-do region, seized the area of Danyang from the Goguryeo
Kingdom and built the fortress. Inside the fortress is Silla Jeokseongbi
Stone Stele, which was erected to represent stability for the life of
the citizens of the occupied territories. Silla Jeokseongbi is wide at
the top and narrows toward the bottom, and due to being damaged, some
words engraved in the upper part of stone are hard to make out,
however, 288 characters currently remain. The words written in the
stele refer to the reward for those who went to the war to take over
the Danyang region in submission to the King’s order, and promised
compensation for those who remain loyal to the Silla Kingdom.
☞ Address:
The area of San 3-1 Habang-ri, Danseong-myeon, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do
☞ Directions:
From Danyang Intercity Bus Terminal, get on a local bus bound for Danseong (단성).
- Get off at Habang Bus Stop.
- Walk in the same direction another 100 meters and turn right at Habang 3-gil Street.
- Follow the road to Danyang rest stop,
where the fortress will be visible to the northwest of the rest stop.
☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
If there is one thing that cannot be excluded in your travel
itinerary, it will be enjoying some unique, leisurely activity while
basking in natural surroundings. The great activity to satisfy this is
Danyang Clay Pigeon Shooting Range. The range has very flexible
schedules that allow any walk-in visitors to participate anytime during
the day. The experience of shooting a real gun will be a good way to
release any stress built up from the everyday worries of life.
Operating a shotgun is easy, meaning anybody can enjoy the activity
without having to be afraid. Although it may seem impossible to shoot
the moving targets hurled into the air at different trajectories, the
staff kindly provides a one-on-one lesson to ensure that all
participants are able to get used to the gun and hit the targets as
they coast through the air. The fee (which includes instruction) is 5
shots for 10,000 won, 15 shots for 20,000 won, and 25 shots for 30,000
won.
☞ Address:
207-17 Nodongjanghyeon-ro, Danyang-eup, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do
☞ Website:
사격장.kr (Korean only)
☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
More Info
☞Directions:
[Train]
Saemaeul-ho (새마을호) departing from Cheongnyangni Station to Danyang Station
(First train: 07:50, Last train: 18:15 / Travel Time: approx. 1 hrs 58 min)
Mugunghwa Train (무궁화호) departing from Cheongnyangni Station to Danyang Station
(First Train: 06:40, Last Train: 21:13 / Travel Time: approx. 2 hrs 5 min)
*Korail:
www.letskorail.com(Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
[Bus]
Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to
Danyang Intercity Bus Terminal
(First bus: 06:59, Last bus: 18:00 / Travel Time: 2 hrs 30 min)
☞ Website:
tour.dy21.net (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
Visit Korea Journalist
Article and photos courtesy of O Juhwan